Reply to: Contracting at RBS

[andyg]

Did Rejects House up in Angel get closed down? That was a grim office to work in. You had to be in for 0730 to get a hot desk if you didn't manage to book a desk three weeks in advance. I only stayed for about two months. I was on the W&G project which we all know was a resounding success. It wasn't a bad place but the role I was doing just wasn't for me.

That was a really grim office. I also worked there and remember the hotdesk situation and the scummy little canteen on the ground floor :-(

[GhostofTarbera]

Did Rejects House up in Angel get closed down? That was a grim office to work in. You had to be in for 0730 to get a hot desk if you didn't manage to book a desk three weeks in advance. I only stayed for about two months. I was on the W&G project which we all know was a resounding success. It wasn't a bad place but the role I was doing just wasn't for me.

No it got a refurb to fit 30% more people in

[andyg]

No notice clause

Anyone got recent experiencing contracting at RBS?

Heard they have a reputation for 'hiring and firing' ie short contract spells or terminating contracts prematurely?

Feedback appreciated

I worked with them a while back and have two memories; all work/decisions were undertaken out of their Edinburgh office and lesser project work farmed out to the London office, they like to have a no-notice clause in the contract for themselves and a four-weeks notice for the contractor.

[uk contractor]

If rate is large enough take it, but you will probably spend your time training up ICT’s to replace you and get some skills they don’t have

Forgot about that old chestnut! RBS & Lloyds are probably 2 of the worst culprits for this as well in UK right now.

[ladymuck]

Did Rejects House up in Angel get closed down? That was a grim office to work in. You had to be in for 0730 to get a hot desk if you didn't manage to book a desk three weeks in advance. I only stayed for about two months. I was on the W&G project which we all know was a resounding success. It wasn't a bad place but the role I was doing just wasn't for me.

[TwoWolves]

I worked there for 7.5 years! Five of them after they went bust.

They are quite a soft-touch as investment banks go but are quite unstable so expect rate cuts or forced holidays as the markets rock their boat.

Technically a bit crap but not the worst, I'm surprised they're hiring again.

[GhostofTarbera]

If rate is large enough take it, but you will probably spend your time training up ICT’s to replace you and get some skills they don’t have

[uk contractor]

Surprised they are even hiring right now as they are cutting so many costs back in many areas around the retail bank especially (retail & investment banking are supposed to be separate but in reality they are one & the same!). Been messed about by them so many times they are keen to interview then suddenly go quiet as a hiring freeze has kicked in again rinse & repeat etc etc. They have let a lot of people both perm & contractors go this year (probably way too many) so now they are finding out the hard way the costs increase sharply when you let too many people go too fast.

Personally I would avoid as others said rate cuts as well as enforced holiday at xmas & school even summer holidays time.

[northernladuk]

I would certainly expect a 10% rate cut at some point so build that into your original rate.

Indeed. Roger Sinclair was keeping a track of contract breaking clients that chop rates which was really useful but sadly not been updated. I'm sure there are a number of RBS ones missing let alone all the others. There are enough entries in there to tell you it's a good possibility of it happening again in the short term though.

http://egos.co.uk/contract-breakers.htm

[Batcher]

Blast from the past. I haven't seen an RBS contract spec. since they nearly went under. Prior to that, they were the lions share of specs in my inbox, along with Lehman Brothers.

I remember starting a contract at RBS on a Monday and getting my rate cut on the Wednesday.

I would certainly expect a 10% rate cut at some point so build that into your original rate.

[oliverson]

Anyone got recent experiencing contracting at RBS?

Heard they have a reputation for 'hiring and firing' ie short contract spells or terminating contracts prematurely?

Feedback appreciated

Blast from the past. I haven't seen an RBS contract spec. since they nearly went under. Prior to that, they were the lions share of specs in my inbox, along with Lehman Brothers.

I remember starting a contract at RBS on a Monday and getting my rate cut on the Wednesday.

[jmo21]

Thanks - one comment being there 'on and off' implies hiring and firing?

Hardly. We are contractors and we deliver whatever is required by the client, be it a 3 month project or a 2 year piece of service introduction. Once the work is done you move on. His comment indicates to me he's delivered a piece of work and the contract ended but they've gone back to him to deliver more later. Great spot to be in for a contractor, getting repeat work, so is a plus not a negative.

Precisely, and the rest tells how I didn't see any "hiring and firing" in all the time I was in that team.

[northernladuk]

Thanks - one comment being there 'on and off' implies hiring and firing?

Hardly. We are contractors and we deliver whatever is required by the client, be it a 3 month project or a 2 year piece of service introduction. Once the work is done you move on. His comment indicates to me he's delivered a piece of work and the contract ended but they've gone back to him to deliver more later. Great spot to be in for a contractor, getting repeat work, so is a plus not a negative.

Very hard to ask what the culture is like for such a huge organisation. It could easily be different in one team/project to another and could be down to a simple factor like the individual hiring manager you deal with.

[businessarchitect]

I was there on and off for 4 years, and didn't see anything like that, and that team had lots of contractors.

But then other areas may be different and more trigger happy.

Thanks - one comment being there 'on and off' implies hiring and firing?

[BlasterBates]

If you're hired at the wrong time just before a cull then this might happen, but that's true in any bank. Things are relatively quiet at the moment so it is unlikely you'll be hired and then fired in a few weeks time. On the whole PM's try and keep their teams together.