There’s someone saying no to Ferrari: a young mechanic rejects a job offer from Ferrari because of low salary (translation in the comments)

5 comments

  1. Working at Ferrari is probably the ultimate ambition to which any young Italian mechanic, and not only, aspires, but sometimes having to come to terms with reality can challenge even what seems “unquestionable.”

    A reminder of this is the story of Andrea Gianello, a 28-year-old skilled lathe mechanic who was one step away from realizing his dream, that of working for the Prancing Horse, but who had to put it back in the drawer the moment when, with the selective path passed and employment already decided, he found himself faced with Ferrari’s salary proposal.

    Selective process brilliantly passed and hiring already decided upon
    The 28-year-old from Cologna Veneta (Verona), who works at Bertolaso, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of bottling systems, had been chosen by Ferrari, at the end of the personnel selection process, as the ideal candidate to fill the role for which the Cavallino had activated the search for professional figures.

    The salary “surprise” that changes the cards on the table
    However, the joy of the prospect of working at Ferrari, as Gianello told L’Arena newspaper, was short-lived. When the hiring seemed like a mere formality, the 28-year-old resoundingly turned down the job offer. The reason for the rejection, as is often the case in the world of work in Italy, was that the salary was too low, both in relation to the cost of living the young mechanic would incur by moving to Maranello and in relation to the salary currently received by the company where he works.

    Ferrari’s proposal: €1,700 gross per month
    Ferrari had proposed to the 28-year-old a monthly salary of €1,700 gross for three work shifts per week (one day, one afternoon, and one night), to which a possible annual production bonus of €12,000 distributed over 12 monthly paychecks could be added. A lower offer overall than what Gianello earns as a skilled worker at Bertolaso, a company where the young man has worked since 2015.

    A reluctant refusal, the one to Ferrari’s offer, which was well reasoned and the result of a careful evaluation related to the expenses (rent of a house in Maranello, fuel and highway tollbooth to return home on weekends, and average cost of living) that the young mechanic from Veneto would have had to incur by moving to the vicinity of the Redhead’s headquarters.

    Gianello: “To us young people Italy offers little, better to go work abroad.”
    So after accounts in hand and weeks of reflection it came down to Gianello’s troubled rejection, a decision that still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth for the young man who had to reluctantly give up his dream job: “I’ve always been a guy who dreams, but keeps his feet on the ground. I’m not afraid of risk however before taking certain steps one has to think maturely, taking into account the positive and negative aspects of a project. Unfortunately, it seems, to us young people Italy offers little: it is more convenient to go and work abroad.”

    After the unusual, but justified, rejection at Ferrari, the young mechanic specialist will continue to nurture his motorsport-related ambitions: “The dream of one day getting to work in Formula 1, however, has not faded. Who knows, maybe one day I might find a place at Red Bull.”

    Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

  3. Why are people surprised by this? Companies like Ferrari have profit margins that are 10x those of traditional automakers. Like seriously, Ford makes like 5% on every car sold, Ferrari makes like 50%. You don’t get to those insane profit margins by being generous with your employees, lol.

    Plus, companies like that have the advantage that people are dumb and care about “prestiege”. It’s more prestigious to say you work at Ferrari or Lamborghini instead of Ford or VW, even if your job is the exact same and even you get paid less. Prestiege is nice, but do you use prestiege to pay your gas and electricity bill? Do you pay with prestiege at the checkout at Lidl? Does your landlord give you a discount because you work at Ferrari? I don’t think so…

  4. I recruit mechanical and electrical engeneers in that area.
    The stories of young former Ferrari engeneers are always the same: toxic enviroment, you should be grateful to work for them, hard working hours and reeeeally specific tasks (maybe you spend months in just some aerodynamic parts) without being able to know the full projects for possible data leaks. Salaries are ok though.
    But usually young engeneers work at Ferrari for a couple of years just to have a cool name on the resume and then head away to calmer shores.

  5. > “The dream of one day getting to work in Formula 1, however, has not faded. Who knows, maybe one day I might find a place at Red Bull.”

    I have a family member working at RBR. He earns a very decent wage right now but when he started he earned very little – less than he would make outside of F1. They bank on people wanting to work in F1 for the reputation. It’s a business where you really have to prove yourself again and again before you get big bucks.

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