Day Free Trial

[BoredBloke]

On the flip side, would they consider paying you a days pay for nothing while you decide if their organisation is one you would like to work with?

Tell them where to go - who is the agency who offer this 'standard parctice'

[tim123]

They should have a recruitment proceedure in place that ensures they employ a good candidate

And which employment procedure is that then?

I think you'll find that it is universally accepted that there isn't one, that always works.

tim

[Epiphone]

Twice I've had agents call me after the first day and tell me I've passed the free working day and the client will have me back.

Both times I told them it said nothing about a free day in the contract so it'd be billed regardless and to never be so deceitful again. I think I may have failed to influence them on the latter.

[cojak]

I have had a training agency who gave the client 3 days on my time free in order to get in with them.

Needless to say I charged the agent more than the going rate because I created a bespoke course for them.

Don't make the agency's business plan your business plan.

[Newby]

I had an agent offer a weeks guarantee to the client to secure the contract. If I had blown the gig he would have had to pay me for my time. (He was making less than 10% on the deal). It sounds like a silly sale gimmick to get the clients interested in using them thats all. If you are on the bench what have you really got to lose?

[cykophysh39]

Thing is I'm only on the bench as my wife is carrying a future member of the ContractorUK, and he is due to make his appearance on the 23rd of this month, so I'm not desperately looking for a gig, so I'm not really keen to start the gig anyway, I explained this to the pimp too, I've told them to bin the idea anyway, and told them I'm not intrested in "Free Trials".

Where do they think if these idea's, do they really think us money grabbing contracting types would be intrested in this?

[tim123]

If you are on the bench what have you really got to lose?

This was my thought (but I kept quite because everyone else seems to think that the claint/agency is being unreasonable).

But ISTM that, if the client is going to go through a thorough recruitment process this will involve you visiting his site for a full day.

I don't see that a quick phone interview followed by attending the client site for a full day to actually do some work on a "try before you buy" basis, is going to cost the contractor any more than the alternative.

tim

[Troll]

I don't know what area you work in, but I'd be very wary of doing this - if you are technical then it could be a ploy to present you with "a challenge" on the free day -i.e. something they cannot get fixed but get you to fix it for free.
Naturally after you have done this, the job offer never materialises
Seen this kind of stunt pulled in interviews - but much less risk if your work is more business orientated

[rootsnall]

I don't know what area you work in, but I'd be very wary of doing this - if you are technical then it could be a ploy to present you with "a challenge" on the free day -i.e. something they cannot get fixed but get you to fix it for free.
Naturally after you have done this, the job offer never materialises
Seen this kind of stunt pulled in interviews - but much less risk if your work is more business orientated

Hang on a bit, we are 10 a penny code hackers not nuclear scientists about to split the atom !!!

The end client will possibly have had a bad experience with recruiting useless contractors on the strength of a 10 minute phone interview. Alternatively they are just on a little power trip !

[oxtailsoup]

and he is due to make his appearance on the 23rd of this month

Well that wasn't very good planning was it?

Hope they have a TV in the maternity ward for you.