Market Rate .NET

[mcquiggd]

...doomed!

(with all due deference to the Dim Prawn brand).

[Diestl]

All I need is a 5 year contract at £60p/h outside the IR35 working from home and 3 months off a year!

[Cowboy Bob]

All I need is a 5 year contract at £60p/h outside the IR35 working from home and 3 months off a year!

[lukemg]

Be Afraid...

Ok, all looks like good advice to me. I have had some similar fun. Dropped into contracting (sys admin/support) about 93, doubled my pay and then another 50%, never earning the big candy (30/hour tops) but doing nicely with low expenses and never out of work for a day in 10 years ! Market died but more importantly I had made no effort to move with it and my skills were very routine and commodity by this stage + outsourcing = anyone can do it = £12/hour ! This was partly complacency (never out of work) and partly that I was totally uninterested in the work I was doing.
Quick panic followed by scrabbling into a permie team leaders job. Burned through my reserves so quickly it was scary. Got stuck into ITIL with help from work and after a permie Service Delivery/management job I am back in contracting earning more than ever. I wasn't looking for contract work but got a call and it was too good to say no. I feel very lucky to get another chance as it is probably undeserved.
Point is, you might get something good but you always have to look at the future, make sure you can move if the market does, think about a plan B when the cash is coming in.
For me, contract renewal is my primary concern (no contractors can stay longer here than 11 months) then I will look for contract or permie and very tempted to do ITIL managers course when this gig ends and learn from previous mistakes.
Good luck all

[ladymuck]

Lukemg - I'm looking to start up on the ITIL track. All set to do the Foundation cert next month. Have you done any of the Practitioner's stuff, if so, which training provider did you use? There's so many out there and the cost is huge so I'm loath to spend my hard earned to find out I picked a lemon. Any hints/tips gratefully received!! I'm half tempted to take a permie job for a year just to scrounge the training so I don't have to pay for it.

Re all the above (back on topic!). I fell into contracting after coming to the end of some time off being a smelly student last year. My current gig ends on Friday and I'm taking a month to do ITIL and a few other bits (including painting the house!). Looking at my area of things, the market is ok and I'm not panicking just yet about getting another contract but it's wise to take heed of the horror stories and plan for the worst, hope for the best.

[lukemg]

ITIL defo worth doing if you want to shift into this area. Foundation is obviously minimum requirement. Managers course is 'reassuringly expensive' and no easy ride by all accounts. That encourages me if anything as it provides a barrier to people doing it and therefore adds value.
As discussed, without experience it is always a struggle. Maximised all ITIL related work on my CV (sorting SLA's, any service management liaison work, external supplier contact is really wanted).
Big break was getting a Service Delivery Manager job title, callbacks about jobs I sent my CV in for went from 10% to 70%.
I am looking over my shoulder a bit, cosy permie job at big co would not offend me !

[Beermachine]

Concerning the OP's question, from my experience the going rate for your skills in contracting would be £40-50/hr, outside of London / large financial service companies (£50-60/hr+). One thing you should take into consideration is that both agents and companies are generally apprehensious about 1st time contractors, and nearly always the company will go for the person with the longer contracting history if they both are asking for similar rates.

[mcquiggd]

You will only stand a chance of making that rate with a couple of years finanicial experience. Usually having just finished a contract 'doing exactly the same thing for another company'.

[Diestl]

I worked for a loan broker but I suspect this isn't what is meant by financial.

[mcquiggd]

Finanical means a variety of things, but typically bonds, securities, etc.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, it's about industry knowledge, and location.

I work for an Asset Management company, brother was a Eurobonds trader now working for an Insurance company. I earnt more than he did for a while, now he earns more than me. Right place, right time.