State of the Market

[RobScott]

good .. all the best

I took because thought it would be useful to have ability to work in 27 EU countries. I know the HMRC rules, I will close down my company, pay all taxes, declare in HMRC leaving UK for good, close all bank accounts. Then I will be left with passport and no other connection with UK.

all the best

[molsang]

all the best

Thank you ?

[FIERCE TANK BATTLE]

Have been looking for over a month now, the market just seems dead.

I also struggled last year in ~september time.

Before that I was always able to find something within a week or two.

Is it brexit? Is it something else? Some pimps say it's always slow this time of year, while others said oh january is a great time to start looking... last september they also said it's slow. So who knows.

It's not a big deal in that I always keep a big warchest but I would actually like to accumulate some non warchest savings.

I wonder if there's a better way to find work, I've expanded my search area to pretty much anywhere <1 hour drive with no remote work, or <2 hours with remote work, or anywhere within an hour of a few cities I have family in, but I don't really know how to get in touch with recruiters outside my own city.

[SandyD]

Have been looking for over a month now, the market just seems dead.

I also struggled last year in ~september time.

Before that I was always able to find something within a week or two.

Is it brexit? Is it something else? Some pimps say it's always slow this time of year, while others said oh january is a great time to start looking... last september they also said it's slow. So who knows.

It's not a big deal in that I always keep a big warchest but I would actually like to accumulate some non warchest savings.

I wonder if there's a better way to find work, I've expanded my search area to pretty much anywhere <1 hour drive with no remote work, or <2 hours with remote work, or anywhere within an hour of a few cities I have family in, but I don't really know how to get in touch with recruiters outside my own city.

IMO its been a lot quitter for the last year, I am not looking at the moment, but in the last year I had much les cold calls from agents, or emails etc, in the past I used to get quite a few every week.. on LinkedIn, via phone, via private emails etc, and yes if I was looking I used to get an offer within a week or two...
In the last year or so, it has been a lot quieter and I know experience contractors who were months on the bench before finding a new role.

[Skag]

Just when I was ready to ask people's feelings about the market I came across this post. I too feel that the market is too slow atm. I would say late Nov, Dec and the best part of Jan are quite slow. However I would expect end of Jan - Feb to start picking up a lot. For me, it did hike for a few days late Jan but now it's like a Nov all over again, very (if not dead) slow. Maybe a collective Brexit negative - fear feeling. These tend to go in waves and across industries.

[adam42]

I joyfully quit my previous contract just before the Brexit referendum convinced it'd all be a big non-event and that I'd find something within weeks. Spent 4 months on the bench! I'm currently doing my best to make sure everyone at my current gig knows that they need me and need to renew my contract at the end of June when the probable Brexit Article 50 extension expires.

[northernladuk]

I joyfully quit my previous contract just before the Brexit referendum convinced it'd all be a big non-event and that I'd find something within weeks. Spent 4 months on the bench! I'm currently doing my best to make sure everyone at my current gig knows that they need me and need to renew my contract at the end of June when the probable Brexit Article 50 extension expires.

Surely you kinda shot yourself in the foot by factoring Brexit in to your career first time so why are you doing it again?

[BlueSharp]

I'm seeing a big increase in recruiters pushing permanent positions recently. Are companies starting to prepare for IR35 2020 changes with a big permie push?

[FIERCE TANK BATTLE]

I can't imagine going back to permie. I hope it doesn't come to that.

Do have quite a bit of cabin fever though waiting on the bench. Problem with spending months on the bench is that I'm not building any savings up. I eventually get a gig, top up the war chest, then coast through another few months after the gig is up and I'm no better off than when I started.

[BlueSharp]

I can't imagine going back to permie. I hope it doesn't come to that.

Do have quite a bit of cabin fever though waiting on the bench. Problem with spending months on the bench is that I'm not building any savings up. I eventually get a gig, top up the war chest, then coast through another few months after the gig is up and I'm no better off than when I started.

There is still quite a gap between what is being offered and what I can earn even inside IR35. That may change for others who have to Monday-Friday away and getting expenses paid by a consultancy is a better option. It looks like some of the big IT Consultancies are expanding to fill in the void.