Reply to: Stay permie or take a 3 month contract?

[MyUserName]

I spent ages looking at the market, talking to people about contractors - what they expect from them, what they actually find etc. I asked what makes a contractor good or bad etc. I spoke to the one contractor I knew about it at length and several people who used to be contractors. I read through this forum and the guides on the right. Made sure I had access to cash to borrow if things went wrong and took the plunge into a contract at a large IB on £500 a day.

Agency had lied and my manager had no idea I wanted two weeks off when my wife gave birth, luckily he did not mind.
Payment terms messed up completely and I had to borrow money off my father in law to keep things going.
Wife hated the idea and was against it every step of the way and wanted me to stay in the permie job I was in (it was a nice job and I miss it) - but I knew that I could make this work.

Turned down offered extension for a new gig closer to home by over an hour and have been there every since.
Wife started to like contracting when we could redo the living room and pay off the hideous amount of debt we were in without our standard of living being affected.

Also, I have no shame about not knowing things and will ask basic questions with feeling embarassed

[yasockie]

My last 2 contracts at a big bank were both initially 3 months but lasted 18 months each. They even renew every 3 months. Maybe the client thinks along those lines.

My very first contract was also 3 months initially, but it lasted 15 months in the end.
So that's even more anectodal evidence.

Lech

[bobspud]

What a ray of sunshine you are.

The rate was 400 a day, I'll be sure to up that on the next call I get.
I didn't sign anything, agree to anything or leave my permie job so not that gullible after all.

What you do need to do though is take a year to watch market rates.

Here is a link that you should have already found... I did a basic search on SAP then picked Fi/Co as an example

SAP FI/CO Contracts, Contractor Rates for SAP FICO Skills

As a contractor you should be aiming for the 10% jobs not the cruft. The average is where the mugs hang out.

[pimpmycode]

Re: Stay permie or take a 3 month contract?

Because they rely on rookies like you to keep them going - rookies are cheap and gullible.

What a ray of sunshine you are.

The rate was 400 a day, I'll be sure to up that on the next call I get.
I didn't sign anything, agree to anything or leave my permie job so not that gullible after all.

[cojak]

Because they rely on rookies like you to keep them going - rookies are cheap and gullible.

[pimpmycode]

Re: Stay permie or take a 3 month contract?

So this week the agent said the consultancy are sending the contract over. This didn't arrive until Friday and when it did it wasn't from the consultancy but rather a template from the agent. The template had another Indian consultancy as the client, no rate or names either.

I asked if this is correct and they apologize and send over the same document again but with the company name removed. The agent says I must agree to the terms by email and then the actual contract will be sent over.

The agency is Indian too, one of the ones others have warned people not to use. Clearly this is dodgy, I won't pursue it further as something is fishy but I can't figure out why they would do all this? Rookie I know.
Anyone else had something similar happen to them?

[rurffy]

I left permie for a 3 monther after posting on here back in Jan 2010. Mainly I was advised against it (and admittedly it was risky) but in the end the 3 monther turner into a 9 monther, I found another contract straight after and have been out of work for a total of 3 weeks since then. Sometimes you have to risk everything to succeed (there is not other way I could have got into contracting without jumping straight into it). Then again it might not work out and you would look back and wished you had stayed at your permie role.

I agree with you, Risk is almost everything - I was in a similar situation earlier well it was from one contract to another - was in a Long term contract and hard to jump out for a short term one. Now i am here for over 12 months with suicide day rate

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

So a week or so ago i was contacted by an agent for a contract role through a large Indian consultancy in the area of SAP that i work with.
I am permie at the moment, just 8 weeks in at one of the Big 4. I have not had a project since i joined 8 weeks ago though.
Nothing at all, mostly messing with this and that and training other colleagues on said SAP area. The usual story from large companies.
I decided to entertain the agent with the contract opportunity as it is close to home, excellent work in my area of SAP, have not had a project since i started at the new company and they only expect work to possibly start coming in around Q3.

I did two interviews one with the Indian consultancy and the other with the end client.
Both went well and the agent has told me i have been selected for the role.
I am waiting for the contract to come through and have to give them my Ltd details etc once i have them.

One thing that concerns me is that the contract is 3 months with a possible extension by 6 months afterwards. Not sure what i should be asking the agent about this to be as safe as possible? From my interview with an architect at the client there is quite a lot of work to be done so my thinking is 3 months might be extended. Going through the first timers guide now but wondering what others would do in this situation? Take the risk and get a foot in the door with contracting even if it is only 3 months or wait it out at the large consultancy, with no work and no surety on when there will be a project?

Any advice is appreciated.

I left permie for a 3 monther after posting on here back in Jan 2010. Mainly I was advised against it (and admittedly it was risky) but in the end the 3 monther turner into a 9 monther, I found another contract straight after and have been out of work for a total of 3 weeks since then. Sometimes you have to risk everything to succeed (there is not other way I could have got into contracting without jumping straight into it). Then again it might not work out and you would look back and wished you had stayed at your permie role.

[CoolCat]

Get a grip of your self mate!! NO discrimination here.!

actually its the open discrimination within the Indian outsourcers, for example the caste on caste abuse, the anti British racism, their attitude to women, and so on that is so bad. have you actually seen the way they treat their junior staff cramming them 3 or 4 to a room in a ramshackle rented house? have you seen the outrageous bullying first hand?

i know what i am talking about and my advice to stay well clear of these people is valid

[kal]

I left my last permy job in 1999 without a contract to go to.

Don't bother asking people what to do, just get on with it.

+1 , I did exactly the same at the start of last year

[rurffy]

more importantly I wouldnt work for an Indian outsourcing outfit either contract or permie... they are evil people

Get a grip of your self mate!! NO discrimination here.!

[CoolCat]

more importantly I wouldnt work for an Indian outsourcing outfit either contract or permie... they are evil people

[worzelGummidge]

I left my last permy job in 1999 without a contract to go to.

Don't bother asking people what to do, just get on with it.

[northernladuk]

My view is that permanent & contracting are more or less fundamentally different work/income models. Being dissatisfied with your present gig (whether permanent or contract) is not necessarily a reason to consider switching. I would suggest taking a step back and considering whether in principle you want to contract. If you do, then decide whether the contract you have are looking at is attractive enough, or you want to wait for a better one. If you decide on balance that you don’t want to contract, then look for another permanent role.

How can something be more or less fundamentally different?

[warrenboon]

My view is that permanent & contracting are more or less fundamentally different work/income models. Being dissatisfied with your present gig (whether permanent or contract) is not necessarily a reason to consider switching. I would suggest taking a step back and considering whether in principle you want to contract. If you do, then decide whether the contract you have are looking at is attractive enough, or you want to wait for a better one. If you decide on balance that you don’t want to contract, then look for another permanent role.