Anyone else having trouble getting work? - advice needed

[Ardesco]

Safe with regard to not being worried about getting renewed every couple of months. There are VERY few contracts out there at present, and the economy is set to become more doomed.

Personally – I think the next year will be the make or break for IT contractors.

I happen to have a lot of good training opportunities, both in courses and on the job (dates and hotels booked), and am geared up for the next 2-3 years here, and have a cracking boss who is very supportive.

The salary I am now on is not far off contract rates – given the way the market is at present, and the skills I will be developing, it is right for me to stay.

The minute I feel I have had enough I will be outta here, but, only if I get a good gig to move onto.

The point being I am certain that I will not have had enough for another couple of years, subject to the project going okay.

The point that you are missing dear Wilmslow, is that if the 'credit crunch' causes your company to have to reign in spending and/or downsize you will be the first out of the door. They can throw you out for any reason in the first 12 months because you will be classified as on probation. You may not have to look for a new contract in 2 months, but that doesn't mean that your position is any more secure than a contractor.

I have yet to have a contract role where they haven't asked me if I would consider permie, this is because they can pay me less for the work that I do and then kick me out after 11 months if they don't want me any more with no legal recourse available to me. You are going to get a horrible shock at some point.....

[jamie_in_london]

Strange that you've had no interview after 4 weeks, even in a bad market I'd expect interviews after that amount of time. IS there something about your CV that's putting people off maybe?

I don't think so, I thought that at first but a number of agents told me it's spot on for what I want. Unless they were lying, and they wouldn't lie would they?? ;-)

Perm is not really an option as I'm only on 12 months holiday visa. 10 Months left.

[Cheshire Cat]

I do PM/BA work for banks. Hadn't heard a thing since about xmas, and suddenly, in the last couple of weeks, I've been inundated. Current contract still has a couple of months to run, but hoping that things are buoyant when I need them to be.

[aussielong]

Leave the capital

I do PM/BA work for banks. Hadn't heard a thing since about xmas, and suddenly, in the last couple of weeks, I've been inundated. Current contract still has a couple of months to run, but hoping that things are buoyant when I need them to be.

Exit the roman shell..!

Two people in my team have recently joined because of the downturn in London.

It's relatively easy to get a visa for Oz if you are an experienced UK programmer with a degree.

The job market is good here. We can't find enough good people in the IB i work at.

As I love to remind the locals, most of the top boys in work are poms or saffers. Good chance you will be interviewed by a pom.

[sunnysan]

First there where

The ten pound poms after the second world war.

I predict the next gap to be the £10/HR poms, who will buy a one way economy class ticket to Oz and work for a tenner crunching code as there is no work in Blighty

[JoJoGabor]

I'm English but have been working in Australia for the last 2 years. I found there are loads more jobs over here but the competition is fierce. 4 weeks is not a long time between contracts to land an interview. In Australia I had a choice of interesting well paid contracts to go for within a week of finishing another contract. I think the competition in Oz just isnt as fierce.

I'm considering going back - my last company offered me a 60% rise to go back, just the sponsored visa process took 4 months before I gave up!!!!

[Troll]

Hey everyone,

I am recently new to London, I'm a 2nd/3rd level support analyst with almost 10 years experience, 2 years contracting. I got my 1st contract before I got here through friends where i used to work in Australia so It worked out really well.

Anyway, I have put in for a ton of jobs from CWjobs, Jobserv etc, gotten alot of call backs from recruitment agents only to offer me other roles out of scope or telling me they are putting me forward for an interview telling me my cv is great, sounding very promising but never hear back from them again.

It's been about 4 weeks or so of reasonably hard looking and I'm yet to land a single interview. Everyone back home kept telling me it's easy to find work so what is going on!!!

In Australia I almost have my choice of roles. If something doesn't happen soon i'll have to pack up and go home and it's starting to get really nice and warm lol

Any advice would be appreciated!!!!

Thanks

James

As signs of an economic downturn emerge in the UK and recession looms in America, Australian bankers, lawyers and other professionals are flocking back to their homeland.

About 34,000 Australians have returned from Britain in the past 12 months, the highest number ever registered, according to international placement firm Link Recruitment.

In the first quarter of 2008, there was a 14 percent decline in the number of Australians heading to London for work, according to a survey conducted by Link Recruitment.
The boomerang trend is fuelled largely by economic factors but also helped along by the superior lifestyle Australians know they can experience in Melbourne or Sydney compared with London or New York.

For decades it has been a rite of passage for Australians and New Zealanders to head to Britain to gain valuable work experience. Whereas in the past they may have been scruffy backpackers crammed into dingy flats in Earls Court, these days they are more likely to be highly qualified professionals. But the trend appears to be reversing — temporarily, at least.

While the City and Wall Street are reeling from the credit crunch, Sydney is brimming with multi-million pound corporate deals.

Fuelled by a commodities boom, Australia has become the world’s fourth largest mergers and acquisitions market so far this year.

“Australia is more interesting, there is a lot more going on here in the fixed income markets than a few years ago,” said Mr Lovett, 40, now head of fixed income at UBS Australia.

Unlike the flagging economies of the northern hemisphere, Australia is into its 17th year of consecutive growth.

Unemployment is at a 33-year low, companies are struggling to fill job vacancies and the Aussie dollar has hit an 11-year high against the pound.

HTH