Reply to: Wow what happened to contractor rates in London?

[AtW]

I thought Manchester was a tulip hole until I drove through Brum

Now I use the toll road to avoid at all costs

Next time use your helicopter!!!

[Troll]

Might as well move to Brum...

I thought Manchester was a tulip hole until I drove through Brum

Now I use the toll road to avoid at all costs

[Troll]

Never been on < £450 in Scotland, who needs London anyway?

I keep getting called to do gigs in Scotland - think I would need another 0 on that figure to endure the Jocks & the midges

[jamesbrown]

For me to suffer that tuliphole, put another 0 on the end.

This is probably blasphemy as a contractor but, at a certain point, money really isn't that important (obviously it's bloody important if you can't feed/house yourself, but that's probably a good sign to move on and try something else). I agree that quality of life accounts for quite a rate margin, not to mention T&S. You can achieve a balance, I think, if you're willing to specialise and risk longer gaps between gigs that are on your own terms, but you have to invest the time first (probably as a permie TBH, otherwise there's that feeding/housing thing).

[AtW]

Rates are great, if it wasn't got very high taxes and crazy high cost of living (housing).

Might as well move to Brum...

[DimPrawn]

I am not sure what rate do they need to offer me to move to London?
I guess £1000+/day for up to six months will be OK.

For me to suffer that tuliphole, put another 0 on the end.

[garnet]

I am not sure what rate do they need to offer me to move to London?
I guess £1000+/day for up to six months will be OK.
Never been on < £450 in Scotland, who needs London anyway?

[GJABS]

Used to be full of £700 and £800 a day roles, now they all look to be around £400 a day.

Well, I can't speak for IT but, as others seem to be agreeing above, specialist consultancy is the way to go (and potentially WFH too).

Good question, that was good for seeing skills and techologies on the up and on the down.

If it's gone, a good plan b is creating a new one...

I've never earned more than £380/day in London, so I guess I am a plodder rather than a high flyer.
As for getting my career above the third-line engineer level that is is, I have to confess I am clueless.
Maybe a good plan B would be to have a consultancy to assess people like me to see whether it is possible for them to advance their careers (do they have the aptitude and drive?), and to show them what they need to do to put this into effect.
I think there are career consultants and coaches, but not in IT as far as I can see.

Trouble is, from my point of view, is how to separate the charletans from those who can potentially help.

[MrMarkyMark]

80 hrs min I suspect and every weekend.

For London that's not much more than a tube driver with overtime, and they'd expect you to be Stephen Hawking of the finance and quant world.

I know builders fitting kitchens earning more than that.

For that reason, alone, I'm out.

[DimPrawn]

Not a nice term for housewives.....

Trade term for flat area where you can rest your tool.

[MrMarkyMark]

Spend all day drinking tea and banging their tools on the worktops....Nice work.

Sharp intakes of breath required too

[BrilloPad]

Spend all day drinking tea and banging their tools on the worktops....Nice work.

Not a nice term for housewives.....

[DimPrawn]

With cameras in front of them? I was one in the past and I can confirm

Spend all day drinking tea and banging their tools on the worktops....Nice work.

[FatLazyContractor]

I know builders fitting kitchens earning more than that.

With cameras in front of them? I was one in the past and I can confirm

[DimPrawn]

Hardly megabucks, now, is it?
I wonder how many hours you will have to do for it.

80 hrs min I suspect and every weekend.

For London that's not much more than a tube driver with overtime, and they'd expect you to be Stephen Hawking of the finance and quant world.

I know builders fitting kitchens earning more than that.