Complete newbie....help required!

**eek** · 9 January 2013, 13:16

Originally posted by unclemohammed View Post

Hi,

I enjoy reading the forums, and whilst not a complete newbie (gigs at Glaxo, Barclays Radbroke Hall) - that was about 13 years ago! I wondered if you good guys and gals could help me.

I was made redundant in Dec last year as a permie, working in a senior manager position. I have been offered a contract role through Alexander Mann, which is on a decent rate, but...

1. I have trawled the forum, and in essence they do not seem to have a good rep. Most of the posts seem relatively old (2007 onwards) - does anyone have a good working relationship work with them now? Have they changed at all?

2. The 30 day payment terms....seems a little odd (sounds like a supplier arrangement)? Could someone tell me how that exactly works please? My working assumption is that they do not pay for first 30 days, but you invoice accordingly, and then you can opt for weekly or monthly payment terms. Does that mean your always 1 month in lieu?

3. The Data Privacy Statement also concerns me a little - it says that they might process my information outside of the European Economic Area...again, I find that strange...but being so long out the game it may be normal?

4. Is there anyone with any advice about experiences with AMS?

I may have got this all wrong, but I like to make sure that the small details are fine before proceeding. I haven't signed a damned thing as yet!

Kind regards,
Uncle

1) people only complain if there are problems. If the last big issue was 6 years ago then that may be old news.

2) 30 day terms are more and more common as factoring has become harder to manage and collect. You may be able to negotiate so try.

3) sending data outside the EU is virtually unavoidable so telling people that they do it is par for the course.

4) Can't help

HTH

**BA to the Stars** · 9 January 2013, 13:27

I worked through AMS 4 or 5 years ago for almost 2 years. Never had a problem. Payments always received promptly. i was on 30 days with them.

**BolshieBastard** · 9 January 2013, 13:32

Originally posted by unclemohammed View Post

Hi,

I enjoy reading the forums, and whilst not a complete newbie (gigs at Glaxo, Barclays Radbroke Hall) - that was about 13 years ago! I wondered if you good guys and gals could help me.

I was made redundant in Dec last year as a permie, working in a senior manager position. I have been offered a contract role through Alexander Mann, which is on a decent rate, but...

1. I have trawled the forum, and in essence they do not seem to have a good rep. Most of the posts seem relatively old (2007 onwards) - does anyone have a good working relationship work with them now? Have they changed at all?

2. The 30 day payment terms....seems a little odd (sounds like a supplier arrangement)? Could someone tell me how that exactly works please? My working assumption is that they do not pay for first 30 days, but you invoice accordingly, and then you can opt for weekly or monthly payment terms. Does that mean your always 1 month in lieu?

3. The Data Privacy Statement also concerns me a little - it says that they might process my information outside of the European Economic Area...again, I find that strange...but being so long out the game it may be normal?

4. Is there anyone with any advice about experiences with AMS?

I may have got this all wrong, but I like to make sure that the small details are fine before proceeding. I haven't signed a damned thing as yet!

Kind regards,
Uncle

Never worked with Mann so cannot comment.

They will state their payment terms. Nothing to stop you saying you want say, weekly and negotiate from there. One of my recent agencies told me payment terms were 60 days, I laughed at them and said no way. We settled for fortnightly payment.

Personal data should only be sent outside the UK providing data protection is of the same standard as in the UK. In reality, there's not a lot you can do about it.

**northernladuk** · 9 January 2013, 13:37

Ahhh, looks like it is going to be a good 2013.. I thought we had gone all professional and I would have nothing to do.....

Item 3. I can't believe for one minute in this day and age you would think that your data wouldn't be processed offshore. Even your doctors letters are dictated, they typed up and sent from offshore nowadays even if your doctor and hospital are 200 yards down the road. If you are going to work in IT contracting you need to get your head around the scale of offshoring.

