Anyone regret going back to permie?

[skysies]

So far as I can see it isn't just testers struggling though.

Specific to testing I think it is a combination of factors of which Automated Testing might very well be one. I have been teaching myself Selenium (have done QTP in the past) which you can do to a certain level but beyond that Automated Testing is more of a development task so it isn't as a simple as picking it up as it is a different skill set

It's not only testers who are struggling. The whole contract market changed for the worse in the last year. Call it Brexit, Indians, whatever, but it's not looking good..

[SussexSeagull]

Well, it's more money if you're continously employed. Five, six months on the bench and it's the same as being a permie. And from then, it's all losses..

I know that but, without wishing to repeat myself, it doesn't make the prospect anymore desirable for me.

[Pherlopolus]

Well, it's more money if you're continously employed. Five, six months on the bench and it's the same as being a permie. And from then, it's all losses..

Same money as being a permie but you had 5 months off, it is not all bad

[BigRed]

Well, it's more money if you're continously employed. Five, six months on the bench and it's the same as being a permie. And from then, it's all losses..

but holidays even teachers would be envious of.

[psychocandy]

Yeah and no disrespect to you but I don't like this. A certain poster with initials PC refers to them as knobheads and same for agents. I can't see anyone is being a good supplier with such a poor opinion of the people they work with/for and do business with. That attitude has to manifest itself when you are working however much people think it doesn't and all it can do is cause problems.

They may have a different mindset but it's just something to understand and play to your advantage.

I've got better names for you and your sidekick ;-)

[psychocandy]

I've got an interview for perm role on Thursday. Very good company, close to home, decent salary, superb experience, plenty of training on over.

To be honest, the salary is WAY over market for wales. Contract rate for this skill (dev ops) is probably £200 more than my current skillset so it seems to be the future.

With my current gig, fizzling to an end because its PS, Im tempted I must say. Not forever but maybe a year or two.

BUT, its still probably only 65-70% of my contract income. Dunno but it'll still annoy me a bit.

Also, do companies tend (or are they allowed?) to make you pay back training costs if you leave?

[northernladuk]

Depends but yes paying back training costs does appear to be more common than before.

Just have to pray they have no idea what's going on in the PS.

[eek]

Also, do companies tend (or are they allowed?) to make you pay back training costs if you leave?

You may be asked to repay the cost of any training courses... That doesn't of course mean there is any budget to actually pay for you to go on said training courses.

A bigger problem is that training courses are usually on skills that you then don't use for months / decades. That means by the time you actually use what you've learnt you've forgotten all about it.

[Lance]

You may be asked to repay the cost of any training courses... That doesn't of course mean there is any budget to actually pay for you to go on said training courses.

In all my perm jobs I had clauses in the contract to say that training should be paid back if I left in 6 or 12 months. I never had to.

I also heard anecdotally that if you needed the course to do the job then they don't have a leg to stand on demanding it paid back.

[NigelJK]

The problem with contracting is that you're only as good as your last contract and if that's DevOps then that's going to short gigs for ever more. I've just taken a permie role (a very good one at that) that all things considered is better income than my last 2 years of contracting. The risks are just too great now with very little pay off or respect for your role. When I started out contracts were paying roughly 4x equivalent permie pay, now you're lucky to get 2x.