Which skills for the "£750 - 2,000 a day bracket"?

[Freamon]

Another route would be to acquire a skill very specific to a single client, which makes you indispensable to them. Like being the single source of knowledge for a particular bespoke system that they rely on. Obviously getting into this position takes time, but I've known a number of contractors who have basically set themselves up for life by spending 3+ years at a single client.

[NotAllThere]

I can get up to £1300 a day. Mainly that's the exchange rate, but even in the local currency it's a good rate. The reason I can get it is because
1. I was taken on directly, by recommendation,
2. My availability is flexible - I don't do five days a week
3. My clients create a contract for, e.g. 40 days, but they don't have to use all of it
4. I'm very good at what I do
5. I do occasional work through a consultancy, who pay me 92% of their charge out rate. This arrangement is through personal connections.

Ostensibly, I'm an ABAP programmer (SAP BW), but in quite a complex environment. Essentially, anything technical comes to me first.

[JamJarST]

I can get up to £1300 a day. Mainly that's the exchange rate, but even in the local currency it's a good rate. The reason I can get it is because
1. I was taken on directly, by recommendation,
2. My availability is flexible - I don't do five days a week
3. My clients create a contract for, e.g. 40 days, but they don't have to use all of it
4. I'm very good at what I do
5. I do occasional work through a consultancy, who pay me 92% of their charge out rate. This arrangement is through personal connections.

Ostensibly, I'm an ABAP programmer (SAP BW), but in quite a complex environment. Essentially, anything technical comes to me first.

So when you do get £1300 a day, how many days a week do you actually work? From what you say it sounds like you only get work for a few days a week at that rate.

[ChimpMaster]

In agreement with one of the posters above, I would say that - in our line of work - the higher paid contracts (£2k) are more likely to be spot consultancy roles. These will probably be very short assignments of a few days, where an expert has to go in to cover off a very specific requirement.

No doubt there are longer contracts that pay ~£1k but I've not known anyone except programme managers or department heads to get that much. I don't know anyone technical who has got over £1k on a longer term contract, but I'd be interested to know if anyone does.

Personally, I'm more comfortable working on a daily rate of ~£600 for a year's contract rather than £1200 for a few days here and there. Just gives that little more consistency.

[Sockpuppet]

I'm pretty sure there are some roles in Helmand or Somalia you could get £1k a day on.

[d000hg]

I can't believe people earning 2k a day will bother coming on here TBH.

Why not? They are still people who need to understand tax issues, have a professional network, etc.

[d000hg]

http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/contrac...&id=0&lid=2618

[Spacecadet]

In agreement with one of the posters above, I would say that - in our line of work - the higher paid contracts (£2k) are more likely to be spot consultancy roles. These will probably be very short assignments of a few days, where an expert has to go in to cover off a very specific requirement.

No doubt there are longer contracts that pay ~£1k but I've not known anyone except programme managers or department heads to get that much. I don't know anyone technical who has got over £1k on a longer term contract, but I'd be interested to know if anyone does.

Personally, I'm more comfortable working on a daily rate of ~£600 for a year's contract rather than £1200 for a few days here and there. Just gives that little more consistency.

WHS

Plus those days when you're not earning you have to keep busy either looking for work or giving presentations or writing articles or whatever it takes to justify someone agreeing to pay you very large amounts of money for short term work.

[TheFaQQer]

I'm pretty sure there are some roles in Helmand or Somalia you could get £1k a day on.

I doubt it, to be honest.

I sent details of a role in Iraq a few years back to a mate (rate wasn't specified), but in the end it was only £600 ish, which wasn't that far off his UK rate.

[alreadypacked]

http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/contrac...&id=0&lid=2618

My role is not an exact match to anything on the list, but I'm on double the rate for the nearest match