Plunge into contracting

[nomad24]

I have been in permanent employment for the last 14 years. I currently work for a Big 4 firm as a PM/BA and previously with other big names in IT consulting firms. All of my experience has been within Financial Services with big banks.

Have decided to shift to contracting and have been looking for a contract for the last 3 weeks but no luck so far.

Not sure if the market is bad or the timing or are consultants merely a process and contracting works on the basis of who know who.....looking for some tips and tricks from experienced folks in the IT contracting world...

Thanks

[Old Greg]

I have been in permanent employment for the last 14 years. I currently work for a Big 4 firm as a PM/BA and previously with other big names in IT consulting firms. All of my experience has been within Financial Services with big banks.

Have decided to shift to contracting and have been looking for a contract for the last 3 weeks but no luck so far.

Not sure if the market is bad or the timing or are consultants merely a process and contracting works on the basis of who know who.....looking for some tips and tricks from experienced folks in the IT contracting world...

Thanks

I generally find replying to ads unproductive. Others have a more positive experience.

With your background, You should be tapping up your network - former clients and employers.

[BrilloPad]

Is now a good time to be going contracting?

[uk contractor]

OP your joining the other 750 or so applicants per role. Many will have a lot of experience contracting. Just having worked 14 years in Financial Services with big banks is not really uncommon nowadays.

[simes]

Is now a good time to be going contracting?

Is there ever a good time to have a baby?

One either does it, or one doesn't. The pros and cons can have you in an ever spiralling argument with yourself. Plunges are taken or they are not.

[ShandyDrinker]

I have been in permanent employment for the last 14 years. I currently work for a Big 4 firm as a PM/BA and previously with other big names in IT consulting firms. All of my experience has been within Financial Services with big banks.

Have decided to shift to contracting and have been looking for a contract for the last 3 weeks but no luck so far.

Not sure if the market is bad or the timing or are consultants merely a process and contracting works on the basis of who know who.....looking for some tips and tricks from experienced folks in the IT contracting world...

Thanks

Some friendly advice for you, stick with perm roles.

Contracting in its current form is going to die so unless you like the flexibility and risk, with none of the upside of extra money to cover it, I'd think very long and hard about what you're doing.

[BrilloPad]

Is there ever a good time to have a baby?

One either does it, or one doesn't. The pros and cons can have you in an ever spiralling argument with yourself. Plunges are taken or they are not.

To quote one recent thread https://www.contractoruk.com/forums/...side-ir35.html

There is a whole section there about warnings of the future.

Add in the "political uncertainty" (don't mention the b****** word in professional), the state of the market thread, that finance companies have been off-shoring for years. Politicians and HMRC who consider us glorified typists.

Of course, you could well be right. With great uncertainty brings great opportunities.

Oh and there is never a good time for a man to have a baby. But then I am quite biased......

[northernladuk]

I have been in permanent employment for the last 14 years. I currently work for a Big 4 firm as a PM/BA and previously with other big names in IT consulting firms. All of my experience has been within Financial Services with big banks.

Always a bugbear of mine this. Which one are you? I am sure there are a few highly skilled and seasoned contractors that can successfully flit between the two but there are also 1000's of people very average at both and that just won't work for contracting. The client will want one or the other and that person has to demonstrate years of experience doing just that and there will be plenty of them applying. You go in saying you are a PM/BA with a mish mash on the CV you won't stand a chance.

Have decided to shift to contracting and have been looking for a contract for the last 3 weeks but no luck so far.

Three weeks is nothing, particularly when you are talking about your first gig. Plenty of very experienced people out there for clients not to need to take the risk with a newbie. That person won't understand contracting, won't be able to deliver from day one and has no track record seeing potentially difficult gigs through. Put's you a long way back in the queue.

When you get to three months then you can start worrying.

Not sure if the market is bad or the timing or are consultants merely a process and contracting works on the basis of who know who.....looking for some tips and tricks from experienced folks in the IT contracting world...

Both the above comments will hurt you regardless of market.

EDIT : Just thought. I'm guessing you have a month's notice which is another bad mark when trying to go contracting. Clients tend to want people right now. Very few will wait a month.

So you are hunting a gig that want's a newbie, wants a generalist PM/BA, will wait a month.. So make that three years and then start worrying.

[Cid]

With your background, You should be tapping up your network - former clients and employers.

do this...if possible.
my first contract gig was with a client i already had a good relationship with.
after that it gets a lot easier.

the rest of the doom and gloom...
well its all doom and gloom...
much doomy and mostly gloomy.

mind you the sun will be out soon and cold beer will taste that much nicer.

[unixman]

Have decided to shift to contracting and have been looking for a contract for the last 3 weeks but no luck so far.

It isn't unusual to spend a long time looking for a contract. 3 weeks is nothing, especially for a first gig.

Somebody said your cv will be one of "750". It depends on your area. If your area is popular, eg you are a Python developer, yes there are loads of opportunities, but loads of Python devs too. If you are more of a minority, I don't know, say a backups architect, then you compete with fewer people, for a smaller number of roles. Contractors on this forum are all in different areas so their experience of the job market differs widely.