15 Things Every Expat Should Know About Living and Working in India

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India is a fascinating country, full of geographic wonders, rich history, unique cultural experiences, delicious food and adventures of all kinds, both good and bad.  Almost daily someone asks me if I am enjoying my stay in India, and the truth is, sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t.  It depends on the day really. There is one thing for certain, if you are coming to India to work, be prepared for some serious culture shock!  Here are 15 things I wish I had known before coming here.

1. Workplace Culture:  Indian people are taught to respect their “seniors”.  Authority figures have tremendous power in India and their subordinates rarely question them. They typically do as they are told, no more and no less.  As a result, don’t expect your Indian coworkers or staff to speak up, give you great ideas or put in a lot of extra effort. On the flip side, they are a very social and hard working group of people and once you win their loyalty and respect they will work even harder for you.

2. Tardiness:  When we held our project kick off meeting everyone was late and we started an hour after it was scheduled.  I was horribly offended but soon learned that they mean no disrespect.  The traffic in India is atrocious (see number 3 below) and the simplest things (herd of cows in the road) can have a ripple effect that causes huge delays. The buses and trains are also often late for a number of reasons too which in turns causes their commuters to be late. In fact, I’ve yet to have a single interviewee show up on time for an interview. It’s just their culture.  If nothing else, India will teach you patience.

You Won’t Believe the Cause of Traffic Problems in India

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So you think we have bad traffic jams in America huh?  Well, just like everything else, it depends on the basis of your comparison. Traffic in India can be some of the worst in the world, but there are different causes depending on whether you are in city or rural traffic.

In the city:  Probably the biggest factor leading to the awful traffic jams is the sheer number of vehicles on the road.  There are over 8 million vehicles per day on the roads in the greater Delhi area.  Many commuters take metro, ride share in a tuck tuck, or ride a bicycle, but the roads aren’t designed to handle the volume.  Many Indian workers commute over 2 hours each way without air conditioning and arrive to work already dirty and sweaty.  

Commute in India

What is it Like to Live and Work in India? 7 More Things You Should Know

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Working in India has many similarities to working in the U.S.  It also has many differences. I can only speak of my experiences so far and it includes working with one of the largest companies in India.

Working Conditions Vary

The building we are in has nearly 4,000 workers. It’s quite modern with lots of glass. It even has a glass elevator, large fountain in the lobby, a huge open courtyard with palm trees in the center, cafeteria and daycare. The bathrooms have bathroom attendants. Directly across the street is a huge pile of garbage and homeless people. It is quite a contrast. The street vendors argue for the best spaces out front and dozens of tuck-tucks await their eager passengers ready to commute home after a long day of work.