CTO guide to hiring Indian programmers
CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and other tech leaders take two routes when looking for the right talent to fill their business needs. They either try to find and hire programmers locally — and often fail in the process — or extend their development team abroad.
India has become a popular destination for the latter.
Engineers in tech hubs like Bangalore offer the same or better quality than their counterparts in Silicon Valley. Indeed, the city is known as ‘The Silicon Valley of Asia’ for its large talent pool and for being an innovation centre for startups.
If you plan to start or augment your development team in India — or have been hesitating whether to do it — this article is for you.
After reading it, you’ll know why hiring Indian programmers can help you build better software and why offshoring is an excellent solution to assemble your new world-class tech team.
Let’s get started!
Why should you hire Indian programmers?
You’ve probably heard the stereotypes: Indian engineers aren’t skilled enough to perform at the highest level, their English proficiency is lacking, and they struggle with project commitment.
While some organisations have had bad experiences hiring Indian programmers, the problem is not the quality of the engineers but rather the hiring process and engagement model.
Indeed, India is home to some of the most talented and innovative tech professionals in the world:
- Indian engineers possess niche programming skills. According to a 2023 nasscom report, the tech industry in India ranks top in AI skills penetration, second in AI/ML/BDA (Big Data Analytics) talent globally, and third in Cloud professionals.
- Around 1.5 million engineers graduate from top tech universities in the country yearly. India produces the largest number of STEM graduates globally, with 34% of students choosing STEM degrees.
- Besides their skillset and education, top Indian engineers have a high English language level, which makes their capacity to work with international businesses immaculate. Per the EF English Proficiency Index, India is more proficient than other countries with high engineering populations, such as Pakistan, Brazil, and Colombia.
How we helped Preqin establish a 450+ person global R&D centre in India
DOWNLOAD CASE STUDYHow can you hire programmers in India?
You can hire Indian programmers in different ways, depending on your requirements and the commitment level you expect from them.
Although some businesses decide to employ freelancers, most companies use two engagement models: outsourcing or offshoring.
Outsourcing means engaging individuals or agencies to remotely complete a fixed-term project, similar to working with freelance professionals. These developers have no ownership over the project. Since the main attraction for businesses that outsource engineering is low prices, the quality they get is frequently below par, and sometimes the output is non-existent.
Offshoring involves relocating business tasks or operations to a different country. When done right, offshoring allows you to build a team of high-quality engineers who work as your in-house team. In other words, you get permanent employees that extend your local workforce.
When you offshore software development, you guarantee to engage serious and committed developers looking for a career in your team — something that’s impossible with outsourcing.
To learn more about these two models, check out our article on the key differences between outsourcing and offshoring.
What to know before hiring your new team
Before hiring your new engineers, check out these helpful guides for building your software development team in India:
- Explore how to transition from local top distributed engineering teams.
- Discover the 5 reasons Indian software engineers lead the offshoring game.
- Get insights into how to build an ODC team in India.
- Find out how to verify your offshore development partner.
- Learn everything you need to know about offshore development services in India.
Why is offshoring an excellent way to hire the right Indian programmers?
To avoid low-quality engineers and hire developers in India who really add value to your business, you must find a model that sources the best talent in the nation.
That’s exactly what offshore software development offers.
Here are five reasons why offshoring is an ideal solution to build a team with Indian programmers driving software innovation:
Discover how 100 CTOs in ANZ are building offshore tech teams
DOWNLOAD WHITEPAPER1. Access a massive pool of engineering talent
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, tech jobs will grow by 13% by 2030. The challenge — especially in Western countries — is that there aren’t enough skilled professionals to fill such demand.
That’s why more and more companies are looking seriously at offshoring to enhance their development teams. Offshoring to tech hubs like Bangalore, India, allows companies to pick professionals who match their soft and hard skills expectations.
While some organisations try to ‘hack’ their growth through outsourcing, it only works as a ‘quick fix’ and is not sustainable in the long run.
2. Hire (the best) English-speaking programmers
Language compatibility is a significant concern when building an offshore team.
But not for organisations who want to hire Indian engineers.
As a nation, India puts significant emphasis on education for all its people, including language teaching. The top Indian programmers are not only technical experts but are taught from a young age to communicate clearly and effectively in English.
This allows top-quality developers to slot into your team regardless of logistical challenges.
See Colmore’s example, a US FinTech for whom we built an 85-person R&D hub in Bangalore.
