Defence/MoD contracts

[gingerjedi]

Anyone else struggling to find work at the moment? I've just finished a 2.5 year contract with the MoD in the south west, I thought having SC clearance and experience of this type environment would stand me in good stead for finding another similar contract, not so!!

I think the trouble is EDS/Dii have a massive portion of the support pie now, I've heard they've been told to make cutbacks and use in house staff wherever possible which in effect has put an embargo on taking contractors on, Dii jobs used to be two a penny on jobserve but I've not seen any for a while.

Does anyone have any inside knowledge of this?

[ratewhore]

You mention support in your post and, if you're a support engineer, it's more likely that's the issue than any drop in SC roles.

[scooterscot]

Well I'm a support eng sort of, nothing IT related though, I had my choice of jobs last month before choosing to extend... er 3 offers in the UK and one in German since Jan.

[XLMonkey]

Oddly, just been phoned by two agents offering contracts with DII (I used to work there in a previous life). Think it might be more down to skills profile than clearance.

[gingerjedi]

When I mentioned support I meant project implementation as well, I've worked on all manner of MoD and Gov systems which should be invaluable to an organisation that’s migrating from them, I've been put forward for 3 roles now but the case goes cold from there as the line managers are not getting approval to take it any further (so the agent says), I know I'm not the only one as quite a few other contractors who I've worked with in the past are saying the same.

I am being a little fussy on the location which doesn’t help and it's not the best time of year for new projects, I just thought it would have been easier than this.

[XLMonkey]

Now isn't a great time, that's true. I saw an ex-client in the DLO last week who basically said "can't raise a bean right now, but come back in April and there'll be something". (this was why I was a little surprised to get called by agents for DII stuff only a few days after).

It may be a good time to go on a holiday....

[gwildfire]

I worked on that project myself in the past, and as far I can tell things are as good now as they ever have been.

I think it depends what your area is, certainly the networking world, I get calls from agents moaning about how they can never find people with the right skills and clearence levels.

[Mailman_1]

There are a load of jobs (x11) going on DII at Bracknell if you have SC and Radia skills. Rate is a bit low tho. It ranges from 25 - 40 depending on who you speak to in the office. They r for EDS thru Reed or Project people. Lookup radia on Jobserve and you will see it. If you've been on DII b4 in an infrastructure or packaging role then u will have the skills they need.

[scooby]

i worked on the transition of Inc2a for EDS. they are controlled by the HQ is the US. they are regularly told to cut back on contractors to achieve quarterly results. its nothing new for them and is true.

the problem, however, is that they dont have the staff or skills to use internal people which causes a slow down of delivery.

[mikeyboy]

gingerjedi
What level of support do you specialise in?
If it's third line WinTel, there have been quite a few jobs requiring SC/DV Clearance advertised recently.

- EDS are looking for around 30 Server guys in Peterlee. (£30 to £35 per hr)
- Quite a few cleared jobs in the Berkshire area.
- NATO have put out tenders for a number of projects in NATO HQ Belgium.

Make sure you check the usual suspects (Clearedjobs, Jobsite, Jobserve) daily as positions are filled pretty quickly.

Failing that, I may be able to point you to a job in Afghan. Not a great rate but it is Tax free and good leave. ( 9 wks on 3 wks off)

Happy Hunting!