Reply to: Mancs - stop pushing the rates down in Manchester!

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

there's probably a higher ratio of bobs working down south where the work is.

There is also a higher ratio of work/contractor down south, so that makes bobs not part of the equation. We just need to be better business men up north.

[oliverson]

I left the north for London 4 years ago due to the rate difference.

It's still there, 4 years on but I'm currently on a peach in Yorkshire at equivalent day rate of £550. Makes it pointless putting up with all that London rubbish but this is a short term contract and the extensions are limping along with the constantly shifting delivery date. 20 mins from my Yorkshire abode with virtually zero expenses. Too good to be true.

It's inevitable that I'll be back down there when this gravy train ends but for now I'm enjoying sitting back and seeing the WPF/Silverlight rates at the London banks rise to the £ 800 mark. I'll have a piece of that when the time comes but for now it's fantastic curries, sub £ 3.00 premium lagers, hills and rivers. Shame the weather sucks as always and there are far more working class and immigrants. It's seriously affecting my golfing as well and I do miss my golf club 280 miles away. :-(

[Spacecadet]

It's not Mancs it's Bob

there's probably a higher ratio of bobs working down south where the work is.

[Mephisto]

It's not Mancs it's Bob

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

In my experience of the Northwest Contracting market (8 years and counting) £275 pd is a good rate.
Your inferred comment that only monkeys would take a rate around that number is ridiculous and insulting. I have met quite a few contractors who were sh*t hot with minds as sharp as razors, who were working for £240 pd and were more than happy. At the end of the day clients will pay as little as they can, which is no big surprise really.

However it may be that the pimp involved is pocketing the extra £100 pd, which would not surprise me either (greedy feckin oxygen wasters (mostly))!

Nobody was inferring that somebody on £240/day is a monkey. I have met permies on 20k a year who are sharper and more able than some a lot of contractors. However, your final point is what I was referring to - the pimps are most likely to be pocketing a lot of the money, so instrad of giving them the money why not keep rates higher and give them a fairer margin? My point being those amazing techies wo are on 240 a day need to get their business skills sorted as well to avoid being taken advantage of....

[StopTheEarthIwantToGetOff]

In my experience of the Northwest Contracting market (8 years and counting) £275 pd is a good rate.
Your inferred comment that only monkeys would take a rate around that number is ridiculous and insulting. I have met quite a few contractors who were sh*t hot with minds as sharp as razors, who were working for £240 pd and were more than happy. At the end of the day clients will pay as little as they can, which is no big surprise really.

However it may be that the pimp involved is pocketing the extra £100 pd, which would not surprise me either (greedy feckin oxygen wasters (mostly))!

[BolshieBastard]

LOL!

Im just surprised people fell for this rate of 375 to 400+ yet the agent has got their candidates at 250 to 275 a day.

Er, hel - lo, the rate was never higher than 275 a pay!

[portseven]

Had a few calls about the Co-op Financial Services recently, they are still recruiting

450 a day 'ish, turned it down as am on a better rate elsewhere.

I am a infrastructure architect.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

The world has woken up to the fact that 75% of the contractor market, is permanent people, who want to earn more money, and have realised they can take chunks of it away, and get the same result.

The Mancs have done it first, cos they're the tightest fisted people in the country

Who was speaking to you?

[The Agents View]

I just got contacted by a Manchester agency about a contract in London (bang in the city centre too).

The rate was £400 - which is at least 20% lower than I would have thought. The same place were offering roles in 2007 for £525... and they say we've got inflation!

What's going on?!

The world has woken up to the fact that 75% of the contractor market, is permanent people, who want to earn more money, and have realised they can take chunks of it away, and get the same result.

The Mancs have done it first, cos they're the tightest fisted people in the country

[ChimpMaster]

I just got contacted by a Manchester agency about a contract in London (bang in the city centre too).

The rate was £400 - which is at least 20% lower than I would have thought. The same place were offering roles in 2007 for £525... and they say we've got inflation!

What's going on?!

[d000hg]

In all things in life, you get what you pay for. If you pay peanuts.........................

£275/day is pretty expensive peanuts.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Interview at £275 and raise your price later to £375. The agent will go ballistic, but if the client really wants you and they can't be arsed to interview another contractor at the last minute, they'll pay the going rate.

Don't worry about annoying the agent, they have memories like goldfish.

Anyway it's not like you have anything better to do if you're on the bench. Interview practise plus a chance to get a reasonable contract close to home, or watch Jeremy Kyle and Property Ladder...?

And agents have memories like goldfish.

Not currently on bench but looking for a decent (not amazing) rate close to home but currently rates in Manchester are beyond ridiculous. Don't know if it's gonna change soon.....

[northernladuk]

You do coding type stuff don't you? I don't so maybe I have this wrong but looking across our office which is akin to a scene from Slumdog Millionaire isn't this type of carry on a bit common now?

Interview at £275 and raise your price later to £375. The agent will go ballistic, but if the client really wants you and they can't be arsed to interview another contractor at the last minute, they'll pay the going rate.

Sounds like a pretty good approach to me. Migh backfire and you end up working in the middle of my office but its work

[swamp]

Interview at £275 and raise your price later to £375. The agent will go ballistic, but if the client really wants you and they can't be arsed to interview another contractor at the last minute, they'll pay the going rate.

Don't worry about annoying the agent, they have memories like goldfish.

Anyway it's not like you have anything better to do if you're on the bench. Interview practise plus a chance to get a reasonable contract close to home, or watch Jeremy Kyle and Property Ladder...?

And agents have memories like goldfish.