Working outside the city (London)...?

[SueEllen]

I've never worked in the City, although its something that appeals to me its not the be all and end all when it comes to choosing a contract.

It's fun if you like being a sardine on the tube or train.

As formant said the best place to work is your own home the majority of the time. That way you don't get people wasting your time or annoying you with their voice in the open plan office.

[fraymond]

God, I could go on and on about trying to leave London and working somewhere else. It's similar to when I worked as a developer in an IB, I used to look around and wonder what happens to old devs. I've finally made it out of that quandry and am working as a PM, now I'm going to crack the "where do london contractors go" question. It's been (for me) about working on changing mindset and travelling around the UK on weekends appreciating the other good things. Life's short and all that.

[GB9]

Just been looking on the job boards and the rates in London are often lower than in the North. Find it amusing when agents call about pm jobs at £500/day in the South and expect you to jump for that money because you're a Northerner and must be working for £100/day up here. Well, return train costs £250, then accommodation on top, so starting rate needs to be circa £700 to be worthwhile, and there aren't that many in London.

[stek]

Working outside the city (London)...?

Just been looking on the job boards and the rates in London are often lower than in the North. Find it amusing when agents call about pm jobs at £500/day in the South and expect you to jump for that money because you're a Northerner and must be working for £100/day up here. Well, return train costs £250, then accommodation on top, so starting rate needs to be circa £700 to be worthwhile, and there aren't that many in London.

WHS - I find the North South divide in rates 25 or 50 quid a day at most, I'd rather take the 500 a day in Mcr over the 550 in that London..

[RasputinDude]

WHS - I find the North South divide in rates 25 or 50 quid a day at most, I'd rather take the 500 a day in Mcr over the 550 in that London..

+1

My experience - and I accept that it's only my experience - is that it has never been worth my while to work in London. Ultimately, you choose contracts based on your own circumstances and the cost of being away from my dog, children, wife, hobbies etc has never been met by the tiny increase in rate to head into London.

The hardest thing that I've had to do is turn down a very lucrative gig in Zurich because MrsDude had had baby a week or so before the gig started.

[TestMangler]

WHS - I find the North South divide in rates 25 or 50 quid a day at most, I'd rather take the 500 a day in Mcr over the 550 in that London..

^^^ This.

[barrydidit]

Not a wind up - genuine post. I don't see many skyscrapers and cool offices in Wales.

WHS - I find the North South divide in rates 25 or 50 quid a day at most, I'd rather take the 500 a day in Mcr over the 550 in that London..

^^^ This.

But the OP is talking about shiney office fittings and how much it's costing clientco to rent the space from the Canadian Teachers pension fund/whoever actually owns it. You're just not gonna get that sense of fulfilment from the same day rate and a view of the pigeons having a tulip on the roof of the Victoria Theatre in Halifax are you?

[Torran]

Edinburgh is great. Never had to work anywhere else.

[oliverson]

I'm from the north and have contracted up there, down in Brighton and predominantly in the IB sector in London.

I have mixed feelings about it being away midweek but my view is that if I'm staying away I go where the rates are the best and London is definitely the case and they aren't just marginally better but a LOT better.

I was offered a very good paying contract back in Leeds a couple of years ago and it was nice to be 30 mins from home again but those kind of gigs are always just one-offs and never last really long. Either way I felt a sense of 'failure' almost. Here I was missing out on all that London has to offer. Watching the Apprentice on TV and the London flyover reminded me that, shallow as it may sound, I used to be a 'somebody'.

Having said all that I'd probably jump ship tomorrow if the right paying contract emerged closer to home but I do know when it ends I'd be back down London again. Even in these difficult times you are more likely to find similarly paying opportunities to the one that's just ended in London.

btw, if you shop ahead it doesn't cost you £ 250 for a return ticket on the train. I just bought 4 weeks (weekly returns) worth in advance and if came to just under £ 400. Home Friday, down Monday morning.

Of course, you don't have to live in London to work in London, with Sussex and Kent being easily commutable and nice places in general. Expected to pay much more for a house purchase/rent though.

[psychocandy]

+1

My experience - and I accept that it's only my experience - is that it has never been worth my while to work in London. Ultimately, you choose contracts based on your own circumstances and the cost of being away from my dog, children, wife, hobbies etc has never been met by the tiny increase in rate to head into London.

The hardest thing that I've had to do is turn down a very lucrative gig in Zurich because MrsDude had had baby a week or so before the gig started.

LOL. Depends if the baby was urs or not? :-) Bad planning if it was!