How full is the bench?

[BrilloPad]

Pound stretcher

Only a pound? I'll have two....

[darmstadt]

Will now take anything that comes through the door having just come off the telephone with my accountant. She intimates that the Finanzamt want around €40,000 from me shortly (€14,000 I can claim back though) so we're having a big meeting next week after I have changed my underwear

[BrilloPad]

Will now take anything that comes through the door having just come off the telephone with my accountant. She intimates that the Finanzamt want around €40,000 from me shortly (€14,000 I can claim back though) so we're having a big meeting next week after I have changed my underwear

Is that a result of the German taxman thread?

[rootsnall]

LIFO.

Beat me to it on the guaranteed income thing !

Last time things were tulip a mate went perm and they'd sacked him before he'd finished patting himself on the back.

[darmstadt]

Is that a result of the German taxman thread?

Nah, German taxation is a very complicated mess that even accountants nor their Ministry of Finance fully understand let alone me, barstewards...

[PM-Junkie]

Nah, German taxation is a very complicated mess that even accountants nor their Ministry of Finance fully understand let alone me, barstewards...

lol....can you name a country who's tax system is easily understood??

[mailric]

lol....can you name a country who's tax system is easily understood??

UK - the more you earn the less you get.

[Ivor Bigun]

I told them that whilst the role is interesting, there would be too much temptation to consider anything better which came along and I don't wanna sign up to a 6+ contract then leave shortly after it starts.

I'd rather hold out a little bit longer and see what else comes when it starts to pick up.. £100 minus travel, holiday, pension, insurances from the limited blah blah works out pretty bad really... either client or agency are milking the situation I think.. I know you're gonna say it's better than earning £0 per day on the bench.

An example......
In 2008, client pays £350-£550 for a contractor being paid £250-£450
In 2009, client pays £250-£450 for a contractor being paid £100-£200.

Just understand and "learn to love it" that the agency has to charge a higher margin to survive - there are less contracts going on.

Look guys - the situation is simply this. All of you are competing against each other and this allows agencies to filter you by price.
Sorry, but thats the way it goes. Its rarely the client. If anything, they don't want to know - the high price makes the permies look a good deal.

You're just competing to see how how quickly you can all reach a bottom rate. The sad thing is you don't know it yet. You'll all be forced to play this game and you'll think "I'm winning" when you accept that temp position (on less than a permie )
Just remember that its benefiting the agency more

[BolshieBastard]

I told them that whilst the role is interesting, there would be too much temptation to consider anything better which came along and I don't wanna sign up to a 6+ contract then leave shortly after it starts.

I'd rather hold out a little bit longer and see what else comes when it starts to pick up.. £100 minus travel, holiday, pension, insurances from the limited blah blah works out pretty bad really... either client or agency are milking the situation I think.. I know you're gonna say it's better than earning £0 per day on the bench.

This is a poor way to look at things though as you're making a number of assumptions. First off, if you're earning nowt, you are, well, earning zip! You're far better having something coming in.

The next assumption is that something else paying better will come along soon. Well actually, that's 3 assumptions! One, that something will come along, two, it'll be along soon and three, it'll pay better!

Its a hirer's market right now and for the foreseeable future.

[chris79]

Yeah it's ok, I emailed them back tonight after 5 asking if they were still looking.

I know what you are saying, seems such a backwards step but maybe that's the way things will be for a while. Call me young and naive at 30, but it's like I've spent my life progressing and progressing, then suddenly feels like a huge step back.. hard to accept I guess.