State of the Market

[quackhandle]

Interview yesterday for long term gig and one today for v short term one.

Like bloody buses, had nothing since I walked away from last client in September.

qh

[Bluenose]

Started looking this week and have never known it so quiet.

SAP/Dynamics/Salesforce SME's = OK

Everyone else = Coal for Christmas.

[FIERCE TANK BATTLE]

SC, first time I applied it took less than two weeks, and another job cocked up the transfer and reapplied which also only took a couple of weeks. Transfers have been much faster. Maybe I was just a good egg.

Current role said SC, I think they lied tho and it's just BPSS so I'll be raising holy hell about that. SC only lasts a year after you leave a gig so if you want to transfer it you need to take another SC role within that timeframe. Obviously keeping it is valuable, so we'll see.


Also potentially taking a short 1 month gig to work alongside the one I'm waiting to start. Pays absolute peanuts but I am bored off my tits so I'll take it, plus it'll be sexy for IR35 to show I was running two gigs with an overlap, and some extra pocket money for xmas.

[edison]

To be fair it's also up to us to be mindful of stuff like this. It's hardly surprising they 'forget' when they know the arrangements are less then favourable to get you hooked and try change your mind. It will also work in some instances. I'd generally not go for a gig with long travel off the bat but there are certain gigs that could persuade me if it the details looked juicy or there is some negotiation to be had later down the line. Where I wouldn't jump at a gig with 2 days away long distance initially a rate bump, expenses covered or very interesting gig might sway me. I'd be very tempted for a gig in South Africa as well and probably take it as far as negotiation. Many people wouldn't go for them so if I'm their first choice I've got some level of power.

So let them play their silly games and turn it around to use against them by going as far as you can and then hit them with some stuff you 'forgot' to mention at the beginning.

Expected location and travel (especially international) is always a question I ask. I never say never, it depends on whether the role/client/rate is appealing, but I spent many years traveling abroad as a permie and contractor, including long periods of weekly flights/Eurostar. As a result, it's not that attractive any more.

[edison]

Spoke to a new agent today who places a lot of people in change and transformation roles. He repeated a line that I've heard again and again recently... there are very few people in IT leadership roles moving and so the number of new initiatives being kicked off is staying low. Consequently things may not improve much till Spring 2024.

Have been to a few recent community/networking events and I've been a bit taken aback at how many people with vast experience are currently looking.

[malvolio]

If you are looking at information marked confidential, secret or above then it is absolutely mandatory. This is national security, they don't take it lightly. You can in theory work supervised without SC but clients won't do that for contractors generally. Preferred means existing clearance that's valid but if it says that then its 100% only someone with existing clearance will get put forward. Cabinet office has guidance and that it's illegal (or is it just process) to ask for existing SC only but everyone just says it's an urgent so that won't apply.

Thats the bonkers thing about SC, you'll get PM,s doing change, change managers doing service delivery so yes many examples of poorly skilled people doing roles just because they've got SC. PC has SC as an example. There are some clients that will contractors through SC but it's very very few and it's an interesting comment about the SC pool getting smaller.


Mal has said that many times and I'm sure he's technically right. That's exactly how it should work but it's pretty clear in the real world that SC is totally transferrable. Many people have done it and it's the only way SC clients can get contractors. So Mal's theory is spot on but reality is totally difference. It doesn't mean it's open season though. Some SC won't transfer to other types of clients and you might find a client here and there won't accept a transfer... but they won't be putting adverts out for existing SC if you get me.

So.. (sorry Mal) SC appears to be transferrable.

Just to clarify that point, some years ago I produced a Service Design for an MOD department to cover their outsourcing of support to aa consortium of providers (sort of an early go at a SIAM solution). finished the job and moved on. 10 months later I got a call to say they wanted someone to implement that design and was I available. I was, but - and it's a big but - the MOD hiring agency - think it was Reed at that point - refused my application on the basis that my SC was about to expire so I wouldn't be allowed to apply for it. Job went to a PM with a minimal service management background transferring from another programme in a related department.

So it is not transferable per se, and you do not retain it (unless you are working for a non-HMG LIST-X company and even then you will be re-vetted if you switch to a ministry role needing SC). But my entire thesis to the Cabinet Office was that the poor performance of HMG programmes was largely because you are getting poor, and often re-cycled applicants since they are sifted on clearance status not competency. That was the trigger for the CO re-stating the rules.

Sadly clearance is a procedural thing, not a law (for obvious reasons) so you cannot easily punish non-compliance. Or you can, but it would mean barring a company from tendering for roles, which is commercially very difficult.

[dsc]

[...] there are very few people in IT leadership roles moving and so the number of new initiatives being kicked off is staying low.[...]

Did he care to elaborate on the reason why so few people are moving?

[...]Have been to a few recent community/networking events and I've been a bit taken aback at how many people with vast experience are currently looking.

Are we talking contractors out of a contract or permies sacked and looking?

[northernladuk]

Just to clarify that point, some years ago I produced a Service Design for an MOD department to cover their outsourcing of support to aa consortium of providers (sort of an early go at a SIAM solution). finished the job and moved on. 10 months later I got a call to say they wanted someone to implement that design and was I available. I was, but - and it's a big but - the MOD hiring agency - think it was Reed at that point - refused my application on the basis that my SC was about to expire so I wouldn't be allowed to apply for it. Job went to a PM with a minimal service management background transferring from another programme in a related department.

Jesus.. so even if you have it it's still an uphill struggle regardless of transferability. That's shocking and the outcome is as you'd sadly expect.

So it is not transferable per se, and you do not retain it (unless you are working for a non-HMG LIST-X company and even then you will be re-vetted if you switch to a ministry role needing SC). But my entire thesis to the Cabinet Office was that the poor performance of HMG programmes was largely because you are getting poor, and often re-cycled applicants since they are sifted on clearance status not competency. That was the trigger for the CO re-stating the rules.

Sadly clearance is a procedural thing, not a law (for obvious reasons) so you cannot easily punish non-compliance. Or you can, but it would mean barring a company from tendering for roles, which is commercially very difficult.

Yeah I remember them restating but nothing has happened. I've even see gigs for the CO that mandate SC. Would have been amusing to go for it and send them their own guidance but not worth the time.

[northernladuk]

Are we talking contractors out of a contract or permies sacked and looking?

If my recent time on the bench is anything to go by there are enough experienced contractors still struggling. Although I'm probably a crap contractor on the floor having 15+ years doing exactly the same thing should make me look well skilled one on paper and and didn't find it half as easy as I thought. Still took nearly 2 months with more than enough applications up to then to land something.

[tjccjt01]

Bit of a red flag, anyway, if they wanted to dictate hours - rare for a US client to do this for the type of skillset that they would ordinarily recruit for outside the US (meetings at mutually convenient times, sure, but not working hours more generally). An "OK rate" (in UK terms) is another red flag, bearing in mind the difference in rates between the UK and US. Overall, you probably dodged a bullet.

US outfit was an offshoot of an Indian IT services company. They were supporting a US company's IT installation so there was a requirement to be available to the customer. There may have been an element of "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" but the interview never got that far.
As for the rate I suspect that once it's been through the chain of End Client -> IT Services Company -> UK Recruiter it's a bloody miracle there's anything left for the poor bugger doing the actual work.