Christian Rother (right) of E-dynamics with a friend: The payoffs from an early stint in India can be considerable

I looked out of the plane and saw all these men walking around with guns in hand and my first reaction was, 'Oh my god! What was I thinking?'''

These were Simone Blok's first thoughts as she landed at New Delhi airport. Having left behind a good job, gone against parental and peer pressure, and having travelled miles away from her home in the Netherlands, Blok for the first time doubted her decision to work in India. It was, of course, one of the first-timer's many shocks.

Blok, 24, was working with a recruitment agency back home earning $2,000 a month. Yet she felt she was ''missing something''. ''I wanted the experience of working in a totally different culture,'' she explains. As a trainee in the hr department of e-bookers, a London-based internet travel company in Delhi, Blok earns only Rs 8,000 a month (approximately $160). But it doesn't matter. ''I was prepared for this and the experience is far more valuable to me.'' An India veteran today-well, in a sense-Blok now says she would consider returning in three-to-five years for a job.

Foreign employees have increased greatly in numbers since India Inc went global a decade ago. But aside from the world of the multinational expat, there are a growing number of foreigners who seek employment in India-many admittedly for an exotic experience. But some increasingly realise India offers an invaluable-if sometimes extreme-experience of emerging markets. The exotic factor works well with their Indian employers too, especially if they are firms that have significant an international outlook and dealings. ''This has given us an edge in communicating with our global clients,'' says Sriram Das, Director of Bangalore Labs, a software company. Das' three foreign trainees have, he believes, "exposed employees to the nuances of doing business in global markets."

"Deadlines are pretty relaxed. If something is not done today, it will happen tomorrow" Erika Kozak, Marketing Trainee, Quadra Visions

There are no accurate numbers on foreign execs working in India Inc, but AIESEC, an organisation that puts these young people in touch with companies looking for foreign nationals, reports that India is only behind Germany in the number of foreign nationals that come in to work through AIESEC. From 90 in 1999, the number of foreigners coming in through AIESEC has gone up to 164 in 2001.

Employers now tend to maintain contact with these employees even after they go back to their countries, forming long-term international contracts. ''They not only learn a lot, but also add immense value to our organisation,'' agrees Mr Anshuman Magazine, Manager (Delhi), CB Richard Ellis, who employs four foreign trainees, mostly in the marketing department.

Eszter Botai, a gregarious Hungarian who works at the Maurya Sheraton and Towers in Delhi, believes her background makes her unique. ''While in Europe I am one among others, here I am special.'' The guests expect something different from her "because I am a foreigner". "The hotel is also able to say: Look, we have a foreign employee working with us. This would never have been possible in Hungary,'' exclaims Botai, 24.

"I have learnt a lot working with INdians. They are very detailed and technical" Mathias Held, Trainee, HTA

"They bring a certain style of working with them,'' says Mario Lazaro, training manager at the Sheraton, ''For instance, Eszter calls a spade a spade whereas I would think twice about it. They are professional at a very early age. This helps people they work with.'' The foreign employee also forms a relationship with the company and when they return, they become brand ambassadors, reasons Lazaro.

One of the prime reasons that attracts the new lot is, of course, the invaluable experience. Working here gives Mathias Held ''an understanding of the market for when I come back with a big international ad company''. Held came here from Germany in March and works as a trainee with HTA. To Katrina Tan (name changed on request), 28, who has been working in a manufacturing house since the beginning of the year, the Indian experience is about making contacts. ''I have met a lot of people here. So now, if I need to contact a manufacturer I know who to call.'' For Christian Rother, 24, this experience "shows my German employers that I am flexible and can work in different places''. Christian works at E-dynamics, a marketing and web design company in Delhi.

Once at work, the first thing these foreigners learn is that the Indian way is almost relaxed compared to their high-pressure world of deadlines. Everyone-including the boss-is used to taking things as they come, they find out. The office seems a lot like a family, and everyone seems to have a lot of fun. It's a far more laid-back style of functioning than most are used to.

''In the Netherlands, information comes to us from the management in a set way. They explain their goals and then we can make suggestions," says Blok, referring to the absence of strict rules and standards. "Here, the boss will be discussing ideas with you, and then he says 'we'll see' and walk off!'' It took her some time to understand that the phrase "give me a couple of minutes" wasn't to be taken literally. "It actually means the next day!" she exclaims. "I would be there three minutes later."

"I was prepared for this (pay cut) and the experience is far more valuable to me" Simone Blok, Trainee, E-bookers

Erika Kozak, a trainee with marketing consultancy Quadra Visions, agrees. "There are deadlines, but they are pretty relaxed. If something is not done today it will happen tomorrow," explains Kozak, 24, whose colleagues took some time to get used to her spiky, punkcut hair. For Tan, used to the clockwork-efficiency of Parisian fashion houses, the 'we'll-see' style of working is most annoying. ''People in textiles pretend they can do everything, but they can't. They are lazy and you have to chase them," she says. "And they deliver goods of poor quality. They need to be a lot more professional.''

Interestingly, foreigners find workplace hierarchies flatter than they're used to. The HTA office, for instance, is set up with open cubicles, all on one level. This is different for Held. In Germany, the boss usually has his own office where you have to knock and go in. Nor does he have to report to his boss every day at HTA, ''I have time to work on my project on my own.'' Blok agrees, ''I have learnt how to listen to others, discuss ideas. It's not just a case of the boss speaks and we listen.''

Of course, it took him some time to get used to people yelling across the office, discussing personal lives and sitting on tables. The informality and handling of problems was striking. "They will be yelling and fighting one minute and the next minute they are fine!" says Held. "In Germany, they wouldn't talk to each other for a week!'' Kozak finds people at work ''like a family. They have fun''. Apart from getting used to copy boys and security guards sitting around idly, many find it exciting to work in a country with wide opportunities and a highly educated-and to their minds ill-paid-workforce. ''I have learnt a lot working with Indians," says Held. "They are very detailed and technical."

There is also the after-work experience. But Tan finds it hard to support her lifestyle on her salary, even though it is twice what a local designer would get. She likes to eat in all the good places and visits all of Delhi's nightclubs. Kozak and Botai often travel together, second-class sleeper. For most, the experience has improved communication skills and taken them out of a Westerner's comfort zone, helping them learn to accept things more easily. ''I'm far more patient,'' says Kozak with a cheerful bob of the head. That, perhaps, is the greatest lesson.