Why the hell are there in contracts in Manchester?!?!

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

One of the 'biggies' in Blackpool is the Dept. for Work and Pensions (DWP) or the old DSS.

I did a gig there in the early Noughties .... never again !!

The premises are like a 'step back in time' with browns and beiges ...

Its not public sector (thank God).

Train to blackpool is not feasible where I work. It would involve parking at train station, 90 min train and then a tram or taxi totalling about 2 hours travel. I do it in car in just over 1 hour.

[BoredBloke]

I've found the same. I live in Rochdale and thought it would be a good location giving access to Leeds, Machester, Liverpool and the surrounding areas. In the last 17 years I have worked in Manchester for 18 months! Compare that with 3 years in Leeds, 6 months in Liverpool, 14 months in geneva, 12 months in Chester, 10 months in the US and the rest down south!

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

I've found the same. I live in Rochdale and thought it would be a good location giving access to Leeds, Machester, Liverpool and the surrounding areas. In the last 17 years I have worked in Manchester for 18 months! Compare that with 3 years in Leeds, 6 months in Liverpool, 14 months in geneva, 12 months in Chester, 10 months in the US and the rest down south!

whats your speciality?

[mavster07]

Yep, same experience here - jobs all over cheshire, even l'pool and wales but nada inside the M60.
Exception is the odd one at the Co-op that pops up. Contrast for me is Leeds which usually has a fair few available.
I can't travel at the mo so having to take benchtime and some ugly rates to keep ticking over.

Yeah, give Co-Op a miss....apparently not that contractor friendly these days....no one I know who has been there recently has wanted to renew.

[Green Mango]

I've found the same. I live in Rochdale and thought it would be a good location giving access to Leeds, Machester, Liverpool and the surrounding areas. In the last 17 years I have worked in Manchester for 18 months! Compare that with 3 years in Leeds, 6 months in Liverpool, 14 months in geneva, 12 months in Chester, 10 months in the US and the rest down south!

Occassional jobs come up at Thales Sonar in Cheadle Heath.

[Pogle]

All contractors need to be flexible and need to be able to travel to the other end of the country if needs be. Local jobs are not necessarily going to land in your lap. If you're expecting to be able to find jobs within a commutable distance, then perhaps you haven't got the hang of this contracting lark - oh and there's a recession on too, in case you hadn't noticed.

I'm sure there will be several people along in a minute, who've never had to work away from home in their life, but the majority will have had to travel at some time - sorry sweetie, but that's what you signed up for when you became a contractor.

I usually get notification of jobs back home about 2 days after signing extension - as a previous poster said, its sods law.

Good luck with it all.

[lukemg]

Bit patronising ? After 14 years I think I know how contracting works thanks. Had a couple of spells away and expect I will in the future but I trade-off benchtime and a reduced annual take against living away currently.
The thread is highlighting the odd lack of Manchester based contracts not bemoaning why can't I work at the bottom of the road forever.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Bit patronising ? After 14 years I think I know how contracting works thanks. Had a couple of spells away and expect I will in the future but I trade-off benchtime and a reduced annual take against living away currently.
The thread is highlighting the odd lack of Manchester based contracts not bemoaning why can't I work at the bottom of the road forever.

Well said. I said it earlier but you put it into better words than I did!

I won't like to work away but I am willing to do it to avoid going permie. Again I don't like long commutes but I am relatively happy to work in Chester, Liverpool, Crewe, Stoke, Preston, Halifax, Bolton etc etc.

What I can't understand is why Manchester has so little opportunties compared to those tiny little villages.

[portseven]

Have contracted for 9yrs now, managed to stay I. The north west. Bounced between Coop in the city and Barclays in Knutsford for a few years, but since then have done Wigan and Warrington and now in Wythenshawe.

Over the past few weeks had loads of calls about a 'big financial client' desperate for people in mcr city. I guess it's the Coop, because of their integration with Britania.

Saying that there should be enough big companies in mcr city to provide work, there is Coop, BBC, JD Williams, MEN, Direct Line, etc.

[RichardCranium]

Thinks back over all my contracts ... I don't think I have ever had two successive contracts within 60 miles of one another.

There must be some sort of CV location sensor that means agents will only pick you out if you live over 50 miles away from the role.