State of the Market

[Cirrus]

If you go on Linkedin and check at their jobs, tescobank is hiring like crazy.

They're getting shot of their mortgage book. Big migrations like that can eat up a lot of project staff. Having said that, if it takes say two years, once the migration is complete you don't need the project staff and you don't need all the day-to-day staff that previously ran the mortgages. Contractor territory, surely?

[BritishLad88]

They're getting shot of their mortgage book. Big migrations like that can eat up a lot of project staff. Having said that, if it takes say two years, once the migration is complete you don't need the project staff and you don't need all the day-to-day staff that previously ran the mortgages. Contractor territory, surely?

ooooh, let's hope so.. me rubbing my hands already.

fingers crossed

[LondonManc]

But you should be 'good' anyway (if not brilliant) to become a contractor in the first place.
I always believed to be a contractor you had to become a some sort of an expert in a field..

unless that's changed over the years such that any joe blogg can easily become a contractor without acquiring any good skill

You've never worked on Canary Wharf then?

The one place with more BSers than Parliament.

[LordAsriel]

Client procurement has in the last week determined that they won't be engaging PSC's and all contractors must be taxed via PAYE.

This despite two sponsors within client co being keen to offer a new contract, and are open to outcome based. So demand for my skill set remains, but sponsors being hamstrung by procurement decisions.

Skillset is agile coaching with several years experience. Seeing very few opportunities about for this role, let alone outside.

Current plan is to sit on the bench from March with the war chest I've built up, do some additional training courses, further develop my training offering and allow the dust to settle until some less myopic / forward thinking companies begin altering their approach to contracting.

[PlanB]

Client procurement has in the last week determined that they won't be engaging PSC's and all contractors must be taxed via PAYE.

This despite two sponsors within client co being keen to offer a new contract, and are open to outcome based. So demand for my skill set remains, but sponsors being hamstrung by procurement decisions.

Skillset is agile coaching with several years experience. Seeing very few opportunities about for this role, let alone outside.

Current plan is to sit on the bench from March with the war chest I've built up, do some additional training courses, further develop my training offering and allow the dust to settle until some less myopic / forward thinking companies begin altering their approach to contracting.

Anything generic seems to be taking a battering and I put my skill set in that bracket, be warned this could take a while to work it's way through the system (if it ever does).

I've gone permie and I'm working on my skills that way, should the market come good again. I sleep a lot easier knowing I'm not going to be frittering away the warchest if this turns out to be a bad one.

[pauldee]

Not rubbish advice though I always have a few examples to refer to in memory to draw upon if interviewed or even in a more casual conversation with a client decision maker - it's all part of the sales pitch to convince the client that you are the person to make the challenge/problem(s) they have go away.

Majority of clients in my travels don't differentiate their interview questions for contractors/consultants and always ask the same scenario or experience based questions that they would for a permanent position. I also have a response for the why do you want to work for this company question.

Here's a good one: What are you hoping to learn/how do you want to develop whilst working here? I always want to point out that it's not their responsibility to do that for a contractor, but I'll usually give the kind of answer they're hoping to hear.

[checkmate]

I just got out of perm job (in November) and looking to get into contracting but for me market seems very poor. Been looking for month and bit but no joy. Used to get numerous calls before but now its died down.

[LondonManc]

I just got out of perm job (in November) and looking to get into contracting but for me market seems very poor. Been looking for month and bit but no joy. Used to get numerous calls before but now its died down.

Probably the worst time you could pick to go contracting since summer 2012 when everyone was busy with Jubilee celebrations and the Olympics.

[tsmith]

I just got out of perm job (in November) and looking to get into contracting but for me market seems very poor. Been looking for month and bit but no joy. Used to get numerous calls before but now its died down.

Its been dead for months/years

[northernladuk]

I just got out of perm job (in November) and looking to get into contracting but for me market seems very poor. Been looking for month and bit but no joy. Used to get numerous calls before but now its died down.

You have absolutely no idea how bad it really is. I've been on the bench 4 months despite 10 years contracting, 20 odd years in IT, considering inside/outside and can move anywhere in the country.

I am being told by recruiters that they are getting 100's of applicants per role, particularly outside ones. You've got every single contractor, both in contract and on the bench applying for the few outside roles at the moment. These are experienced contractors with many many years in the job so a new guy isn't going to get a sniff.

Sorry, there is no poor time. This is NOT the time for a newbie to be trying contracting. Period.

My honest opinion of course.. but based on a lot of facts and observations.