Agent succeeded in reducing agrd rate && contract term'ed early && can't get bank a/c

[missinggreenfields]

Ask your accountant if they have any referral schemes going to get a bank account.

InTouch have a scheme with Metrobank where they can get you an account quickly without the need to go into branch, and they will get an automated data feed straight into their portal - I use both and am pleased with both accountant and free bank account (I think they will start charging after the first year though)

[northernladuk]

It will get better. Agents can smell a newbie a mile off and will try it on. As you get more adept at it they generally start treating you a little better. Things like the two references question. If you give a little laugh and tell them you'll provide the contact names of the agents to prove the dates at the appropriate time they'll get the hint you know what you are doing and might think twice about plying you with the other rubbish they can do. You'll still get it but hopefully not as much.

[dwater]

Depends if you see this type of thing as a problem or part of the way we work. Dunno if it changes anything for you but hopefully it won't weigh on you much if you know it's coming and get better at dealing with it.

My initial reaction, when the told me, was more along the lines of 'problem', but I quickly changed attitude and commented, "Well, such is the world of contracting.". That seemed to go down well, and actually I feel like it made them feel guilty a bit, or perhaps it was just them feeling sorry for me. Either way, they thanked me for being reasonable about it...or something like that.

I guess I'll get used to this sort of thing, but it will certainly be something I'll look out for when choosing future contracts. IMO, it is a factor that the company is small, so the money is more significant and they are less willing to have people there not being fully productive - well, not at the rate they pay me, though tbh, I expect the rest of them there are paid similar amounts (esp after tax/etc).

[northernladuk]

Depends if you see this type of thing as a problem or part of the way we work. Dunno if it changes anything for you but hopefully it won't weigh on you much if you know it's coming and get better at dealing with it.

[dwater]

If I were you I would share you desire to learn/evaluate AngularJS with the client, it may be something they need/want.

Yes, I think such a thing is probably my only chance of getting the skill on my CV as real experience...though I work for my own company, so I could do something and make it my company's product, right?. I do have some interesting ideas.

Unfortunately, I don't think it's a possibility with this client because they have no developers there - they're all designers, and the job I have to do is implement their design choices into their client's (Google Polymer) application. All the tech work is being done by their client - I suppose there are some possibilities with *their* client (no UK based, but still), so good to keep calm and carry on

I have savings, so I'm not desperate, but I also have a wife who is doubtful of this whole contracting thing - I would like to show her I can make more money this way/etc/etc.

[dwater]

Your experience isn't that unusual. Sounds like the client has realised you have decamped and some permy has had a hit around the head as your skills are rarer than rocking horse stuff. Well played to you going off site as you have built some definite credibility with the client.

If I were you I would share you desire to learn/evaluate AngularJS with the client, it may be something they need/want.

Not sure why you are struggling setting up a business bank account, but I'm not surprised. - Have a word with your accountant about using your personal account till this is sorted. I seem to remember when I started contracting I did exactly that for a month or so.

You have done the hard part landing your first contract.

Reassuring, thanks. Hrm, apart from the insinuation that I can expect more of the same. Well, I guess more of the same isn't so bad as long as it's not a surprise - ie the first time is the worst.

TBH, when I did contracting back in the '90s I also had a problem with my first one. I had to give notice to my permie company, and the project was cancelled half way through my notice period. The agent gave me a 'gift' (non-committal) which was nice. I decided to continue with my quitting and found another short term contract....I forget how long, but I guess it was a few months. The subsequent contracts weren't so bad. I went permie again when a company wanted me to move to their California headquarters, and I contracted with them in their UK office while the immigration process happened (it took about 6 months in the end :/).

I hope the problems are limited to my first one this time too, but we'll see.

I'll ask my accountant about using my personal account somehow.

[dwater]

The story so far...sorry it's a bit long.

It was my first contract (this time round). I was keen to get my first one to get going and making sure I was all set up. I agreed a rate and the duration was short enough - only 6 weeks. It seemed like a reasonable one to get the ball rolling.

The first thing that happened was the agent tried to get me to drop my rate, blaming it on the client. I had read of this sort of thing here and didn't believe it for a moment, though I suppose it is possible (small client). I negotiated and allowed it to drop it a little from what we agreed.

I was the only candidate because the skill they wanted was a bit rare (though, I guess most people could have lent themselves to it since it's mostly about custom css properties/variables - not rocket science - though how to use them with Google Polymer might be a bit rarer knowledge). I am quite keen on Google Polymer, so that was an added attraction for me, esp. for a first contract (ie something I was confident with and could handle on my own).

So, I started, but it seemed like the project really wasn't ready, and indeed it wasn't (the issue was *their* client). There was some initial set up (mostly since I was using my own equipment), and I needed to get hold of the source code to see what was going on, which wasn't as easy as it should have been (since it was from their client); but I was mostly filling the time with anything I could think of that might help make things run more smoothly once the actual work was forthcoming. TBH, it was getting a little embarrassing.
After four days, they seemed to realise that the project wasn't actually going to be starting proper any time soon, and said I should go home and the contract was canceled. They said that they would still be trying to get the project going, and would hope that I would still be available once it was, to which I replied that I would, of course, be seeking other contracts in the meantime, but that they should call me when they were ready.

So, I went home and started my search again.

Earlier in the week, the client (not the agent) called me and asked me what I thought the project involved - not just the work *I* was supposed to do, but also what I thought the work they were supposed to do involved. It seems I have had more contact than they have (I had a conversation with one of their client's tech guys to see if the project was what I thought it was and to make sure I could actually do the work, before accepting the contract - and, of course, I had to contact him again once I had started in order to get the source code, and ask for build instructions/etc). I told them, keeping a constructive tone, what I thought, and what I thought *their* work would likely entail (I gave plenty of caveats, since I was far from sure). That was odd enough, but the person who called wasn't the person who was in charge on my first day (and who interviewed me), nor was it the person who took over when the other person went on parenting leave - it was yet another person who I had never met, saying that the second person was off work (she was off sick for one day when I was there, actually).

Then, a day or two later, the agent called to say they wanted me to start again next week, though only for a week initially and possibly another couple of weeks after that. I put the agent off while I saw through a couple of other leads that looked promising and were much longer...but it seems like they would take that long to materialise anyway, so I figured this could nicely fill the gap.

In the meantime I also have trouble getting a bank account, so haven't even been able to invoice the agent for the work I have already done. I'm not sure why my personal banker (of ~30 years) refused me a business account, but their systems seem to be automated and no human is involved in the decision so they can't tell me why, apart from it isn't bad credit rating (which I would also doubt since I have no debts apart from credit card which I pay off each month in full, automatically). I've been seeking other bankers, but they seem to take ages to make any decision. I'm tempted to just open an account with one of the ones mentioned the relevant page on this site, which say it only takes a few hours - but I've not heard of either of those banks.

All in all, it has been a depressingly bad start to my contracting career.

I yearn for a contract that is more lengthy, but they all seem to want Angular or React. I really need to learn one of those to get anything decent. It does seem like a lot of the interview processes are turning into the same nightmare as for permanent positions too - ie technical tests and projects. I suppose I shouldn't complain too much, since they mean actual experience isn't relied upon and I just need to learn enough to be competent and pass their tests/interviews. It is quite time consuming though, and I found my first Angular test to be beyond me (optimising huge forms) - well, I'm not sure because the test has a random element to it so the performance measurements aren't consistent, and also my laptop is a bit pathetic and it takes ages to even run the test once. I might have another go at the weekend, since it's a good chance to learn something *real* (rather than tutorials/etc).