The company contacted us in 2021 when they needed to scale their operations rapidly to meet growing demand. Our team at The Scalers helped them build a specialised team of tech professionals aligned with the company’s mission and vision, despite being thousands of miles away from their headquarters.
Colmore’s in-house and offshore teams speak the ‘same language.’ Literally.
3. Enjoy cost-effective operations
An undeniable advantage of offshoring is cost-effectiveness. By offshoring your software development and hiring Indian programmers, you can reduce your IT spending by 20-50% compared to hiring at home.
The cost of living in a country like India is significantly lower than in the West. This means necessities like food, clothing, and housing are more expensive in the US and Europe.
In turn, the average disposable income for an employee in India is higher, which allows you to access an exceptional talent pool of engineers at a fraction of your home cost. To put this into perspective, the median salary of a Software Engineer in London is $120,000/year. Its counterpart in India earns $31,000/year.
If you hire programmers in India via offshoring, you won’t only cut salary costs but also in setting up a software development centre.
The cost of establishing such centres in the US and Europe is considerably higher compared to India. While an initial investment is required to move operations offshore, ongoing expenses such as internet, property leases, and payroll are lower in the Asian country.
4. Get hard-working and committed engineers
Hiring Indian programmers who rank among the crème de la crème can be challenging. However, if you partner with the right offshore software development company finding dedicated engineers (ones who can contribute incredible results) is a walk in the park.
Your ideal offshore partner can help you hire and onboard technically gifted professionals who possess a never-give-up attitude and focus on creative thinking.
Indian engineers are wired this way because they are taught to always be persistent and work hard. In a country that generates hundreds and thousands of engineers annually, they need this grit to reach the top. Bringing this attitude into your business can do wonders for your growth and performance.
5. Thrive in a glowing economic and technological environment
India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Over the next 10-15 years, it’s expected to be the world’s 3rd economic power, right behind the US and China.
The Indian market has grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade. India’s GDP is estimated to increase at an average rate of close to 7%, underlining the strength of its economic activity. This is due to population growth and higher education enrollment, among other factors.
Can’t find the skills you need at home? Stop searching and start scaling
LEARN MOREThere’s a reason IT behemoths like Google and Microsoft are building new R&D centres in cities like Bangalore. It’s already one of the world’s most dynamic, talent-heavy cities.
Building your software engineering team offshore in India allows you to scale your operations in an environment rich with talent and innovation that will only grow in the near future.
Challenges you may face when hiring Indian engineers
Programmers in India are top quality. But, there may be a few considerations you should make before building your new team in the country.
The first is the geographical distance and time zone differences. It’s not easy to monitor your team’s performance when they are five, six or more hours ahead of your headquarters. Communication problems and cultural differences may arise.
Another challenge you may face when hiring Indian talent is quality assurance. Your engineers can be world-class, but are they following best programming practices? Is there sufficient control in place to maintain high standards?
Security is also a vital aspect to consider. Just think that your tech team will have access to your organisation’s internal systems and confidential information! If your engineers don’t adhere to strict security protocols, your intellectual property and sensitive data may be in danger.
The Scalers’ unique (and proven) model solves CTO headaches
At The Scalers, we’ve built an offshoring model that sources the top 1% of Indian engineering talent. What’s more, it addresses the most common issues CTOs and other tech leaders face when hiring Indian programmers:
- We solve geographical distance and time zone differences by assigning each partner a dedicated Partner Success Manager, Learning and Development Manager, and Chief Happiness Officer. These professionals care for your team, train them in soft skills and communication, and motivate them daily. With their support, we ensure your operations run smoothly while maintaining your unique company culture.
- We solve quality assurance by handpickling the most talented professionals in Bangalore, ‘The Silicon Valley of Asia.’ These engineers are trained to follow engineering best practices and guidelines.
- We have official security certifications, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 27001. Your data is safe in our hands.
Want to know more about The Scaler’s model?
If you’re ready to expand your business and build a team in Bangalore, India, fill out this form, and one of our senior executives will contact you promptly.
In the meantime, we invite you to watch a one-minute video in which we explain why companies should hire engineers in India.
In summary
Western companies often hold several clichés about working with Indian programmers. But, once they try offshoring to hire and build a team in the country, their perception changes radically.
We say that based on our experience building over 80 teams in the past 10+ years for organisations that had had bad experiences collaborating with Indian talent.
The nation is home to highly skilled professionals. It all comes down to finding the right model and partner to grow.
If you’ve found this blog post insightful, we invite you to read other tech leadership and offshoring articles. You can find them below!
