Trumped to a PHP contract by cheapskate who accepted £80 per day!

[SirSickboy]

I don't flipping believe it! I was a shoe-in for a PHP contract paying £240 per day, which is pretty derisory in itself.

But today the agent rang to say the client had taken someone else, from another agency, who had accepted a daily rate of £80! FFS - That's almost the minimum wage!

Just up your rate to £300 a day when they need someone to unravel 4000 lines of spaghetti and fix all the security holes

[expat]

I think £80 is below minimum wage taking into account sickness, holidays, insurance and employers contributions. If he is going thru an umbrella Co it will be illegal at that rate. Please name and shame the agent and client.

And the website, so we can be sure not to use it!

At that rate, wouldn't you get Working Tax Credit, Income Support; then since on benefits, not have to pay council tax or even TV licence; and then be able to get a mortgage holiday for 2 years and then get bailed out?

Fools and horses.....

[KentPhilip]

IF you are currently on the bench (so have nothing better to do with your time), then offer the client some free "expert consultancy" time. A couple of days perhaps.

That will give you an "in" and allow you to observe the huge errors made by the newbie, and give the client the impression that you are the "natural" person to clean up the mess (at £300/day of course).

[zara_backdog]

Hum..Any takers?

Just received this email:-

I am looking for a .NET Developer to join my Staffordshire based client on a 4 month contract.

Key skills: -
C#
ASP.NET
SQL SERVER

Rate = £12 p/h

This would ideally suit a developer with NHS experience and looking to gain progress further in an industry which will be recruiting heavily in 2009!

Please do not apply if the rate is insufficient for you.

Regards


Stuart Stanton

[Mich the Tester]

Just saw this in CUK Urgent Contracts. It seems that if the job's really important Clients will still pay good money to get the job done properly. Either that, or they're fishing.



Location: Chertsey, Surrey
Salary: £500 per day
Company: LEXSTRA
Job type: Contract
Date posted: 08/12/2008 11:39:31

Test Manager required by international Blue Chip. Ideal person will have managed a multi party, multi system environment with POS devices in stores linking into SAP as the ERP, in a consumer retail based environment. You will be comfortable with test script planning, UAT, and dealing with the business users, you will know how the test stream fits into an overall programme delivery plan, and have extensive hands on testing skills, being willing to work hard, produce your own output and be prepared to get ?hands on?. Urgent role, immediate start offered.

Ref: CWJobs/AF/TM/CTCT/SUR/v1
Contact: Alexandra Fredjohn

[jim2406]

i am doing NHS stuff with the same skillset in the same region for 3x that rate

hmmm....

[oracleslave]

Just saw this in CUK Urgent Contracts. It seems that if the job's really important Clients will still pay good money to get the job done properly. Either that, or they're fishing.



Location: Chertsey, Surrey
Salary: £500 per day
Company: LEXSTRA
Job type: Contract
Date posted: 08/12/2008 11:39:31

Test Manager required by international Blue Chip. Ideal person will have managed a multi party, multi system environment with POS devices in stores linking into SAP as the ERP, in a consumer retail based environment. You will be comfortable with test script planning, UAT, and dealing with the business users, you will know how the test stream fits into an overall programme delivery plan, and have extensive hands on testing skills, being willing to work hard, produce your own output and be prepared to get ?hands on?. Urgent role, immediate start offered.

Ref: CWJobs/AF/TM/CTCT/SUR/v1
Contact: Alexandra Fredjohn

Keywords are POS and SAP. That combination always attracts decent rates I'd have thought.

[zara_backdog]

So we can't really believe anything the pimps say?

I've just go a role at my going rate with no problem - are they just trying it o with these low rates?

[jim2406]

it may be contract-to-perm and they havent put it in the advert (NHS technical jobs pay poorly due to how the bandings work, if you dont have 'manager' in your job title youre lucky to get 30k apparently)

i know contract-to-perm is quite popular within the NHS.

[thunderlizard]

Why all the hostility and disbelief? There is allowed to be such a thing as an entry-level position in IT.