Should I work as support executive(assoc consultant) in govt project after doing certification?

[former_member294672]

Hi all,

I have completed SAP SD(Sales & Distribution) certification last year but still now got no job. Now I got selected in a CMM Level 3 Indian company bases at Mumbai who are into an E-governance project & I got selected as a “Associate Consultant - SAP" My role will be for the SAP rollout and support function.Maximum Salary that can be offered is 18K per month (14K in hand). I will have to be ready for extensive travelling in an Indian State and there will be a one year bond also. I must also be ready to work on multiple SAP modules. Fluency in Hindi is a must. Only functional modules required.

But after joining I find that the functional on which I have to give end user support are HR,Tax,MM,PS(Projct Systems),Water(SAP Water which I never before had heard of) but it doesn't include my SD module .So when I asked the people involved with that project they said that as it is a Govt project it doesn't involve sales functions so there is no SD module implemented.Further when I asked that whether I can work in future in implementation or rollout project they said that "implementation & rollout also has been fully completed & there is no chance of working in such projects in future.Also they said that I should not have to learn any customization related to any of these modules like PS,MM.HR,Water,Tax. And the end-user training program contains all local people from that state(viz MP & around Bhopal)

& more than 80% of the the near to 100 young people(mostly from ordinary bg or some btech passouts) attending the training program in Bhopal(the state where this egov project is running is Madhya Pradesh). are neither certified in any SAP modules nor they have any background in SAP..

The training is also being conducted in a very poor way - no proper conference hall booked instead it is being conducted in a classroom of an engineering college located in a remote location of Bhopal and there is no AC in the so much heat of June. Most of the people including me can't see the image being focused on the wall of the classroom & neither can be understood by me as mostly it is being taught in local language Hindi as most of the participants are from Hindi Medium schools or colleges.

So is it wise to join such a company for 16k(in NR) take home salary for a 1 year bond else have to pay 3 months salary if left before 1 year.

I will not get any scope to work on the module I have learnt in the SAP training nor I will work as a proper SAP Consultant. Instead I will work like a data entry operator supporting the Govt officers or engineers.

Please advice

Thanks & Regards

[VeselinaPeykova]

Tough choice...

If I am not wrong, the certification fee is significant, when you consider the cost of living in India. Most likely the time, which you spent looking for a job and the fees have drained most of your savings.

In my country this type of agreement (work for at least 1 year, if not - pay back 3 salaries) is illegal, which means, that the employee could disregard it and the other party cannot do much about it. It makes a lot of sense to ask a friend, who is experienced in the local legislation, to have a look at your contract before you sign anything. There could be a lot more pitfalls, than you have spotted, it is better to know in advance with what you will be dealing.

If you have already signed, it is best not to jump and leave immediately, but to try getting the most of your current situation - get a few books, browse sap help for MM/PS - maybe you will find these topics interesting. For sure, a bit of MM/PS knowledge and some business experience in these areas could be useful in the future when you find a suitable SD position elsewhere. Speaking from personal experience - SD is rather uncommon for government projects, but procurement and projects can be very sophisticated.

If you have not signed anything and if you feel that you can afford looking for something else - catching a prospective employer in dishonesty is already a red flag. I try to avoid dealing with such companies.

[former_member294672]

Hi Veselina.

Thank you for the helpful reply. No I haven't signed any agreements and not even accepted the offer letter..And I have decided to leave the company for a better job. So I dont think it wise to join as an associate consultant doing support jobs in different modules other than mine.

With Thanks & Regards

Namrata