State of the Market

[edison]

Just to get the thread back on track:

- the state of the market is in the toilet
- there are people on this thread and watching the thread that have been out for 18 months
- there are contractors on linkedin posting that they have 2-3 months of money left and after that they cant pay the bills, this is not financial mis-management in all cases, its just a very bad situation that really, most will not have planned for.

What i have seen is a small trickle of high-paying contracts getting filled by unicorn hunters in the past 3 weeks, the usual bear market shenanigans where lady luck is a bigger factor and your skills and experience count for less.

The Bob shells have started to twitch back into life, which is probably indicative that the bottom is in.

People not being able to find a contract for 18 months? Surely you would pack it in and go do something else well before then? For the vast majority of contractors, the warchest will have been used up and if you couldn't find a role for 18 months then maybe there's just not enough demand for your skills and experience as a contractor?

[sira]

The Dutch are incredibly racist (or at least languist - as you can get away with that in europe) as some posters on here have discovered over the years.

I searched for roles in the Netherlands recently and was very surprised to see that like 90% of the rules demanded Dutch language - I couldnt find hardly any roles that only wanted English. I've been to various cities in Holland and everyone I came across spoke excellent English, so its strange that companies insist on it.

Conversely, I also looked for jobs in Luxembourg and found it far more welcoming with respect to language requirements, with a smaller percentage of jobs asking for French/German/Luxembourgish.

Its a grave shame, because I'd rather live in the Netherlands over Luxembourg. And it has nothing to do with their local produce, of course.

[northernladuk]

I searched for roles in the Netherlands recently and was very surprised to see that like 90% of the rules demanded Dutch language - I couldnt find hardly any roles that only wanted English. I've been to various cities in Holland and everyone I came across spoke excellent English, so its strange that companies insist on it.

Conversely, I also looked for jobs in Luxembourg and found it far more welcoming with respect to language requirements, with a smaller percentage of jobs asking for French/German/Luxembourgish.

Its a grave shame, because I'd rather live in the Netherlands over Luxembourg. And it has nothing to do with their local produce, of course.

Doesn't seem strange to me. Language is a blocker so why get someone in that will hit that bloker to some extent. Why not get someone in that bypasses that problem who is likely to be just as qualified.

I'd see a relaxed attitude to dual language as a pleasant surprise rather than the norm.

[caffeine man]

Was sent by email. 6 months probation and a 3 month notice period. The notice period is a bit of a spanner...

3 months notice is outrageous. That would make moving to another permanent job difficult, never mind a contract. I dont see how they can enforce these notice periods.

[SueEllen]

3 months notice is outrageous. That would make moving to another permanent job difficult, never mind a contract. I dont see how they can enforce these notice periods.

If it is difficult to replace you or there is an issue of confidentiality companies ask for 3 months' notice.

I know plenty of people in other fields who have to give 3 months notice, and yes in some cases they actually had to work it.

[sira]

I had a 3 month notice period for an investment bank earlier in my career. It was 3 months because I worked on the trading floor (even though I wasn't a front office staff member), so it's not unusual - it's just crap. This particular role is a managerial role, so it doesn't surprise me. The contract also says I can't work for a competitor 3 months after leaving the firm (which is very harsh) but I cannot see how they would ever be able to enforce that to be honest, as defining "competitor" would be incredibly difficult in a court of law.

[_V_]

6 months for some trading positions where you have inside knowledge of current trading strategies.

[BR14]

I searched for roles in the Netherlands recently and was very surprised to see that like 90% of the rules demanded Dutch language

Doesn't seem strange to me. Language is a blocker so why get someone in that will hit that bloker to some extent. Why not get someone in that bypasses that problem who is likely to be just as qualified.

I'd see a relaxed attitude to dual language as a pleasant surprise rather than the norm.

I lived in NL and there was a sudden switch to 'must speak FLUENT dutch' in 2008, even though the working language in IT there is all English.
simple protectionism is all.

[baen]

The Dutch did that to keep bobs at bay, can't blame them.

[BR14]

The Dutch did that to keep bobs at bay, can't blame them.

no they didn't, they effectively stopped ALL non Dutch nationals, EU citizens included.
even if they spoke Dutch. (FLUENT was the req)
the Dutch don't speak FLUENT dutch.