The German Government isn‘t far behind. Just yesterday we advertised an E-15 (government pay scale) role for head of software architecture in Munich, which translates to roughly 60k € / year. This is what a junior software developer can expect after either a Master‘s or a year or so of experience in his first job.
The problem‘s don‘t stop there. I currently work a government job until I can start my PhD, so I know what it‘s like. Office Job workers joke about „attractive addons“ like free lunches on friday, a well stocked coffee machine, a nice looking office or a foosball table in the office. I say you don‘t know you‘re missing something until it‘s no longer there.
The German Government tends to offer nothing like this. My office is a gray block of concrete. I‘ve asked for some pictures and some greenery in the form of plants, which was denied. My office chair sucks compared to what I‘m used to, my desk looks like it came straight out of offices in the DDR. There are no free drinks in the office, no fruits or interesting lunch talks.
I worked for a French engineering school for 3 years, on government salary (we have a weird system). It was 37k/y for a junior position, so quite low (I doubled that in 2 job switch), but I had 57 vacation days.
More than 11 weeks, not counting the 4/5 national holidays (depending on the year).
I'm building a treasury right now, but once my house is paid, I'm going back to this kind of job.
Government jobs in Germany are quite good depending on your perspective. Getting the Beamten status makes you basically unfireable, and the pensions are so generous that becoming Beamter with E-15 ist equivalent to a solid millionaire.
But first you much reach the pension age, that's not a gamble I'm willing to take (don't remember any relatives who reached 90 years) and until then, good luck if you want to buy a house, as these jobs are usually not on the countryside :P
The problem‘s don‘t stop there. I currently work a government job until I can start my PhD, so I know what it‘s like. Office Job workers joke about „attractive addons“ like free lunches on friday, a well stocked coffee machine, a nice looking office or a foosball table in the office. I say you don‘t know you‘re missing something until it‘s no longer there.
The German Government tends to offer nothing like this. My office is a gray block of concrete. I‘ve asked for some pictures and some greenery in the form of plants, which was denied. My office chair sucks compared to what I‘m used to, my desk looks like it came straight out of offices in the DDR. There are no free drinks in the office, no fruits or interesting lunch talks.
It‘s bleak.