Client wants me to sign on the old rate, and discuss after Christmas

[TheDude]

The whole £500 point was so that we could settle at around £430-450 or so, knowing from an insider that CapG is on a "hefty margin". Granted, they might want to keep that margin, but what good is it if I leave?

1. Every contractor believes their agent is on a hefty margin.
2. That is how companies like CapG work.
3. If you leave then you will be replaced immediately. Even if you were worth £500pd and at the very top of your game CapG wouldn't think twice about replacing you with the first person they could find irrespective of their ability and experience.

But there's no harm in trying to get a little more. Worst case is that they'll say no.

Worst case is that they will walk you and replace you for someone who is happy to accept £360pd and there are plenty of those in this market.

[northernladuk]

Worst case is that they will walk you and replace you for someone who is happy to accept £360pd and there are plenty of those in this market.

True but in a majority of gigs where you work directly for the end client there is possibilty of squeezing the agent for some money and then the possibility the client will agree and up the rate. They are still getting valuable work.

This case is different as you are working for CapG who are selling your services on for profit. Someone (or more) close by will have commission or bonus based on profit. A blip in service to the client by walking the contractor can be covered up without affecting their commission so walking a contractor for eating their money is much more of a possibility. So what TheDude says is a lot more real in this type of engagement. Cap want profits and are likely to be happy to sacrifice quality and people for it.

[b0redom]

Spam is grim stuff.

[ladymuck]

[quackhandle]

I'd be happy that you were even offered a raise, like rocking horse poop in this market.

I thankfully got a gig (direct as well) out of the blue back in Nov, £120 pd less than my previous one, but when you've been out for 10 months...


Something about gift horses and mouths.

qh

[Fraidycat]

10 years ago this would have been like a contractor asking for a bump from £250 to £350, which is exactly 40% more.

But after 10 years of inflation it's £360->£500 and seems excessive to many people.

I guess £500 a day will always be thought of as a lot of money..

[sadkingbilly]

I guess £500 a day will always be thought of as a lot of money..

aye, right.

[hobnob]

10 years ago this would have been like a contractor asking for a bump from £250 to £350, which is exactly 40% more.

Even then (10 years ago), would you expect to get that kind of bump at renewal time? I think it would be more plausible to get that by switching to a new contract.

[Fraidycat]

Even then (10 years ago), would you expect to get that kind of bump at renewal time? I think it would be more plausible to get that by switching to a new contract.

It depends if other contractors at the same client in similar roles are currently getting what you are asking for.

But if it makes you the highest paid contractor by a mile and blows past the budget then I agree.

[herman_g]

I managed an increase of 62% once. I had enough of the middleman (a small German financial software house) as they were paying me as much as 10 weeks late while their director showed photos of himself cleaning his indoor pool or jetting off to 6 star vacations in Malaysia and Thailand with his tall former model wife (he was a little guy - about 5 foot tall, she was over 6 feet). I had no intention of letting that continue. They knew the client director loved me as I had saved his skin on several occasions over a two year period. That was a very unique situation over 20 years ago in a red-hot German economy. I didn't asdk for the increase, it was offered. When I took the increase, I still never got paid, so the customer just signed me up direct.

I have never been in such a situation since and, any other time I acted like a prima donna, I got an increase but the contract didn't go any longer than it took to finish what I had been working on.

i'm not seeing anything special you're doing - especially at that rate. I worked with Cap Gemini before and they had no issues dropping entire teams when the wanted, offshoring the work to India for a while and then hiring back the desparate ones. 1 1/2 years later called me back in rate they quoted was 100 less per day. Of course I was busy.

Maybe you should walk. Probably be a good lesson for you in the long run and, after long time on the bench, you will learn to either hold out for a better rate up front or take another low-ball rate and forever hold your peace.

The choice is yours.