Switching from permanent role (with 2 months notice) to contracting

[mapother]

I am in a permanent role and wish to make the switch to contracting. My current contract has a 2 month notice period, I'm guessing that is way to long to allow me start looking for contracts before handing in my notice?


In case it matters I'm a c# .net developer with 9 years experience in permanent roles, and I live in London, and I will be looking at contracts at the £300-£400 mark.

[stek]

I am in a permanent role and wish to make the switch to contracting. My current contract has a 2 month notice period, I'm guessing that is way to long to allow me start looking for contracts before handing in my notice?


In case it matters I'm a .net developer with 9 years experience in permanent roles, and I live in London

Yup - two months well too long;

1. Make sure you have a buffer of money for a long period of no income, some say six months, I'd go for a year.

2. Resign...

3. Two weeks before you finish start looking actively.

4. Be prepared to accept low rates till you are a proven contractor.

[mapother]

Thanks for replying stek.

I assume the buffer is just for safety reasons? And that it is not unreasonable for me to assume I will get a job in weeks? (assuming I am competent).

How much of an issue will my lack of contracting experience be to clients/agents? Is it foolish to assume I can get a £300 a day contract, considering my location/experience.

[stek]

Thanks for replying stek.

I assume the buffer is just for safety reasons? And that it is not unreasonable for me to assume I will get a job in weeks? (assuming I am competent).

How much of an issue will my lack of contracting experience be to clients/agents? Is it foolish to assume I can get a £300 a day contract, considering my location/experience.

£300 is reasonable for a first timer in London, maybe more, but the fact is we've all had periods of nothing, I've had seven months once, and I've been in this game since the early nineties...

To be honest in the current climate and the fact you are a first timer I think you might be talking months rather than weeks, nothing is set in stone however. I am always looking, I spend at least another 20 hrs a week looking, skilling up and keeping my eye out, and I'm in a contract. You can never sit back otherwise you will end up with a 5-6-7-8 month gap with nothing....

Contracting isn't a gravy train, it's a mindset and way of life, pls don't think it's like permie but more money...

[Harmonic]

I've just had to make the jump thanks to redundancy. I started looking as soon as I was put at risk but nothing much happened until a week before I left.
After three interviews, one was offered and then the role was binned, the second they offered me a permie role, I should be starting my first contract three weeks after I left my permie job.

I think a lot depends on what sort of skill set and experience you have and what sort of role you're after but I've been pitching at the higher end of the advertised rates.

[mapother]

£300 is reasonable for a first timer in London, maybe more, but the fact is we've all had periods of nothing, I've had seven months once, and I've been in this game since the early nineties...

You had 7 months out, even though you where looking for work every day? I assume that is because you are looking at higher value contracts than me?

To be honest in the current climate and the fact you are a first timer I think you might be talking months rather than weeks, nothing is set in stone however.

I appreciate you are trying to ensure I have realistic expectations, but you seriously think its more likely to be months, even though I'm looking at the 300-350 mark in London, with quite abit of experience?

[stek]

You had 7 months out, even though you where looking for work every day? I assume that is because you are looking at higher value contracts than me?



I appreciate you are trying to ensure I have realistic expectations, but you seriously think its more likely to be months, even though I'm looking at the 300-350 mark in London, with quite abit of experience?

What I'm saying is it CAN be months, and during 2009 I was looking at anything, 200/day, nothing, nada, nichogo. There are good times and bad times. That was a BAD time. And if you have any doubt in your mind at all, this can mess with your head.

In the end I went permie to tide me over, and at the moment I have to say the market is no better, maybe marginally better, but my skillset is fairly buoyant, though that can change, hence the need to always look at reskilling...

To answer your last question, yes, months. One, two or three, certainly not weeks....

Don't forget your skill set is in the Bob area, i.e. cheap Indians, it's a minefield, really. Overwhelmingly I say do it, but it's no easy life....

[Mr.Whippy]

Yup - two months well too long

A long notice period can be reduced though. When I was permy I was on a 3 month notice period but I refused to give them any more than 1 month, which they eventually accepted. Once they did accept I told them that I also wanted to use 10 days holiday I had left too, which brought my notice down from 3 months to 2 weeks. They weren't particularly happy, but that's life.

[TheFaQQer]

I assume the buffer is just for safety reasons?

Yes. You might want to read this thread on some varying approaches to how much buffer do you need.

And that it is not unreasonable for me to assume I will get a job in weeks? (assuming I am competent).

You need to look at the market - see how many roles there are that you can do, and maybe talk to an agency to see how many applications they are getting for each role. If there are 100 people going for a role (which for some skillsets and locations is not uncommon at the moment), then you need to work out whether you are confident that you can get to the top of the pile and to the client, and then get the gig.

How much of an issue will my lack of contracting experience be to clients/agents?

Some will make more of it than others. If there are a number of seemingly identical people going for the same role, then having contracting experience will count - permies tend to expect some kind of bedding in period; contractors need to be delivering value from the start. Given the choice, agencies don't want to be hand-holding when they could be counting their money, so you need to make it clear that you know exactly what you are signing up for.

[jmo21]

You had 7 months out, even though you where looking for work every day? I assume that is because you are looking at higher value contracts than me?

I appreciate you are trying to ensure I have realistic expectations, but you seriously think its more likely to be months, even though I'm looking at the 300-350 mark in London, with quite abit of experience?

you sound like you really can't believe what Stek said.

If what he said really surprised you, then you have been very well insulated in your permie role from the market these last few years.

You may well get a role quickly, I know of one first time contractor PM in London last year who got a role before his permie notice period was up, but you may not.

My advice is to do a bit more research into your field/area before you make the jump.

Would another 6 months in your permie job get you to bonus time (some may laugh, but you never know), or maybe squeeze another couple of training courses out of them, while you build your warchest a bit more.