Reply to: Contracting for Lloyds

[tpsman]

So not fairly typical of any company and bit of an eye opener then

Touché...

I was actually quite happy with the idea of a summer break - I'm relatively new to contracting, and found myself not taking any holiday unless I was forced to.

[tpsman]

I was at Lloyds (Faryners House) for about 4 years until recently. Like most places there are both good and bad points:

The good:
- Pretty friendly people overall
- Good scope for renewals (some people had been there 7 years)
- Some interesting / large projects going on
- Good exposure to front office

The bad:
- lots of bureaucracy, slow to get approvals etc.
- Incredible amounts of money wasted on Consultants
- As mentioned above - they tend to cut rates in a swoop, but lots of banks do this

The red tape is insane at Lloyds - takes ages to get things done. That said, I'm not too fussed about it. I'm see myself as selling my time, rather than which services I'm performing; day rate stays the same...

[hungry_hog]

I was at Lloyds (Faryners House) for about 4 years until recently. Like most places there are both good and bad points:

The good:
- Pretty friendly people overall
- Good scope for renewals (some people had been there 7 years)
- Some interesting / large projects going on
- Good exposure to front office

The bad:
- lots of bureaucracy, slow to get approvals etc.
- Incredible amounts of money wasted on Consultants
- As mentioned above - they tend to cut rates in a swoop, but lots of banks do this

[Roger Mellie]

when i have turned down a renewal for permies and contractors not mixing at lunch time ? i haven't, i was merely pointing out the culture that was relevant to the question asked. In answer to your question i dont give a damn and its why i didnt renew because i dont want to go to work in the morning with a sense of dread or despair. Am not a socialist and not met the bench, because i work damn hard to stay up to date in my field and keep myself relevant, so you can keep your "yet" and the thinly veiled criticism and you can delight in the fact when i meet the "bench" but i'm done with this board and all the crap it entails if its the way of the place i don't like it so each to their own i am out, its shame because hidden in all the crap there is some genuine good advice and help

Sorry, but you're no Peter Jones.

[stek]

when i have turned down a renewal for permies and contractors not mixing at lunch time ? i haven't, i was merely pointing out the culture that was relevant to the question asked. In answer to your question i dont give a damn and its why i didnt renew because i dont want to go to work in the morning with a sense of dread or despair. Am not a socialist and not met the bench, because i work damn hard to stay up to date in my field and keep myself relevant, so you can keep your "yet" and the thinly veiled criticism and you can delight in the fact when i meet the "bench" but i'm done with this board and all the crap it entails if its the way of the place i don't like it so each to their own i am out, its shame because hidden in all the crap there is some genuine good advice and help

Time of the month?

[veroli]

when i have turned down a renewal for permies and contractors not mixing at lunch time ? i haven't, i was merely pointing out the culture that was relevant to the question asked. In answer to your question i dont give a damn and its why i didnt renew because i dont want to go to work in the morning with a sense of dread or despair. Am not a socialist and not met the bench, because i work damn hard to stay up to date in my field and keep myself relevant, so you can keep your "yet" and the thinly veiled criticism and you can delight in the fact when i meet the "bench" but i'm done with this board and all the crap it entails if its the way of the place i don't like it so each to their own i am out, its shame because hidden in all the crap there is some genuine good advice and help

[Roger Mellie]

The contract where i got "busted" i got asked back after a year to do another project and completed another happy 10 months there.
I asked questions about phone use on here to see other people's experiences, much like the original poster of this thread, and how i should handle it.
If i decide its too corporate surely thats my decision and for me to act on ? thats why i and other people come on here looking for advice and why mainly over the 2 years I have hardly bothered because of all the snide sly remarks by the much more experienced contractors who are clearly better cut out for it than me, or am I making too many assumptions just like yourself.
So i've had two contracts that are bit too corporate for me, and what of it ? who cares, as I said each to their own

Yes each to their own but providing they don't mention their 'own' here. But I certainly wouldn't turn down a renewal because of contractors and permies not mingling during lunchtime and all the other stuff you mentioned. It's not as if you're there forever, so why do you give a damn? In fact, in all my contracts I've mixed with no-one. Why? Because I'm not interested in that bollax hence why I left permie-dom all those years ago. Socialism and contracting don't mix, particularly when you meet the bench, which I suspect you haven't...yet.

As for the "snide sly remarks" here, well that's the way of the place. Each to their own, eh?

[oliverson]

Sounds like utterly tedious backend stuff no where near the real money then...

??

[eek]

Never. That's not to say it couldn't happen to others but to say it's standard practice is way wide of the mark.

Sounds like utterly tedious backend stuff no where near the real money then...

Either way I've always had 1 viewpoint with Lloyds... Good luck finding someone but I'm not interested...

[oliverson]

So you've never had 2 weeks off on holiday in 1 block.

Never. That's not to say it couldn't happen to others but to say it's standard practice is way wide of the mark.

[eek]

Never. Some of my colleagues at Barcap fell foul of the Olympics and had to take a fortnight off. Same company did force 2 weeks off but it wasn't a block, it was something like 'between now (mid-November) and ?th January you have to take a total of 10 days off. None of the other banks I contracted at enforced any time off for me and I have plenty of friends in that sector who haven't been hit with it aside from what I mentioned above.

So you've never had 2 weeks off on holiday in 1 block.

[oliverson]

But did you take 2 weeks off in 1 block every year during your time there?

Never. Some of my colleagues at Barcap fell foul of the Olympics and had to take a fortnight off. Same company did force 2 weeks off but it wasn't a block, it was something like 'between now (mid-November) and ?th January you have to take a total of 10 days off (and that was only on one occasion, never annually). None of the other banks I contracted at enforced any time off for me and I have plenty of friends in that sector who haven't been hit with it aside from what I mentioned above.

[veroli]

The contract where i got "busted" i got asked back after a year to do another project and completed another happy 10 months there.
I asked questions about phone use on here to see other people's experiences, much like the original poster of this thread, and how i should handle it.
If i decide its too corporate surely thats my decision and for me to act on ? thats why i and other people come on here looking for advice and why mainly over the 2 years I have hardly bothered because of all the snide sly remarks by the much more experienced contractors who are clearly better cut out for it than me, or am I making too many assumptions just like yourself.
So i've had two contracts that are bit too corporate for me, and what of it ? who cares, as I said each to their own

[eek]

Contracting for Lloyds

^False statement above. I've been in finance for the last 11 years (last 7 in London) and I've never been forced to take a single day off in summer, not even for the London Olympics, and aside from that event I don't know anybody who has been forced to take time off in the summer.

But did you take 2 weeks off in 1 block every year during your time there?

[northernladuk]

^False statement above. I've been in finance for the last 11 years (last 7 in London) and I've never been forced to take a single day off in summer, not even for the London Olympics, and aside from that event I don't know anybody who has been forced to take time off in the summer.

I was gonna say this cause I have never had this enforced but I'm usually wrong so decided to stay schtum so what he says.