British workers make a beeline to Indian call centres

UK’s The Independent says that British workers are heading to India to work at Indian call centres at a monthly pay of Rs. 30,000 (approx). The article says that shortage of qualified / trained manpower (in India) is one of the reasons why Britons are being lured to work in India. A British Call Centre recently closed shop in India and moved to South Africa as they felt that the attrition rate was quite high.

In a remarkable reversal of the outsourcing that has seen thousands of jobs lost in the UK, telesales operations are looking to fill a skills gap in the east with young Britons willing to work on Indian wages.

And they are eagerly taking up the challenge. Both recent graduates and those with experience of working in British call centres are flocking to sign up for jobs in Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore that pay just £350 a month.

It might not sound like much, but many are finding that they can earn enough to live on for six months or a year before heading off travelling. Indeed, a stint in the call centres followed by a period mellowing out on Goa's beaches or touring the palaces of Rajasthan is becoming the fashionable way for single young Britons to spend a gap year.

However, with surveys suggesting that India's telesales industry will be short of more than 120,000 employees over the next two years, many of the newcomers are expected to stay on.