£100 less is better!?!?!

[xchaotic]

To be honest they can't really know what rate are you on until you tell them and what you tell them is probably rounded up isn't it? So I don't see why the whining
Still I wish there was a non-rude way to tell them - I am not intersted in offers below £xxx / per day, all the times that I did I have not heard from the agent back - strange as they can make more money off a higher rate..

[DaveB]

To be honest they can't really know what rate are you on until you tell them and what you tell them is probably rounded up isn't it? So I don't see why the whining
Still I wish there was a non-rude way to tell them - I am not intersted in offers below £xxx / per day, all the times that I did I have not heard from the agent back - strange as they can make more money off a higher rate..

They can make more money of a lower rate to you. They still charge the client the same.

[stek]

They can make more money of a lower rate to you. They still charge the client the same.

Yes you have to remember the agent has two cream-off points -

1. The percentage

2. The difference between what the customer is willing to pay and what the agent told the contractor is the most he can get, ie lied to....

[northernladuk]

2. The difference between what the customer is willing to pay and what the agent told the contractor is the most he can get, ie lied to....

But that isn't a lie. It is a business transaction. What the agent gets from the client is his business, not the contractors. What the agent offers the contractor is the agents and contractors business. He has to make a margin obviously so you have to expect there will be a difference.

The only exception here is if the agent whinges that he is only getting £400 from the client and therefore he can't pay you anymore than £325. This has only happened to me once, rest of the time the agents were professional enough to keep client rates to themselves but it does happen I guess.

Just aside the one time I did get fed the BS line to try and justify rates I found out and wrote a pretty tulipty mail to his manager about his professionalism. Whether it made a difference or not I don't know but it made me feel better, especially when I got a tidy raise with this inside info later.

[SueEllen]

But that isn't a lie. It is a business transaction. What the agent gets from the client is his business, not the contractors. What the agent offers the contractor is the agents and contractors business. He has to make a margin obviously so you have to expect there will be a difference.

The only exception here is if the agent whinges that he is only getting £400 from the client and therefore he can't pay you anymore than £325. This has only happened to me once, rest of the time the agents were professional enough to keep client rates to themselves but it does happen I guess.

That's not strictly true though.

There are cases when the agent takes too big a margin.

This means that the client is expecting someone who will do x amount of work but instead get someone who does y and is left wondering why.

[PAH]

There are cases when the agent takes too big a margin. This means that the client is expecting someone who will do x amount of work but instead get someone who does y and is left wondering why.

Exactly. Not only are people less inclined to work as hard or up to the same standard for significantly less pay, but they're also more likely to jump ship when a better opportunity comes along.

The other problem is that the contractor may be near the top of the 'get rid, they're too expensive' list when the cuts come along, despite the contractor thinking they are on a reasonable rate so likely to be safer than others in the team.

I sometimes wonder if the people defending the agents practice of keeping margins to themselves are really agents, or thick. This practice only benefits the agents, which wouldn't be so bad if they were generally a trustworthy bunch who could be taken at face value, not out to fleece everyone for every penny they can get.

[rd409]

Exactly. Not only are people less inclined to work as hard or up to the same standard for significantly less pay, but they're also more likely to jump ship when a better opportunity comes along.

Even if I get more than standard rate, nothing stops me jumping ships if a better role comes along. I work for reputation and not for the rate. My dedication to what I do does not depend what rate I am. I am contractor and client satisfaction matters to me more than the zeroes on the pay check.

The other problem is that the contractor may be near the top of the 'get rid, they're too expensive' list when the cuts come along, despite the contractor thinking they are on a reasonable rate so likely to be safer than others in the team.

I am always prepared for the axe to fall. End of the story. It is upto the client to decide who tops the list. If I work as said above, the client would not be happy to let me go even if I am one of the most expensive contractors.

I sometimes wonder if the people defending the agents practice of keeping margins to themselves are really agents, or thick. This practice only benefits the agents, which wouldn't be so bad if they were generally a trustworthy bunch who could be taken at face value, not out to fleece everyone for every penny they can get.

I am not trying to defend the agents here. My experience says, I am not concerned what the agency is charging, although I would be more happy if the agent was transparent with the fee structure. But all that matters to me is the role, client and what I will be getting. The agent can then do whatever s/he wants to do with the client. The market forces tend to correct the agency margins on a longer terms anyway.

HTH.