Contracting London versus Manchester

[ContractorMike]

Is London, a better place to be a contractor (ie. more work), or is it about

the same as say Manchester, has anyone out there tried it,

[Lance]

it depends.
on many factors.
1) where do you live?
2) do you have to stay overnight?
3) do you like to eat out?
4) do you like your warm flat beer with a head or not?
5) where in London? Croydon is not nice but it's cheaper.
6) ditto for Manchester. Mosside.....

other than that there's not a lot to say. London work can pay more, but not always. London can be more expensive to stay, but not always.

HTH

[northernladuk]

Well London will have more just on a scale of quantities really won't it.

[Hobosapien]

Wherever you base yourself you'll tend to find the first contracts that turn up are at the other end of the country, so maybe compromise and go for Birmingham.

Personally I've avoided central London with nearest contracts being outside the M25 or just within at not much worse rate than central, so avoided trains, congestion charge, parking extortion, and can be on the motorway home much easier.

Generally be prepared to work away during the week and all that entails, or willing to wait around 'on the bench' for longer stints to find something closer to home, unless you are specialising in something in high demand where you can probably negotiate significant WFH anyway.

There will be more opportunities around London but a lot more fellow contractors going for them, so you either need to be very good, very lucky, or very patient, or all three.

[garethevans1986]

And will also depend on:

7) Your skillset and contracting history.

I'm from the NW and have spent the last 2 years in London contracting.

It's far more expensive (hotels/flat, trains, food etc) but I enjoyed it.

[SimonMac]

It depends on your sector experience, Finance is and always will be in London but Government jobs are slowly moving out of London to the NW or Yorkshire

[simes]

Am surprised anyone bothered to respond to the randomness of this one...

Define 'better'.

If just 'more work', then answering Yes should suffice.

And questions invariably end with a '?', not a ',' .

[BoredBloke]

Is London, a better place to be a contractor (ie. more work), or is it about

the same as say Manchester, has anyone out there tried it,

I'm from the north west and hardly ever get work here - in the last 18 years I'd say I've managed 4 years on a daily commutable role - It is always London or Edinburgh. I seem to be getting more jobs based in Edinburgh over the last 5 years- the rates are better than the north west but not up there with London. But the costs to stay in Edinburgh are not as much as London - except for August!

[fiisch]

Unless you're looking for contracts in mining or whippet racing, London is definitely the better bet.

[GhostofTarbera]

And London has its zones also

Canary Wharf- top sexy younger people, best rates, women in high heels, no t-shirts to work - suited and booted

City - older contractor, suited and booted, no women

Rest (London Bridge etc) - lower rates, jeans and t shirts flip flops - lager drinkers types


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