Walking away from an extension offer

[northernladuk]

If you come across like you do in your first few posts it is hardly surprising the agent is screwing you over. They must have thought it was their lucky day when they called you. You gotta play tough with agents and if you prove you know your stuff they fall over like a pack of cards. If you don't you are dog meat.

[masonryan]

Are you sure you are cut out for this?

Yes. One agency refused to negotiate better terms for the extension, so I told them if that's the best you can do you're sacked and I'll work with another agent. So I did. I'm ruthless.

This new agency promised to negotiate better terms for me, thankfully taking up the new business I offered them. But they failed to improve anything, in fact they worsened the terms slightly. So for the last 3 days I have not turned up to the site and am running rings around the agent.

[masonryan]

If you come across like you do in your first few posts it is hardly surprising the agent is screwing you over. They must have thought it was their lucky day when they called you. You gotta play tough with agents and if you prove you know your stuff they fall over like a pack of cards. If you don't you are dog meat.

Offer some advice then please. What would you do in this situation?

[northernladuk]

Yes. One agency refused to negotiate better terms for the extension, so I told them if that's the best you can do you're sacked and I'll work with another agent. So I did. I'm ruthless.

This new agency promised to negotiate better terms for me, thankfully taking up the new business I offered them. But they failed to improve anything, in fact they worsened the terms slightly. So for the last 3 days I have not turned up to the site and am running rings around the agent.

Man, it is worth an infraction so...

What a ******* moron you are.

[masonryan]

Man, it is worth an infraction so...

What a ******* moron you are.

tell me why, don't just be insulting please, offer your advice if you know so much better

[northernladuk]

tell me why, don't just be insulting please, offer your advice if you know so much better

For once I actually think I do... and I have....

[masonryan]

For once I actually think I do... and I have....

please don't be shy, offer your advice I am interested in what others would do

[northernladuk]

please don't be shy, offer your advice I am interested in what others would do

Here...

http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...ml#post1786070

[cojak]

No insulting posters in Professional forums NLUK.

1 day ban.

[Dominic Connor]

Part of the game in this is that it is likely your permie pay (if you want it) is likely to be a function of your contract rate, so if you accept a low rate for three months to aid your cashflow, you may be locked in a low pay cycle for years.

Obviously I'm working on few facts here (but I'm an agent so will just make some up whilst drunk in the lapdancing joint where I do most of my business).

Given the way you describe the project, I think it would be a real pain for them to lose you now and since I'm a cynical old bastard, I see the offer of a permie job for BAU unconvincing.

The agent doesn't want to upset the client and I suspect may have given the impression that your renewal is in the bag and so doesn't want to argue for more money. They'll only get a few quid commission extra since its a renewal so the agent will likely get a smaller cut and they want to keep the client sweet so they can sell more bodies.

It is worth adding that a common contract term between agencies and clients is that if a contractor goes permie than the commission payable for the permie to the agency is reduced by the contract commission paid. That will mean the agent and agency get paid little or nothing if you go permie, hard to see them trying too hard for the permie role at the end, is it ?

Personally I don't think the notice period crap matters, it is a short contract and by the sound of it you haven't got one to leave for, so by the time you get an offer and want to start somewhere else much of the 3 months is gone anyway. Treat this as a small bargaining chip in the negotiation.

Thus the only negotiation that will work is you and the client/manager, you are the only parties who actually [I]care/I].
The agent doesn't, not does the agency, their HR and accounts don't care and neither does the hooker dancing in front of me with a goat.

Explain that you took a low rate and that you want to see the project through, it is important to sound positive here, it is worth money.

As others have said, your rate in the past doesn't matter, a contractor is worth what he can get, not a penny more, not a penny less as that great sage Lord Archer once said.

Explicitly ask for a specific amount of money.

Get your CV out there.

The big issue in all this is negotiation. We all like to think we're good at that, but it's a skill just like Windows Active Directory, or 6502 assembler, I can admit to having neither with no shame, if you feel you aren't good at negotiation then maybe you should take the rate, but still you need to look for another role.