London .Net Contracting

[atomic800]

I'm a C# .Net contractor (8 years experience, WPF (MVVM), WinForms, ASP.NET, SQL Server, Oracle, JQuery, CSS). Agile Coach experience, experience designing applications and entire systems.

I've been contracting for a few years in Northern Ireland but I'm wanting to try further afield for my next contract.

I'd consider myself a competent contractor and get most contracts I go for.


I'm looking towards London next as I'd like to live there for a while. My main question is how difficult would it to be to find a decent rate in London (circa £500+ per day) if i don't have previous banking experience.

Do many banks take on contractors who have good .Net skills but not previous IB experience?

What's the current demand like for contracts paying £500+ within other industries in London?

I'm getting £300 a day in Northern Ireland so with it's lower cost of living i'd need to be looking at this higher £500+ bracket to make it worthwhile.

[eek]

I'm getting £300 a day in Northern Ireland so with it's lower cost of living i'd need to be looking at this higher £500+ bracket to make it worthwhile.

There is little development work paying £500 a day now as bob has got his claws into it.

[Ketchup]

In my experience, the IB's are looking for people with IB experience but as with everything there are a few exceptions. For other industries, the rates are generally a bit lower than previously. But a competent contractor with decent experience and no visa restrictions should have no trouble finding work at £400-£450pd.

If you are desperate to get into the IB's, it might be worth looking at the financial software houses/hedges as i have a few friends who got into the banks this way.

[atomic800]

There is little development work paying £500 a day now as bob has got his claws into it.

Sorry for my ignorance, what is "bob" used as a meaning for?



Ketchup,
Did your friends get into the banks via financial software houses as contractors for these financial software houses? Or were they permie's first?
I'd find it difficult to go permie ever again!

[cojak]

Off-shore workers (can be anywhere but the UK).

[MyUserName]

Getting into IBs is hard as they can afford to pick and choose and do pick and choose people with industry experience. The frustrating thing is that you rarely need the knowledge, you just need to be good at programming and be able to work thoroughly even when you are bored. I

f you work in the front office you will also have traders going ballistic at you eve though you are right, the managers will back them even though you can explain why you are right.

The IB industry is no longer the cash cow it was, I would hesitate to recommend trying to get into it to anyone.

[nomadd]

If you work in the front office you will also have traders going ballistic at you eve though you are right, the managers will back them even though you can explain why you are right.

The IB industry is no longer the cash cow it was, I would hesitate to recommend trying to get into it to anyone.

This^

My current gig is the first I've done in 4 years outside of IB. Quite a shock to work with reasonable people who work standard hours and are all very friendly. My rate is only slightly lower than I was getting in IB work.

[ChimpMaster]

This^

My current gig is the first I've done in 4 years outside of IB. Quite a shock to work with reasonable people who work standard hours and are all very friendly. My rate is only slightly lower than I was getting in IB work.

Same here. Left an IB after 5 years or so contracting there and am now working elsewhere, out of the City, earning more and having an easier life of it too. I miss the City - socially at least - but it's not a healthy place to be long term.

[Lewis]

My current gig is the first I've done in 4 years outside of IB. Quite a shock to work with reasonable people who work standard hours and are all very friendly. My rate is only slightly lower than I was getting in IB work.

What sector are you in now? I dream of exiting IB )

[ShandyDrinker]

The IB industry is no longer the cash cow it was, I would hesitate to recommend trying to get into it to anyone.

Judging by some of the comments here it does make you wonder whether working at an IB is worthwhile. Having worked in both investment (primarily middle/back office) and retail banking my experience is that the environment in retail banking is no better than investment banking.

I would recommend working in an IB if you can though just for the experience so you can decide whether it is the kind of environment you want to work in.