Reply to: Which skills for the "£750 - 2,000 a day bracket"?

[conned tractor]

The problem with this game (contracting) is that there's a ceiling to what you can earn.

Say you were on £ 2k a day and managed to be fully utilised for 48 weeks a year. That's £ 480k a year. Yep that's a might fine turnover for a contractor and yes please I'll have some but the reality is that a) you are very unlikely to be on £ 2k a day and b) even if you were you'd be unlikely to be fully utilised each and every day for your contracting career. Say you managed half that rate and were fully utilised. That's £ 240k a year. It's just not enough is it? There are plenty of small businesses around that dwarf that figure and the owners of those businesses employ staff so they can spend time doing what they want. I know a few of them. While I'm slogging away doing a job I've grown to hate, they're sat on their boats in the South of France. I'm aware there are many, many people who would kill to be earning the kind of money contractors do but we are still small fish in a big pond.

Moral of story? Get a real business off the ground.

Great post. I agree and it's fully what I intend to do.

I would agree, but only if you are prepared to steal.

I got real business's off the ground a couple of times and like you I know other people in business. What I learnt is: if you run the business stright you will earn a good living. But if you want to be rich from your business you need to steal, either from your customers, the tax man, your employees, your suppliers or all.

"Behind every fortune is a crime", if you are not prepared to do the crime, contracting is a good way to earn a living.

But I must admit that's an even better retort. Where's that crim with swag smiley?

[alreadypacked]

The problem with this game (contracting) is that there's a ceiling to what you can earn.

Say you were on £ 2k a day and managed to be fully utilised for 48 weeks a year. That's £ 480k a year. Yep that's a might fine turnover for a contractor and yes please I'll have some but the reality is that a) you are very unlikely to be on £ 2k a day and b) even if you were you'd be unlikely to be fully utilised each and every day for your contracting career. Say you managed half that rate and were fully utilised. That's £ 240k a year. It's just not enough is it? There are plenty of small businesses around that dwarf that figure and the owners of those businesses employ staff so they can spend time doing what they want. I know a few of them. While I'm slogging away doing a job I've grown to hate, they're sat on their boats in the South of France. I'm aware there are many, many people who would kill to be earning the kind of money contractors do but we are still small fish in a big pond.

Moral of story? Get a real business off the ground.

I would agree, but only if you are prepared to steal.

I got real business's off the ground a couple of times and like you I know other people in business. What I learnt is: if you run the business stright you will earn a good living. But if you want to be rich from your business you need to steal, either from your customers, the tax man, your employees, your suppliers or all.

"Behind every fortune is a crime", if you are not prepared to do the crime, contracting is a good way to earn a living.

[oliverson]

The problem with this game (contracting) is that there's a ceiling to what you can earn.

Say you were on £ 2k a day and managed to be fully utilised for 48 weeks a year. That's £ 480k a year. Yep that's a might fine turnover for a contractor and yes please I'll have some but the reality is that a) you are very unlikely to be on £ 2k a day and b) even if you were you'd be unlikely to be fully utilised each and every day for your contracting career. Say you managed half that rate and were fully utilised. That's £ 240k a year. It's just not enough is it? There are plenty of small businesses around that dwarf that figure and the owners of those businesses employ staff so they can spend time doing what they want. I know a few of them. While I'm slogging away doing a job I've grown to hate, they're sat on their boats in the South of France. I'm aware there are many, many people who would kill to be earning the kind of money contractors do but we are still small fish in a big pond.

Moral of story? Get a real business off the ground.

[anothercodemonkey]

Some skills are very niche and you can make a lot of money on them but it is always a double edged sword. The reason you can charge a lot is because there are not many people who know that skill. The employer may end up moving to a different technology just to be able to get staff who can work on it. I knew a guy who worked on some obscure appserver and he was on a very high rate (~1000/day) but the market for that skill set has disappeared now as no-one uses the technology as they can't get the staff.

The exception may be stuff that they have to use by law but they can always train people up.

I have met contractors who were very good at always hopping onto the latest technology (and highest rates) but they are a bit of dying breed now.

[Moscow Mule]

You need to get good on one of the more popular banking packages that can be easily customised.

Summit springs to mind, with rates C£1000 a day for a programmer with a couple of years experience that knows their way around a derivative or two.

[alreadypacked]

You see high rates for some roles, but from my experience the people in thoes roles have a Master/Phd, also for their area, passed exams etc.
They also have many years experience and were permies at a high level before becoming contractors.

[yasockie]

I must agree with what others have said (what, isn't the Internetz for arguing?)
The higher daily rates mean that people will look at the ROI and generally let you go as soon as they can.
What is is you're looking for?
I personally have found that I get best quality of life doing remote contracts, this usually means lower rates as you can get by with poorer interpersonal skills and you don't have to spend on hotels etc.
In the end you need to ask yourself what is it that you're after, actually. I am guessing saving up as much money as possible in the smallest amount of time?
Or is it working part-time so that you can pursue your hobbies and stuff?

[thunderlizard]

Why? Are you wanting to know what jobs make that? Search Jobswerve.

I don't think that'll work. It's not the Jobserve bottom-feeder commodity contractor crowd that gets that sort of deal.

[jonathanOnshore2010]

Someone capable of ever getting to earn that rate would have gone out and sorted it...

I don't believe this comment is entirely helpful. As a junior developer starting out in contracting, I used to ask how to increase my rate on forums, and based on the help received I have doubled my rate many times over since then....

[northernladuk]

Thanks for the replies, all - even the ones that said I had no common sense. To answer one user's question, I'm interested just because I'm interested.

To be fair I was given a bum steer about you wanting to earn that and if that is the case if you are going to ever earn that you need more about you than to ask a question on a forum. Someone capable of ever getting to earn that rate would have gone out and sorted it...

I blame russell....

[TimBeattie]

Thanks for the replies, all - even the ones that said I had no common sense. To answer one user's question, I'm interested just because I'm interested.

[NotAllThere]

So when you do get £1300 a day, how many days a week do you actually work? From what you say it sounds like you only get work for a few days a week at that rate.

That's unlikely to be more than 5 days at a time. Normally, it'd be ~£1000. I choose not to work a five day week, if I can still meet client requirements.

[psychocandy]

I'm pretty sure there are some roles in Helmand or Somalia you could get £1k a day on.

Defence companies pay a heft premium for permies to do this sort of thing.

Nice little earner because its usually months at a time as welll. Not for me though....

[Scrag Meister]

Over the past year the number of contracts advertised for my skillset has halved.

75 in Sept 2010
34 in Oct 2011

Funnily though over the same period the average rate has gone up by £50pd.

[alreadypacked]

http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/contrac...&id=0&lid=2618

My role is not an exact match to anything on the list, but I'm on double the rate for the nearest match