Decisions, Decisions..

[Peter Loew]

I have had an offer from an extremely reputable and exciting company to work for, it's on a project where the business domain is something cutting edge and the role is something I'd really like to do, however the rate is extremely low and certainly very much below my market rate, which is currently around 500-550 p/d. The commute is also mere 25-30 mins which is also great.

I am *expecting* an offer from two other places, at my market rate, but the companies although well respected, offer projects that I can see myself getting bored with quite quickly, or are not that exciting to begin with, plus the locations are further out.

What is bothering me is the offer rate though, which is around the 350 mark, I can surely live on it and it will in reality be more than enough, but I haven't worked at that rate for a good few years, which kind of makes me feel like I'm taking one step back.

I realize this is slightly hypothetical in that I don't yet have the other offers sitting on the table, and normally I do not consider anything below a certain number, but I am expecting these offers to come in; even if they don't, would you take a role purely based on rate or would you sacrifice your rate based on project 'coolness' and subject matter interest, too?

Has anyone else been in this trade-off position and how did you find making a decision?

P

[d000hg]

Does it offer opportunities to learn new skills or otherwise increase your marketability/longevity? That counts for quite a lot on a purely business side.

Does it sound like you'd enjoy it, and you don't enjoy your work normally? That counts a lot on the personal side - would you pay £100 day to be fulfilled and happy rather than trudging through most of your waking hours?

Having said that, it is a VERY big gap, if it was 450 rather than your normal 550 I'd say take it for sure. Can you negotiate, maybe up to 400?

[northernladuk]

What is your warchest like and would the lower rate really impact the standard of living you currently enjoy?

You are not taking a step back going for a lower rate. It is just market forces. Shops that have to sell stuff in a sale or at a reduced rate to clear stock are not taking a step back, just a realignment of their business model in the short term.

If this work can help in the future it is an investment and it is not like this is forever.

In my situation I would certainly be considering a good role at medium rate over yet another crappy one trying to chase the rate. Done that for years and I am sure I will continue to do so. An opportunity such as this could provide a nice break and a chance to skill up and increase your billing rate going forward.

[eek]

In my situation I would certainly be considering a good role at medium rate over yet another crappy one trying to chase the rate. Done that for years and I am sure I will continue to do so. An opportunity such as this could provide a nice break and a chance to skill up and increase your billing rate going forward.

What do you gain long term from that low rate contract. Does it give you a skill that will give you a few more years in the market or a higher rate long term..

[Peter Loew]

Does it offer opportunities to learn new skills or otherwise increase your marketability/longevity? That counts for quite a lot on a purely business side.

Yes it certainly does. It's an exciting industry and the role itself is varied. I'd be getting involved not just in the business side but also the technology side as well.

Does it sound like you'd enjoy it, and you don't enjoy your work normally? That counts a lot on the personal side - would you pay £100 day to be fulfilled and happy rather than trudging through most of your waking hours?

I do generally enjoy my work, but on recent assignments, it has mostly been only for the initial 3-6 months, after which things get stale as I usually operate in more of a classical business / corp environment. This role offers the creativity and freedom I do not get usually. So on the personal side I'd say it will be enriching and I would certainly enjoy it more than most other roles I've done.

Having said that, it is a VERY big gap, if it was 450 rather than your normal 550 I'd say take it for sure. Can you negotiate, maybe up to 400?

Tried, but they won't budge, even the agent is tied down and he's only making a small cut. Upon accepting I will bring this up at the renewal date but I won't expect much. However even having this company (rather, arm of the company) on my CV will do me massive favors for my career, it's an industry I want to get into and I find exciting. I *think* they tried to offer this as a perm role for a few months (they also offered me a fixed term option to which I quickly said no). One thing is for sure, they will be getting a heck of a lot of bang for their buck!

[TheFaQQer]

Yes it certainly does. It's an exciting industry and the role itself is varied. I'd be getting involved not just in the business side but also the technology side as well.

I do generally enjoy my work, but on recent assignments, it has mostly been only for the initial 3-6 months, after which things get stale as I usually operate in more of a classical business / corp environment. This role offers the creativity and freedom I do not get usually. So on the personal side I'd say it will be enriching and I would certainly enjoy it more than most other roles I've done.

Tried, but they won't budge, even the agent is tied down and he's only making a small cut. Upon accepting I will bring this up at the renewal date but I won't expect much. However even having this company (rather, arm of the company) on my CV will do me massive favors for my career, it's an industry I want to get into and I find exciting. I *think* they tried to offer this as a perm role for a few months (they also offered me a fixed term option to which I quickly said no). One thing is for sure, they will be getting a heck of a lot of bang for their buck!

Sounds like a no-brainer to me - assuming you don't need the money, I'd take the one that you want to take, thinking of the big picture.

If the role is as good as it sounds, then I'd see what it's like - make sure you have a decent notice clause, though, so if it's a nightmare and you are on a crap rate you can bail out if you need to.

[Peter Loew]

What is your warchest like and would the lower rate really impact the standard of living you currently enjoy?

You are not taking a step back going for a lower rate. It is just market forces. Shops that have to sell stuff in a sale or at a reduced rate to clear stock are not taking a step back, just a realignment of their business model in the short term.

If this work can help in the future it is an investment and it is not like this is forever.

In my situation I would certainly be considering a good role at medium rate over yet another crappy one trying to chase the rate. Done that for years and I am sure I will continue to do so. An opportunity such as this could provide a nice break and a chance to skill up and increase your billing rate going forward.

Warchest is in good health and I do not think the lower rate would impact my standard of living. In fact due to location of the role I would prob be saving on travel costs.

I am thinking along the same lines as you, for me this is an investment for my future / career and certainly will be skilling up and learning new things that will positively impact my career going forward. I too am fed up with the rate chasing for what are usually stale roles to begin with!

[Peter Loew]

What do you gain long term from that low rate contract. Does it give you a skill that will give you a few more years in the market or a higher rate long term..

Yep, my best estimation is that there are definitely long term benefits.

[Peter Loew]

Sounds like a no-brainer to me - assuming you don't need the money, I'd take the one that you want to take, thinking of the big picture.

If the role is as good as it sounds, then I'd see what it's like - make sure you have a decent notice clause, though, so if it's a nightmare and you are on a crap rate you can bail out if you need to.

That's what I will do; I will accept and make sure the notice clause works for me.

Thanks all!

[Old Greg]

Yes it certainly does. It's an exciting industry and the role itself is varied. I'd be getting involved not just in the business side but also the technology side as well.



I do generally enjoy my work, but on recent assignments, it has mostly been only for the initial 3-6 months, after which things get stale as I usually operate in more of a classical business / corp environment. This role offers the creativity and freedom I do not get usually. So on the personal side I'd say it will be enriching and I would certainly enjoy it more than most other roles I've done.



Tried, but they won't budge, even the agent is tied down and he's only making a small cut. Upon accepting I will bring this up at the renewal date but I won't expect much. However even having this company (rather, arm of the company) on my CV will do me massive favors for my career, it's an industry I want to get into and I find exciting. I *think* they tried to offer this as a perm role for a few months (they also offered me a fixed term option to which I quickly said no). One thing is for sure, they will be getting a heck of a lot of bang for their buck!

They won't budge. Can they get someone else in at that rate?

I am contemplating exactly the same drop, trading a 2 hour commute to London for a 25 to 30 min commute (weird). The work will not be more interesting, nor will it look better on my cv. It will hopefully get me more local contacts for local work in the future. But it will mean I can see my kids in the morning and eat with them in the evening. I will still be able to save money and am not fussed about the loss in income. It's my lowest contract rate but who cares?