Has your colleague verified that the overseas candidates actually have Android experience? That is, beyond the recruiter’s assurances?
And are you sure you’re not putting too much of a premium on Android-specific knowledge? I mean, there’s a pretty high barrier to entry for iPhone apps (high-end Mac, Objective-C and XCode, $99 for the SDK, etc.) but Android doesn’t require much beyond knowledge of the general Java/Eclipse suite. That sounds more like 4-5 weeks max, not 4-5 months.
And no, I’ve never done anything for the iPhone, but my employer thinks I should learn how to, on my own dime and on my own time. And that’s how I’d respond to your assertion that American developers aren’t picking up new skill sets — most of us are scrambling just to meet our current employers’ demands for new skills in an age of downsizing and “reorganization.”
