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

**ChrisPackit** · 25 November 2010, 16:28

I'm in the NW also, towards Wigan, and have been contracting (on and off) for 12 years and I don't think I've ever had a contract less than an hours commute from home... Knutsford, Chester, Blackpool, Congleton, Halifax, Leeds...

Manchester is only 30 mins from me and, like you say, they rarely come up in the city.

I tend to follow the ££ around so don't really care where they are, just as long as they're commutable.

Chris

**NorthWestPerm2Contr** · 25 November 2010, 16:29

Originally posted by ChrisPackit View Post

I'm in the NW also, towards Wigan, and have been contracting (on and off) for 12 years and I don't think I've ever had a contract less than an hours commute from home... Knutsford, Chester, Blackpool, Congleton, Halifax, Leeds...

Manchester is only 30 mins from me and, like you say, they rarely come up in the city.

I tend to follow the ££ around so don't really care where they are, just as long as they're commutable.

Chris

Stupid City

**TinTrump** · 25 November 2010, 16:30

I bagged 1. As I've been impressed by the city I've started looking around to see if there are other contracts around in case mine isn't renewed at the end of Dec., and seen precious little else.

**jmo21** · 25 November 2010, 16:36

what skillset?

I can see 3 in my RSS feed for Manchester in my skillset, I don't work in that area right enough.

**northernladuk** · 25 November 2010, 16:37

Welcome to contracting. Not as rosey as it looked from the outside is it?

**NorthWestPerm2Contr** · 25 November 2010, 16:48

Welcome to contracting. Not as rosey as it looked from the outside is it?

Maybe to you it isn't. I would still rather commute 120 miles than be permie any day. I just fail to understand why Manchester is so crap for contracting. For example if you lived in London, you would expect to be working in the city. So why the hell is bloody blackpool, preston or scummy liverpool better than Manchester for contracting?

**pmeswani** · 25 November 2010, 17:14

Originally posted by NorthWestPerm2Contr View Post

Peace all,

For those I haven't spoken with:

First contract in Crewe, second in Blackpool. Why the hell are there no contracts in Manchester? You would think that with it being the major city of the North West there would be more going on? To date I have not got anywhere near getting an interview in the Manchester area for a contract. Whereas I have had them in Macclesfield, Crewe, Derby, Liverpool and now Blackpool.

I have now started to look for contracts in Manchester to be close to home but I am feeling hopeless about getting anywhere.

Anywhere inside or within 15 miles of the M60 would qualify i.e. Cheshire, Bolton, Rochdale, Stockport, etc.

Has anybody else suffered the same kind of frustration?

Are you a Brummie living in Manchester? If so, that's why.

On a more serious note, there are some contracts in Chesire. Barclays are on a recruitment drive (well, at least in IT/IS Security). Maybe worth doing a generic search on Jobserve for Cheshire?

**thunderlizard** · 25 November 2010, 17:37

Originally posted by NorthWestPerm2Contr View Post

For example if you lived in London, you would expect to be working in the city

I've had 7 contracts while living in London, and only one of those was in London. The rest mainly in the Thames Valley area. The population is probably more spread out in the North West too.

**nomadd** · 25 November 2010, 17:37

Originally posted by NorthWestPerm2Contr View Post

Peace all,

For those I haven't spoken with:

First contract in Crewe, second in Blackpool. Why the hell are there no contracts in Manchester? You would think that with it being the major city of the North West there would be more going on? To date I have not got anywhere near getting an interview in the Manchester area for a contract. Whereas I have had them in Macclesfield, Crewe, Derby, Liverpool and now Blackpool.

I have now started to look for contracts in Manchester to be close to home but I am feeling hopeless about getting anywhere.

It's my home town, my friend, and it's always been like that. People I speak to think I'm just making it up, but no, it seems Manchester and IT just don't mix. Hence why I've spent all but 6 months of my 21 year contracting career in London.

Someone mentioned Barclays... That's true, they are looking, but offering rates that are half what they were offering 2 years ago. And, of course, being in Knutsford, they aren't exactly located in a cheap part of the UK.

Crazy town indeed.

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