Contracting at Barclays- what checks do they carry out before you start work?

[m0n1k3r]

Agent just cancelled interview - apparently the project won't need as many PMs as they thought ....typical based on the experience of others who have worked for Barclays ��

Ah - they just realised that the number of PMs allocated to the project were greater than the number of developers allocated to the same.

[m0n1k3r]

Despite the doom merchants here, in 12 years contracting, the 2 contracts I've had at Barclays in London have been probably the best I've had - most interesting projects and great people to work with. Downside was 2 x 10% cuts but it didn't matter as I was having such a great time.

Mate of mine recently went there for an agile coach role. The recent graduate cretins who interviewed him didn't know anything about the role and were reading their questions from a book while at the same time checking their email on their mobiles and in the end dismissed him as "inexperienced" because he asked them questions back to seek to clarify whether they meant DAD, LeSS, SAFe or something else by "scaled agile" and because he didn't use exactly the same phrases and words they read out of their book.

Your experience all depends on who is assigned to screen you.

[oliverson]

Should be quite easy then. I've been employed by my limited company for longer than that.

We've all tried that one. Doesn't work.

[m0n1k3r]

We've all tried that one. Doesn't work.

Employment is defined in law (nowadays). If employment is what they ask for, that's what it is.

If not, they should be asking for "hirers" or "clients" or "places of work", however "client" is generally understood the person who engaged the supplier to solve a specific problem (and in the process make the client look good and become a candidate for promotions etc), while "customer" is the organisation that the contract is with and to whom invoices are sent.

However - recruiters, background invaders^Wcheckers and certain clients all tend to conflate "own limited company" with "self employment", which it is not. Self employment is a special personal tax status applied for with the HMRC.

I sometimes wish I wasn't a lawyer. I'm far too particular about these things. "Those guys" apparently make up their own definitions as they go along. What are they - politicians?

[oliverson]

Employment is defined in law (nowadays). If employment is what they ask for, that's what it is.

If not, they should be asking for "hirers" or "clients" or "places of work".

However - recruiters, background invaders^Wcheckers and certain clients all tend to conflate "own limited company" with "self employment", which it is not. Self employment is a special personal tax status applied for with the HMRC.

I sometimes wish I wasn't a lawyer. I'm far too particular about these things. "Those guys" apparently make up their own definitions as they go along. What are they - politicians?

What you have to remember here is that from their eyes, we are just temporary workers. They have no concept of an independent legal entity that is a Limited Company. Consequently all their wording is about 'employment'. It doesn't stop at contract either, it's endemic in everything you do, from timesheets to mandatory training that needs to be done. All the wording is from the perspective that you are some kind of 'employee' of the clients your have worked for. It's wrong. We all know it, but pushing back never works. They just come back to you and say "well, we mean the companies you have worked for" or something similar.

[m0n1k3r]

What you have to remember here is that from their eyes, we are just temporary workers. They have no concept of an independent legal entity that is a Limited Company. Consequently all their wording is about 'employment'. It doesn't stop at contract either, it's endemic in everything you do, from timesheets to mandatory training that needs to be done. All the wording is from the perspective that you are some kind of 'employee' of the clients your have worked for. It's wrong. We all know it, but pushing back never works. They just come back to you and say "well, we mean the companies you have worked for" or something similar.

True. I forgot (for a brief moment) that very few contractors get to contract direct with a Big Bank, and the contract is with a "staffing agency" aka "employment business" who pretend to supply temporary staff on a casual worker contract with them (even though they are not, but that is the definition of an 'employment business' or else they would be calling themselves 'consultant broker' or something like it).

However, if I were to speak to the person doing the assessment and wasn't particularly concerned about landing that particular gig (honestly, working in banking doesn't sound like all that much fun with all their regulations and restrictions), I (and that's just me) would question them about what they mean by 'employment' and 'employer' and their understanding of 'employment business' etc.

Not that it would probably make any difference whatsoever, because those people are probably in their early 20's doing their first job after graduation and just working off a checklist with no room for personal initiative or feedback to the rest of their organisation.

Oh well. The company I have always worked for, as long as I've had it, has always been my own company. The company itself, which is a separate legal entity altogether, separate from me as a physical person, then provide my services to those other legal entities as an intermediary, which usually ends up in the hands of physical persons for the time (nothing is ever permanent) employed OR engaged (as a consultant or otherwise supplier) by those legal entities.

[chopper]

And if site is Radbroke, Cheshire, I hope you like parking not on site ie a few miles away and walking.

qh

I thought the savvy contractors applied a minor modification to their site pass in order to fool the gate nazis?

When I was a permie there, I used to give contractors a lift from the laybys they dumped their cars in so that I could park in the multiple occupancy car park.

[MrMarkyMark]

Only an idiot, or a rich man, would walk away. In these circumstances you keep on billing and have an eye on the market. It's called 'business'.

Obviously it depends your attitude to risk, but not everyone who refuses the cut necessarily walks away

[Montyuk]

For quite a few people on very good rates they got the cuts stopped and didnt get it action by Barclays. So yes saying no can be a gamble but it also can pay off.

Only an idiot, or a rich man, would walk away. In these circumstances you keep on billing and have an eye on the market. It's called 'business'.

[TanyaWWW]

I'm sat there now...

Barclays is no worse than any of the other major banks - probably a bit better.

This is my second stint here (Back office IT PM) and the onboarding process is one of the most straightforward and fastest (2-4 weeks). I've worked at HSBC and hired a load of people, and their onboarding process is a big black box and *painful* and was 4-8 weeks

Deutsche Bank are the worst - they want your high school transcripts (even when you have a degree) - and they will ring up to verify all your credentials - even if they were gained in another country.

Yes I've just copped a 5% cut at Barclays, but better than than 10%... and most banks have the stupid habit of cutting rates any way. This is one of the easiest roles I've ever worked and I really like the company gym, so I'm happy to stay - work/life balance has never been better. Am open to new roles and my favorite agents know this - but it'll take a lot of money to make me change