New Contractor - Advice on Agencies Please

[TheFaQQer]

Hi I am sorry what is Warchest?

Savings.

That big pot of money that you live off when you can't find any work and have been looking for months on end.

[tarbera]

Thank you Tabera, but I have to give 3 months because of my grade. Have been trying to do that - got offered one in January but they wouldn't wait.

What's your penalty clause if you don't work 3 months notice ?

Thought not - you don't have one do you ?

[northernladuk]

I am about to hand in my notice but having found this forum today am quite nervous after reading some of the posts about agencies.

I have been working for the NHS for 14 years, have been PM for National IT deployment projects for 5 years, successfully deployed some IT related projects as well. Used to be the Web Development Manager there and have some programming skills. We were the first trust to move 4000+ users from Windows XP to Windows 7. I am technical have a Masters Degree in Health Informatics and Prince 2 and MSP.

What exactly is your title now? Absolutely nothing from that jumble stands out as a demonstrable skill you can take as an expert to a new client and deliver him value. When contracting you need to be able to fit the role the offering perfectly and demonstrate you have been carrying out this role for at the very least the last 5 years. If you can't you can bet your bottom dollar there will be a couple of hundred that can. The agent will do a bullet point check of your CV to the role he has. He hasn't a clue of what the role is, he will just look to see if you have been doing the same thing for years. If you haven't you'll hit the bin.

I don't have any savings - but can type really well - have over 12 years experience as a secretary and would be prepared to temp if I couldn't get any contracting work. I live in Dorset but have free accommodation in Stansted in Essex during the week so can work in London.

You can type really well.. Seriously.. That is one of your key skills? So what are you really? A secretary, a web dev manager or what. The fact you don't know and are jumping around worries me. Give the interview a hint you don't know and you'll never pass an interview. I've given up already tbh

I have been contacted almost daily by agencies over the last six months telling me that I will not have a problem getting work at all as I have really solid experience and a very strong CV. But reading the boards, it would seem that agencies lie!

They are sales people, they sell bodies to clients. They try and gather as many CV's and candidates as possible with the plan of placing one of you with the client and just ignoring the rest. It's very cut and thrust. You might look ok at a high level but again you need to fit that role absolutely perfectly with many years of experience. They don't lie, they just sell in a very slap dash way. Lying takes a bit of effort, the agents haven't even put that much effort in to start by this point.

I am 46 this year. My rationale for doing this is - 1. there is nothing in Dorset for me to move to. 2. to expand my skillset and move into Programme Management 3. find out what its like in the real world again 4. if i leave it to long I am going to be a PM in Dorset forever. 5. If i leave it any longer I am going to be too old.

You simply cannot expand your skill set in contracting.. period. I've made the comments above so won't go over them again.. Good luck getting in to Programme Management if you consider yourself a secretary and have fast typing as a skill. What part of Programme Management? It's a big area with many different skills. You don't mean a Programme Manager do you?

I am planning to set up a Limited Company and I have an accountant on standby as soon as I am ready to commence.

I have been planning this for a year - hoping that somebody would wait the 3 months notice I currently have to give. But I knew that it was unlikely that would happen.

Do you think I have my bases covered?

I look forward to your advice. Exx

Clients will not wait 3 months. You have to be available to interview Wednesday and start Monday.

I think you are in a world of tulip to be honest. You don't know what you are, you don't know what you can do, you don't seem to know what contracting wants, you don't have the money behind you to deal with the fall out of all this ambiguity. Sounds to me more like you need to take another perm job and start on a real career with focussed goals and relevant experience to what you ultimately want to be. Throwing the towel in and think contracting is going to sort it out for you is going to end up being a very difficult lesson...

I could be wrong and I'm just going by what you say in the post so if you can answer all my points then please feel free to disregard them.

[Dallas]

+1

[zippy.mini]

+2

If you want to get out of Dorset, look for a Permie job in London and stay in your free accommodation. They will wait for your notice period and the extra money for it being in London should enable you to build the WarChest.

Once you have at least 6 months money in the bank, then you can look at contracting.

[MicrosoftBob]

Dorset is rubbish for IT unless you want to work for a new media agency as a web ninja, Chase, or Plessey/Siemens

So moving to London would be a good move

[zippy.mini]

Oh and I should have mentioned that a permie job will give you training. You won't get any of that as a contractor, unless you finance it yourself and do it in your off time....

[Roger Mellie]

Oh and I should have mentioned that a permie job will give you training. You won't get any of that as a contractor, unless you finance it yourself and do it in your off time....

Not entirely true, I worked at a few places where, to the anger of us permies, the contractors were sent on the training courses. One place was a local authority and the other was a construction company, with a huge interest in PFI.

[TheLordDave]

You can do it without 6 months savings in the bank. I did, I was utterly skint and took the risk. Sucks being out of contract and having to take anything that pops up to keep you afloat but it is possible.

[Roger Mellie]

I was offered a good one in January but they couldn't wait. I have been hoping to find a contract that will wait my 3 month's notice. I have three months' notice to give because of my grade.

Hand your notice in and then start looking during your final weeks. August can be a quiet time, silly season and all that.