Newbie Needs Advice

[malvolio]

Sorry - London is a dirty, crowded hole, full of people who have no idea how to have a life. I mean, these are people who run to get on the tube platform first. Jeez...

I lived in the Smoke for 15 years. That's why I commute, and manage to suffer the lack of intellectual stimulation for the 20-odd hours when I'm at the Eastern end of the GWR...

[Mabozza]

Thanks for your comments.

Any others gratefully received.

I have experience in healthcare standards, networking, servers, storage, SQL & various other technologies. Researching the current climate, I know my market and am realistic, what I didn't know fully was the way the agencies operated and your experiences here are really appreciated helping me on my way.

I have opportunities but need to wise up quickly and not get caught out.

Thanks for your help.

Mabozza

[expat]

People in Somerset can think fast. It's just that there's not much call for it.

[malvolio]

Sorry, could you say that again...

[tim123]

London or South West? There's about a 20% differential there for a start. Why do you think I live in Somerset and work in London...?

There are no jobs for what I do in London.

They are all in the Thames valley (which for this purpose extends as far as Bath), Cambridge or the South Coast.

tim

[tim123]

I have experience in healthcare standards, networking, servers, storage, SQL & various other technologies.

Would it be correct to suggest that a more generic description or your skill is that you work in IT (or Network) infrastructure?

tim

[Mordac]

Rates, I'm looking for 40+ because that's what I'm on at the moment and what I was on when I left the UK in '99.

We're all looking for the sort of rates that were on offer in 99! I had 2 contracts at over £500 p/d, which is still 25% up on what I'm on at the moment.
A lot depends, obviously, on whether your skillset is in demand at the moment.

[Mabozza]

Would it be correct to suggest that a more generic description or your skill is that you work in IT (or Network) infrastructure?

tim

That would cover part of what I do, but my skill set on top of that is HL7, DICOM, PACS, PAS, RIS and Opthalmology systems, which is specialist to healthcare, just didn't want to bore you.

A large part of the job is storage as a single hospital can deal in terabytes within digital imaging and some of the modalities can produce huge series. And then backup, DR & design become really interesting.

Because of this, it does offer some scope.

Thanks for your comments.

Mabozza

[realityhack]

What is it you do.

I can recommend a couple of guys for Technical (what I call, non IT) work.

tim

Tim/All,

I would really appreciate any non-IT/caters-for-both Agency recommendations for a colleague of mine, currently contracting as our online marketing manager - whose contract is not being renewed due to budgetry constraints. She has significant blue-chip experience in Germany in this field - and will be finishing her 6 month contract with a major financial services plc at the end of this month.

I'd really like to give her some helpful leads and would be very grateful for any words of wisdom in this direction, as my contacts are IT-specific.

Many thanks.

[malvolio]

She needs to be looking at corporate interim management. Russams are good, and Harvey Nash have a dedicated IM branch run by a frighteningly efficient lady called Christine de Largy. Between them that will cover the spectrum, at least well enough to understand the marketplace.