Is now a good time?

[Turion]

there is a point. i had 3mths notice and negoiated leaving after 7 (a week after my first contract was signed).

Talk to your manager to discuss, you dont even need permission as you can just leave to be honest. HR cant stop you. they just stop your pay from the day you leave.

True, but he may want to leave on good terms. After all, it's a small world

[mr wizard]

Thanks Guys, seems like a bit of a mixed bag to be honest.

My experience isn't too bad, 2 years in support, 1 year administration and 2 years as IT Manager, but how this transfers into the contract world I'm unsure. I've also got a degree but it's more of a door opener in the permie world than anything else.

I'm relocating to Manchester in hope this will open more doors than the sleepy country town I currently live in.

Are the 'ups and downs' of contracting still more positive than permie positions when all added together? Are thw 'downs' starting to cancel out the 'ups'?

How is the contracting climate in Manchester at the moment?

Thanks

[ratewhore]

True, but he may want to leave on good terms. After all, it's a small world

I think you'll find it is quite large really...

[BlasterBates]

How are you doing Mr Wizard?

[lukemg]

I've been benched for 3 months in the North-West, test the market by bouncing tailored CV's to jobs you are a close match for on jobserve etc. Declare you are available at 1 weeks notice (regardless of if it is true). You will be quickly able to guage your worth from the response you receive from those apps.
I suspect you might struggle, I would look for a permie role if I were you.

[knockyoak]

The only way to bench whether its a good time is to check the jobsites to see what the market is like....however the real test is when you put your CV out and see if you get the interviews....... Go for it ! if all else fails go back permie !! you have nothing to lose !

[thunderlizard]

It's as good a time as any. The concept of "the market" for contractors gets talked about a lot, but it only plays a tiny part in defining how successful you'll be.Your own competence and network are much more important. "the market" will go up and down, but never anywhere near as much as the difference between a high rate contractor and a low rate contractor.

Also, if you were buying shares or commodities, then yes it makes sense to get in at the bottom of the market, and avoid getting in at the top. But with "getting into the contracting market" you're not buying anything that you will subsequently sell, so there's no point thinking about it in that way.

E.g.
Prudent contractor A starts contracting when rates are low and about to get better. His rate rises over 5 years from £400/d to £600/d.
Foolhardy contractor B gets in right now, when rates are high and about to drop. His rate drops over 5 years from £600/d to £400/d.
They are pretty much as good as each other, except B is probably better off because he's banked his downtime-buffer money early on.

[NotAllThere]

...I'm relocating to Manchester in hope this will open more doors than the sleepy country town I currently live in.
...
How is the contracting climate in Manchester at the moment?

If you're relocating anyway, why not just go for contracts anywhere - and then move to where the contracts are?

[Spacecadet]

E.g.
Prudent contractor A starts contracting when rates are low and about to get better. His rate rises over 5 years from £400/d to £600/d.
Foolhardy contractor B gets in right now, when rates are high and about to drop. His rate drops over 5 years from £600/d to £400/d.
They are pretty much as good as each other, except B is probably better off because he's banked his downtime-buffer money early on.

If B is better off than A then how is he foolhardy?

[51st State]

Thanks Guys, seems like a bit of a mixed bag to be honest.

My experience isn't too bad, 2 years in support, 1 year administration and 2 years as IT Manager, but how this transfers into the contract world I'm unsure. I've also got a degree but it's more of a door opener in the permie world than anything else.

I'm relocating to Manchester in hope this will open more doors than the sleepy country town I currently live in.

Are the 'ups and downs' of contracting still more positive than permie positions when all added together? Are thw 'downs' starting to cancel out the 'ups'?

How is the contracting climate in Manchester at the moment?

Thanks

Firstly, you need to decide what role you want.
If you're looking at PM roles, then your technical expertise doesn't count jacksh*t.
The opposite is true - PM experience and a P2 certificate isn't going to get you a techie gig.
TBH your experience is very light. 5 years isn't enough, especially as you've done 2 years support and 2 years PM'ing. Most PM roles want at least 5 years of solid PM experience.
What you've got to think about is that you'll mostly be going head to head against big hitting, experienced people (in either discipline) who know how to get work. If you're paying big dollars as an employer to plug a skills gap, ask yourself who you would choose?

Sorry if that's a bit negative, but it can be a tough world, and you've got to be very realistic about your prospects.

And as someone else has mentioned, limiting yourself to working in Manchester will not be the best option to get work. You'll need to cast your net wider if you seriously want to get your first roles.