State of the .NET market (MVC, C#, Azure)

[TheLordDave]

I live in South Wales and commute to taunton. Same skill set as my primary skills but also dabble in c++ and JavaScript. .net I find well and truly bobbed with really low rates. If you are good and get your foot in the door you can get reasonable periods of work with renewals as the majority of people who 'know .net' don't!, and I have worked with some terrible C# contract developers. But you are looking at 270-350 for .net in the South Wales/Bristol area. 350-425 for JavaScript stuff. Also computer futures are scatter gunning South Wales and Bristol at the moment with fake jobs at high rates whih is somewhat screwing the figures so watch out for those

[farmerajf]

Oh dear, it doesn't sound like the market is too good at the moment then? Is it just the rates that have bobbed or the actual number of opportunities? To be honest, for my first contract I'd actually be happy with the low end of those rates (it would still be better than what I'm getting as a permanent lead dev).

[Gumbo Robot]

State of the .NET market (MVC, C#, Azure)

I live in South Wales and commute to taunton. Same skill set as my primary skills but also dabble in c++ and JavaScript. .net I find well and truly bobbed with really low rates. If you are good and get your foot in the door you can get reasonable periods of work with renewals as the majority of people who 'know .net' don't!, and I have worked with some terrible C# contract developers. But you are looking at 270-350 for .net in the South Wales/Bristol area. 350-425 for JavaScript stuff. Also computer futures are scatter gunning South Wales and Bristol at the moment with fake jobs at high rates whih is somewhat screwing the figures so watch out for those

Crikey, that's a schlepp m8 - guess it's not so bad if you're close to the M4. I'm about 45 mikes west of Taunton so it's doable but I only ever seem to get approached about public sector work & the rates are always very poor and/or IR35 unfriendliness.

OP - I posted on here about this very topic the other day. It is very quiet at the moment; I'm hoping its just because of year end - in the 10 years I've been doing this I've never been out of a role in March.

Regarding Indians and .Net - I've found that the rates have held up pretty good. I've had 3 contracts in the SW over the last 18 months and the rate has ranged from £375 - £425 pd which is pretty much ok in my book.

Problem is I'm of a mindset now that I turn stuff down if the rate is under £375 pd. I may have been leading a charmed existence....

Let's face it, all the indians have to have some effect on rates. I've always been amazed that I haven't seen it as yet from my own experience but I guess there must be a tipping point that we will reach at some point in time.

I think I'm lucky in that I have a good CV with a lot if repeat business. I'm also good on the front end web stuff - JavaScript, CSS et al - things that maybe the Indians don't do so much perhaps.

[farmerajf]

Given the comments on the current client, do you guys have any advice for someone looking to get their foot in the door for their first .NET C# contract around June time?

[Jack Kada]

Given the comments on the current client, do you guys have any advice for someone looking to get their foot in the door for their first .NET C# contract around June time?

Reading this thread would indicate that you should give up on C# and apply to work in McDonalds.

Seriously the people who hang on here are a pessimistic bunch. If you won the lottery they would moan at how little it buys because of inflation

Your best bet is to apply early and persist in your ambitions

[Gumbo Robot]

Still completely dead.

1 interview in 6 weeks.

Hoping for a flurry of activity soon..

[uk contractor]

Still completely dead.

1 interview in 6 weeks.

Hoping for a flurry of activity soon..

Within 2 months the contract market should improve drastically until then its the general election result stopping many clients from hiring. I have been told by several agents not just devs but support as well. Anything non critical is put back until after the general election result & they know who the coalition government will be.


SNP & Labour will not improve this either BTW

[pauldee]

Within 2 months the contract market should improve drastically until then its the general election result stopping many clients from hiring. I have been told by several agents not just devs but support as well. Anything non critical is put back until after the general election result & they know who the coalition government will be.


SNP & Labour will not improve this either BTW

But the permanent market seems to be thriving. I would have thought clients would be more likely to hire contractors in times of uncertainty?

[uk contractor]

But the permanent market seems to be thriving. I would have thought clients would be more likely to hire contractors in times of uncertainty?

But for ages they have been hiring loads of permies as they are wising up to contractors will usually leave & take a better paying role elsewhere!

A lot of these perm roles are not what they seem either its sometimes agencies hiring for 12 months but your perm with the agency (although on 1 week or 1 months notice) not the actual end client so technically yes its perm but not the glittering perm career your hoping for as the agency is just providing a managed service to the end client so your a perm agency worker for 12 months then they can get rid of you with 1 weeks notice!... but the agency obviously only pays you a fraction of the managed service the client is being charged as well

Hays IT have a few of these roles around probably others in the Hays group as well they have so many different brands now

[SlipTheJab]

I live in South Wales and commute to taunton. Same skill set as my primary skills but also dabble in c++ and JavaScript. .net I find well and truly bobbed with really low rates. If you are good and get your foot in the door you can get reasonable periods of work with renewals as the majority of people who 'know .net' don't!, and I have worked with some terrible C# contract developers. But you are looking at 270-350 for .net in the South Wales/Bristol area. 350-425 for JavaScript stuff. Also computer futures are scatter gunning South Wales and Bristol at the moment with fake jobs at high rates whih is somewhat screwing the figures so watch out for those

Aah good old Computer (No)Futures, as agencies go they are one I try to avoid if at all possible, real roles at low rates and fake ones at high rates, waste of time.