Life on the bench: in my dressing gown

[Bunk]

i refuse to go back to 1st line support. or even 2nd.

Take it and beef it up on your CV to sound better than it is. It's better than nothing.

[gingerjedi]

just starting my 2nd month on the bench. skillset is 3rd level server support (banking exp), exchange, AD, that sort of stuff.

when I moved back to london last month i was aiming to get a contract paying 25-30/hr, as i've had no luck i decided today to apply for anything paying 15/hr and up (actually maybe i'd take less than 15).

what annoys me is that I see 1st line helpdesk jobs, call logging, where little experience is necessary, and they're offering 15-18/hr.

i dont understand why im not finding anything. i refuse to go back to 1st line support. or even 2nd.

I used to have that attitude... if I still held it I'd have lost my home and my family would have starved by now.

In times like these you need to dig deep and swallow your pride. I'm humping and dumping kit around an MoD site for £13ph, it wouldn't be so bad but I was at the same site 18 months ago on near £30ph.

[mrdonuts]

"when I moved back to london last month i was aiming to get a contract paying 25-30/hr, as i've had no luck i decided today to apply for anything paying 15/hr and up (actually maybe i'd take less than 15)."

How can you manage to do london for £15 hr ?

[gingerjedi]

How can you manage to do london for £15 hr ?

Does the London dole office pay more than the rest of the country then?

[RichardCranium]

But you still have that specialist skill set so a good chance of being put forward. If the agent has a brain (what am I saying? ), he'll sell you to the client and it'll be a no-brainer for the recruiting manager.

I did try "Suggest to the client they can be interviewing me while they are getting in more CVs" but it didn't wash.

Hi btw. Are you now fully wired up to the info superhighway?

If dial-up via a dodgy piece of wet string = "fully wired up" then, yes.

[craig_m67]

Had my first interview since benching myself after Jemima passed away (10/09/08 7am) and amazingly have made it through to the second (final) round... HA!!

I was actually flat out remembering what I do/did.. perhaps this came across as a calm confidence that i could do 'anything'. It's a permie roll... perhaps the best way to ease my head back into the real world. I can't tell you how invaluable a well built warchest is when something devastating hits your family for six at 7am in the morning.. plan for no future people

We're in Brisbane now.. which is a long way from Ledenhall and Windsor(financially and culturally), but I do have a nice tan

Would just like to thank all you people in here too.. you have sustained me over the last 12months as I lurked and laughed.
I hope to be back in the UK/EU (prefer Ita) in the next 24mths.. when things pick up perhaps?

[alreadypacked]

Had my first interview since benching myself after Jemima passed away (10/09/08 7am) and amazingly have made it through to the second (final) round... HA!!

I was actually flat out remembering what I do/did.. perhaps this came across as a calm confidence that i could do 'anything'. It's a permie roll... perhaps the best way to ease my head back into the real world. I can't tell you how invaluable a well built warchest is when something devastating hits your family for six at 7am in the morning.. plan for no future people

We're in Brisbane now.. which is a long way from Ledenhall and Windsor(financially and culturally), but I do have a nice tan

Would just like to thank all you people in here too.. you have sustained me over the last 12months as I lurked and laughed.
I hope to be back in the UK/EU (prefer Ita) in the next 24mths.. when things pick up perhaps?

Glad we kept you amused, this site kept me going through some bad roles too

I do think the tan remark was a bit low

24 mths is a bit of an under estimate

[RichardCranium]

That was a good, productive weekend. The home office is now workable.

The home LAN is back up and I've two PCs on my desk and the printer and phone set up. I'm good to go gig-getting in earnest...

Although a visit to the Job Centre to see what I can claim may be the best way to spend the day.

[TiroFijo]

Had my first interview since benching myself after Jemima passed away (10/09/08 7am) and amazingly have made it through to the second (final) round... HA!!

Good luck to you for the 2nd stage!

Just had a read over your older posts and I'm really saddened to read about your loss. I seen the picture of your daughter and she did in fact have a lovey smile!

Think I would rather stay in OZ! You don't fancy swapping passports

[sleepyweasel]

"when I moved back to london last month i was aiming to get a contract paying 25-30/hr, as i've had no luck i decided today to apply for anything paying 15/hr and up (actually maybe i'd take less than 15)."

How can you manage to do london for £15 hr ?

i have plenty of cash in the bank, right now im not really looking to save anything, i'm moving to the states in a few months and I just want to have some good, recent experience in 3rd level support to give me the best chance of finding something over there. is there some way i can tell agents that i'm a bargain basement analyst more than happy to be underpaid?