Contracting in Glasgow

[MissAnh]

Hi all! Can't keep to the excuse of being "new" to Scotland anymore - been here a few months and have begun job searching in the last 2 weeks.

What I wanted to ask was - how is contracting for BA/PM roles for someone on a working visa? I'm experienced (2+ years) but not experienced enough probably. I've got ITIL/Service Mgt skills, which seem to be popular with random recruiters in England, who keep calling, but NOTHING from Scotland, and definitely not to positions I've applied to.

Anyway, any observations/advice welcomed! Thks.

[expat]

Hi all! Can't keep to the excuse of being "new" to Scotland anymore - been here a few months and have begun job searching in the last 2 weeks.

What I wanted to ask was - how is contracting for BA/PM roles for someone on a working visa? I'm experienced (2+ years) but not experienced enough probably. I've got ITIL/Service Mgt skills, which seem to be popular with random recruiters in England, who keep calling, but NOTHING from Scotland, and definitely not to positions I've applied to.

Anyway, any observations/advice welcomed! Thks.

You won't welcome this observation, but I am a Scot, and I have NEVER managed to find a contract in Scotland. This is not an uncommon experience, and partly accounts for the large nunber of Scottish contractors in London.

[Rantor]

You won't welcome this observation, but I am a Scot, and I have NEVER managed to find a contract in Scotland. This is not an uncommon experience, and partly accounts for the large nunber of Scottish contractors in London.

I would second Expat's comments. I've never had any problems landing well-paid contracts - except in Scotland and Glasgow (my home town) in particular.

Based on my own experience, that of some friends who do contract in Scotland and another couple of mates who moved back determined to break into the market, I' ve reached a few conclusions:

1. Contracts do come up in most sectors but there is not the same level of sustained demand that results in ads been placed etc.

2. It is a very "contact" driven market, particularly in the Edinburgh financial sector and what's left of the industrial sector (don't know about public or oil sector) - there are loads of people who shuffle between contracts on a relatively small group of sites/projects and these placed by word of mouth.

3. Breaking into the market is not so easy and I know two guys (with high end technical and blagging skills) who, after moving back, had to give up looking locally and start commuting again

4. Rates can be absurdly low

With your skills, I would expect something to come up eventually but you may have to look wider than the west coast.

[Torran]

I would second Expat's comments. I've never had any problems landing well-paid contracts - except in Scotland and Glasgow (my home town) in particular.

Based on my own experience, that of some friends who do contract in Scotland and another couple of mates who moved back determined to break into the market, I' ve reached a few conclusions:

1. Contracts do come up in most sectors but there is not the same level of sustained demand that results in ads been placed etc.

2. It is a very "contact" driven market, particularly in the Edinburgh financial sector and what's left of the industrial sector (don't know about public or oil sector) - there are loads of people who shuffle between contracts on a relatively small group of sites/projects and these placed by word of mouth.

3. Breaking into the market is not so easy and I know two guys (with high end technical and blagging skills) who, after moving back, had to give up looking locally and start commuting again

4. Rates can be absurdly low

With your skills, I would expect something to come up eventually but you may have to look wider than the west coast.

I guess I agree with most of this but I've only ever contracted in Scotland and have never needed to look elsewhere. Glasgow for me has always been a difficult market. Scottish power and NAG used to recruit a fair bit. Not sure now.

Edinburgh has treated me well enough over the last 8 years but rantor is right its mostly about who you know and swinging between programme to programme.

My only bit of advice would be to keep your ear to the ground and wait for a large piece of work to appear, Integration, big infrastructure piece etc and get your CV in to the agencies involved. Big new Int. prog coming up soon if you think about it

[TheBigYinJames]

Aol

I graduated from Glasgow in 1990 and have NEVER had a contract in Scotland, let alone Glasgow. I've lived in the south east since 1993, and have worked all over the place - except Scotland.

When I have been sent specs from jobs in Scotland the rates have been so woeful that they haven't tempted me to enquire further. I doubt after all this time, I'll ever move back north, simply because there is not enough well-paid work in my line of work up there.

<- economic migrant

[Torran]

depends what you do I guess. PM rates in FS are between 400-500 p.d and while this aint going to allow you to buy your own private Island, its a decent rate and you don't have to live in the south of england

[Tensai]

I fairly regularly see PM contracts going in Aberdeen for a certain oil company, but you need the industry experience to have a fighting chance....

[scooterscot]

'Depends on what you do' - how important these words are.

I'm working on contracts in Bristol, Norway - from home in Edinburgh. However that was only after a number of years exposure in the south, if your happy to work for scraps stay in Scotland otherwise get out there!

Scotland is a great place to live but a crap place to earn a living...

[TheBigYinJames]

Outside the FS in Embra (to which's table you will be eternally hog-tied, like a .. gasp...a permie), there's very little paying IT work in Scotland. If you are determined to stay, you may be able to pick up little bits, here and there, but mostly you will be averaging far far less take-home than you would working in the south. I wish it wasn't so, but thems the breaks.

And yes there will always be someone on £500 a day somewhere in the world, but when you're a jobbing contractor like what I am, you have to look at work volume as well as point rates. I'd rather be somewhere where there's a work volume of 2000 contracts paying £300 a day, than somewhere which has 2 contracts paying £500.

As someone who has been in this game since the early 90s, I've seen recessions come and go, (and had to go permie now and again to cover the mortgage) and I know that volume is where it's at, not point rates.

[MissAnh]

Oh christ, and I thought the Germans were pessimistic. In all seriousness though, thanks for all your posts. I didn't come here to make a killing in pounds like most Aussies (well, maybe not so much these days) (but for 'love' - stupid me, not only have I ruined my career but I'll be poor forever too).

So basically, if I just keep slogging through the adverts no matter what rates (better than working at a Chinese takeaway), I should be right.

Question: what is FS? Is it this 'Silicon Glen' that people talk about? (is it real??)

Well, if anyone knows anyone who knows anyone who can help out, I can't tell you how much that would be appreciated too!