**Wanderer** · 9 January 2013, 14:36

Originally posted by unclemohammed View Post

2. The 30 day payment terms....seems a little odd (sounds like a supplier arrangement)? Could someone tell me how that exactly works please? My working assumption is that they do not pay for first 30 days, but you invoice accordingly, and then you can opt for weekly or monthly payment terms. Does that mean your always 1 month in lieu?

If you are on 30 day terms then tell them that you are invoicing them weekly. After working your first week, you send them an invoice and timesheet. They will pay this 30 days later. The next week, you send them another invoice and timesheet, etc, etc.

The net result is that at any given time you have between 30 and 37 days worth of invoices outstanding.

If you invoice them monthly then your first invoice goes in 1 month after you start and they pay it 30 days later (up to 61 days outstanding) so don't do that.

Once they send you the contract, they will invite you to sign an "opt out". Tell them you have decided NOT to opt out (don't get into a debate with them about why).

I know a contractor who worked for them and they weren't bothered when he wouldn't opt out and said they always paid on time provided the timesheets were submitted on schedule. Weekly invoicing was no bother to them.

**formant** · 9 January 2013, 14:53

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

Ahhh, looks like it is going to be a good 2013.. I thought we had gone all professional and I would have nothing to do.....

Item 3. I can't believe for one minute in this day and age you would think that your data wouldn't be processed offshore. Even your doctors letters are dictated, they typed up and sent from offshore nowadays even if your doctor and hospital are 200 yards down the road. If you are going to work in IT contracting you need to get your head around the scale of offshoring.

Erm, that bit I bolded there ... you're wrong about that. I work in that precisely field (speech recognition for medical transcription) and I personally would be out of work if that data was allowed to travel outside of the UK (cause my ClientCo has an existing team of Speech Scientists in the US). But no doubt in most NHS trusts (without speech rec in place) transcription is outsourced to cheap external (but UK-based) providers.

Nonetheless, I agree with the sentiment of the rest of what you said there. In most circumstances, assume your data doesn't stay local.

**northernladuk** · 9 January 2013, 15:03

Originally posted by formant View Post

Erm, that bit I bolded there ... you're wrong about that. I work in that precisely field (speech recognition for medical transcription) and I personally would be out of work if that data was allowed to travel outside of the UK (cause my ClientCo has an existing team of Speech Scientists in the US). But no doubt in most NHS trusts (without speech rec in place) transcription is outsourced to cheap external (but UK-based) providers.

Nonetheless, I agree with the sentiment of the rest of what you said there. In most circumstances, assume your data doesn't stay local.

Ok I can't find the article that particularly mentions voice to letter services. Am sure it said they recordings were sent abroad so on that point I might have not been correct but the general concept of what I was trying to say still stands.

NHS offshoring of patient data to India prompts security concerns | PublicTechnology

NHS hospitals sending your confidential notes to India to be typed up | Mail Online

Figures obtained by Labour MP John Spellar under the Freedom of Information Act show that in 2011/12, West Middlesex University Hospital trust in west London, sent 234,000 letters to India. Great Ormond Street Hospital trust in Central London sent 123,000 letters, while North Middlesex University Hospital trust in north London sent 137,000.

Other NHS trusts that said they routinely dispatch letters to India were: Kingston Hospital in south-west London; Epsom and St Helier University in south London and Surrey; the Whittington Hospital in north London; the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in north London.

**formant** · 9 January 2013, 15:32

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

Ok I can't find the article that particularly mentions voice to letter services. Am sure it said they recordings were sent abroad so on that point I might have not been correct but the general concept of what I was trying to say still stands.

NHS offshoring of patient data to India prompts security concerns | PublicTechnology

NHS hospitals sending your confidential notes to India to be typed up | Mail Online

Where there are rules, someone's going to break them... :-/

**kirk** · 9 January 2013, 19:32

I worked through AMS from September 2011- September 2012, same payment terms. Never a problem, always paid on time.

Complete newbie....help required!