Reply to: Too Picky?

[Robwg]

You obviously aren't married with 2 kids

You know I was about to go into one about you not reading my mail - and then I actually twigged what you mean :-)

Ummm - well - I guess if you are that way inclined.

[Mordac]

I can't understand why anyone would want to live out of hotel 50% of the time.

You're not married, I take it...

[Mr Crosby]

You see - I have been contracting for 3 years and I don't really agree with this statement. The lifestyle is nice(ish) - but the bucks are why I do it. I can't understand why anyone would want to live out of hotel 50% of the time.

You obviously aren't married with 2 kids.

[Robwg]

Getting into contracting for the money is the wrong attitude IMO. Yes, experienced contractors do make a lot of money (note that experience of contracting is not the same as experience of a particular technology). The whole point of contracting is about the freedom and the lifestyle.

You see - I have been contracting for 3 years and I don't really agree with this statement. The lifestyle is nice(ish) - but the bucks are why I do it. I can't understand why anyone would want to live out of hotel 50% of the time.

[cojak]

Chris Moyles this morning

did a comic (but telling) skit this morning about how much money his lacky's would accept for going into Celebrity BB.

Comedy Dave was complaining that he woz' robbed 'cos he would only get 12k while Aled accepted 50k and Dominic wouldn't get out of bed for less than 250K.

Since Dave accepted 12k instead of holding out for more everybody laughed at him...

(Well I thought it was funny, anyway...)

[Mustang]

I agree with the comments about lifestyle. I have so much freedom now during my 2 years as a contractor - more than I ever did as a permie. As it is a business to business to relationship, I call the shots more - can't imagine anyone telling a plumber they had to be in your house for a certain amount of time to fix something!

If you are intent on waiting for that perfect contract (which may never come) ensure you spend the time wisely. Set up bank accounts, register your company name (if you go that route), get an accountant and finally: learn about running a business. HMRC do great 1 day courses as do Business Link. Ensure that you are comfortable with handling the day to day aspects now so that when you land your first contract you can focus on it and not have to worry about getting the admin - all you need do is inform your accountant you have started trading!

Finally, use the time to start thinking like a business and remember: You are what you negotiate!

Good luck!!

[oraclesmith]

The odd thing is I have discussed the situation with former contractors that I know and they seemed to think I was on the right tracks

May I respectfully suggest that the most likely reason that your former contractor mates have suggested you be so cautious is that they have been stung by the contract world in the past and because of this have now turned to safe, reliable permanent employment. They also might have been contracting in better times where there was less competition and less outsourcing abroad.

What they're saying is 'you have a nice steady job and you have all the time in the world to look for something else, so why give it all up for a contract which is less than 100% perfect for you?'. Also because they're your mates, they don't want to be responsible for the outcome if you did something risky. How would they feel if they said just chuck it in and go - and then you ended up spending months on the bench.

This idea might work had you been on a normal sort of notice period and/or were living in East London or Surrey or had some unique skill or experience, but you might be waiting a very very long time because all the while there are similarly qualified contractors applying for the same contracts, they will always get first go. Depends on how much you want to do it.

[lukemg]

Anyone doing this kind of work ? What is the going rate for Unix sysadmins ?
300 a day is a healthy chunk of cash and seems optimistic to me outside the city trough..

[partimer]

be a business

Agreeing with the Cowboy here.
Too many newbies think only of the money. Yes it is important but what's more important is the market. You have to constantly keep your skills in line with the market place otherwise you'll be sitting at home twiddling your thumbs. Be flexible.
E.g. If you were a cobol developer living in Scotland, how many cobol contracts are there in Glasgow (bad example but highlights what I'm saying) ?

Also, think more like a business. Look at the long term.
One contract on 40 ph for 6 months or one 12 month contract on 30 ph ?
Loss leaders and all that.

Good luck.

[Cowboy Bob]

2) By saying £300 per day was unrealitic, they would be saying contracting was'nt the bonanza they had previously suggested

Getting into contracting for the money is the wrong attitude IMO. Yes, experienced contractors do make a lot of money (note that experience of contracting is not the same as experience of a particular technology). The whole point of contracting is about the freedom and the lifestyle.

And definitely expect lifestyle changes. Don't expect to be able to work close to where you live for a start. If you own your own house, be prepared to spend many week nights in hotels. I used to do this, but now I'm renting places and following the contracts.

[Diestl]

Ok point taken, I am being to picky, I will:


3) Look at reducing rates (though this is a slight issue as the whole point of contracting for me is to earn a reasonable amount more than I am currently

2) By saying £300 per day was unrealitic, they would be saying contracting was'nt the bonanza they had previously suggested

You first contract may only last 3-6 months at the initial lower rate, then once you have experience and short notice you can push it up! You don't have to remain on that rate forever!

[BlasterBates]

The chances of you staying close to home are well quite frankly "zilch", if you want the right contract, if however you're prepared to slum it, i.e. do crappy work at a low rate from time to time then possibly yes you can probably keep going on local contracts.

[reddog]

Ok point taken, I am being to picky, I will:

1) Look in South East
2) Look for 3 month contracts
3) Look at reducing rates (though this is a slight issue as the whole point of contracting for me is to earn a reasonable amount more than I am currently earning)
4) Look at ways to reduce my notice period - I think this is really holding me back - thanks for some good advice Oraclesmith - I guess ultimatley I may have to ressign from one job without having having a contract lined up.

The odd thing is I have discussed the situation with former contractors that I know and they seemed to think I was on the right tracks (one of them even suggested - make sure you get a 6 months contract to start with). From this the only conclusions I can draw are either:

1) They did'nt want to tell me I was stark raving mad to my face

or

2) By saying £300 per day was unrealitic, they would be saying contracting was'nt the bonanza they had previously suggested

NB They were former contractors so maybe I was seeking advice from the wrong people

[cojak]

Telling off costs nothing.

Spanking costs an extra £200 ph...

[oraclesmith]

OK, here's a slightly unconventional but possible solution re. your notice period problem :-

Explain your situation with your boss and do them a deal to end your permanent employment and make you a contractor at your own firm. If you set a rate which doesn't put them out of pocket and you get the contract right, then you get to make the transition to contracting without too much pain. Your firm gets to keep your services for one or more three month stints with the option of renewing you if your still popular. If they don't like the idea, they don't have to proceed with it. If they do proceed, make sure your 'resignation' is conditional on signing the first three month contract.

If you've misjudged their reaction then bad luck - they probably can't sack you because you haven't done anything wrong. You need to be sure of your firms policy on dismissal but employment law is pretty tough on firms nowadays.

You're not really going anywhere so you can afford to offer them a good rate that roughly matches the actual cost to their budget of your employment (ie, your internal recharge rate or at least gross salary plus their employment overheads like their NI and pension conts). Remember that there is no agency involved, so the fee they pay is the fee you get, which is not the same as agency contracts where the agent gets whatever margin they can get away with. This makes you cheaper than the equivalent agency contractor and about the same bottom line cost as a replacement permie but without all the line management needed. Once you get the idea of contracting, then you can decline a renewal and get on with it elsewhere.

A project manager colleague of mine actually did this and stayed for on about a year. I also did it, but the difference was that the firm came to me to ask me for a contract stint some time after I had decided to leave. One downside is that colleagues might get jealous because they think you're earning megabucks for doing the same job as you used to.