Reply to: Life on the Bench - An unemployed contractors story

[ChimpMaster]

Jay

Depends, for e.g., on how long you're contracted for. You could try looking for another contract on a rate you're happy with. Or even just tell the agency that you're not happy and will be leaving soon to get another contract paying much more - you could try bluff it but I would suggest actually going and getting another contract (I know it's not always that easy tho).

I did same as you - was on more money outside of London but accepted a slightly lower rate to get back home and work in the city. However I was still happy with the rate and also it meant that I didn't have the usual expense of hotels etc.

£80 a day is a lot of money. The agency will not want to lose their commission from you so I would play hardball - but this is best done by finding another contract ASAP and being prepared to walk.

[andy]

I always check with client hr/manager about the rates. You can't believe those slimy agents. Can you ?

[css_jay99]

Anything for a hot meal eh SA?!

But no, I'm not that cheap young lady.... close tho.

tulip, i am in the wrong technology!

I started a contract on the basis that the amount will go up after a month cos I asked for more initially. Difference/shortfall would be about £80 per day. After 2 months I asked the agency and was told the person whoi got me the contract has left and that did I get this deal in writing !

I know the client is paying them a lot more cos its investment banking, but I agreed with the initial rate cos It meant me back in the city and close to home.

Now I dont know if to tell the Agency, I dont want a renewal and start looking elsewhere. I dont know if I should get aggressive with them. I cant stomach the idea of beign rippped off

Should I ask the client what they are paying?.

css_jay99

[ChimpMaster]

£550!!!

Anything for a hot meal eh SA?!

But no, I'm not that cheap young lady.... close tho.

[SallyAnne]

Exactly - stick to your guns because you know what you are worth.

A couple of agencies recently advertised a contract in my skillset and when they called me they asked my rate and I said the usual amount £x. They then said Oh the client can only offer 300 (the other agency said 285). So that was end of it.

I then spoke to said client direct cuz I know them anyway, and then are offering me £x without too much bother.

Now £x is nearly 2 times what the agencies were offering, so imagine what they must be screwing contractors for!

Another problem I find is that a lot of contractors in my field just accept the advertised rate. This is often £x - 100 and I can't be arsed to walk from here for that. So I ask for full amount £x and yet somehow I still get the interviews and jobs.

I got this contract at £x even though it was advertised at £x - 200 ! They liked me in the interview, and I stuck to my required rate, and all's well.

I'm not saying I'm better than anyone else, just that there's no need to undersell yourself. Often clients will want the best person out there, not the cheapest.

P.S. If you can work out what £x is then I'll buy you dinner (if you're a girl and won't tell my wife).

£550!!!

[ChimpMaster]

Exactly - stick to your guns because you know what you are worth.

A couple of agencies recently advertised a contract in my skillset and when they called me they asked my rate and I said the usual amount £x. They then said Oh the client can only offer 300 (the other agency said 285). So that was end of it.

I then spoke to said client direct cuz I know them anyway, and then are offering me £x without too much bother.

Now £x is nearly 2 times what the agencies were offering, so imagine what they must be screwing contractors for!

Another problem I find is that a lot of contractors in my field just accept the advertised rate. This is often £x - 100 and I can't be arsed to walk from here for that. So I ask for full amount £x and yet somehow I still get the interviews and jobs.

I got this contract at £x even though it was advertised at £x - 200 ! They liked me in the interview, and I stuck to my required rate, and all's well.

I'm not saying I'm better than anyone else, just that there's no need to undersell yourself. Often clients will want the best person out there, not the cheapest.

P.S. If you can work out what £x is then I'll buy you dinner (if you're a girl and won't tell my wife).

[Zorba]

I do the same with SAP, same scam performed by the sales people but our 550 has been whittled away to 350-450 and the amount of overseas people means it never creeps back up again. I would of thought the Indian consultancies would be churning out Oracle developers but obviously not.

rootsnall - that sounds low... there are certain agencies who would like you to believe that this is the case though. I've seen a whole bunch of re-shoring projects recently. Stick to your guns and you can top those rates.

[Euro-commuter]

you may not be getting that much but I am sure your agent is getting top rates.

To clarify, my skills are Siebel rather than Oracle Apps. But yes, I suspect this is so.

[andy]

ITJobsWatch says:

Oracle Applications Developer £377

Are you in an especially high-earning area then? I am but I can never seem to make even what ITJobsWatch says is the average for my skills.

Or maybe I'm just not asking enough....

you may not be getting that much but I am sure your agent is getting top rates.

[SallyAnne]

ITJobsWatch says:

Oracle Applications Developer £377

Are you in an especially high-earning area then? I am but I can never seem to make even what ITJobsWatch says is the average for my skills.

Or maybe I'm just not asking enough....

It depends what application obviously, and what skill set you have. Obviously going with government clients (like I do) pays slightly more aswell.

I think Financials developers get ripped off - they always seem to be quite low paid for some reason.

I'm HRMS/Payroll and I guess they tend to get me in when things have gone a bit tits up and they start fretting that people aren't going to get paid!

All that said, I've noticed lately that the rates quoted on jobserve and the like are dropping quite dramatically Probably time for a change in technology soon.

[Euro-commuter]

For those who still dont know, I'm an Oracle Applications Developer - £550 + vat is te going rate for me's.

ITJobsWatch says:

Oracle Applications Developer £377

Are you in an especially high-earning area then? I am but I can never seem to make even what ITJobsWatch says is the average for my skills.

Or maybe I'm just not asking enough....

[Euro-commuter]

Are there any bank tellers any more? Went to my local town centre HSBC (large branch) last week and there was a note stuck on the door saying that "in order to rationalise and enhance our customers' experience of HSBC, counter service is no longer available in this branch. Please use the machines in the lobby." The fecking paying in machine then chewed up a cheque from HMRC and it will probably take 6 months to get them to issue another one.

In fact the only member of staff in the branch was a pension/mortgage salesman.

Are you still with that bank? If so, they got away with it.

Me, you and EO could form our own one stop Oracle shop!! (He's a DBA)

Include me as well pls.Iam an Oracle Apps Technical consultant with 7 years of permant work with Oracle COrporation,now gone contracting and desperately looking for that elusive first contract

[css_jay99]

I find that hard to believe to be honest. There isn't normally that much forms work in Oracle Apps jobs, and you dont need to do much pl/sql either - just bits here and there.

Although saying that, £550 a day for the last year doing not much....must be an EDS government gig, probably MOD, so yes I believe you. I spent 2 months there on £550 a day and didn't even so much as open up Word!! Seriously, not a scrap of work.

Yes you are right, its one of those MOD jobs. And As I here it there are a few more opportunities comming up to the south west of UK and companies are luring contractors to new projects. They did more pl/sql than forms, moving data from old system into Apps. A few forms interfaces that is not part of Apps, but basically as i heared it, he told me to apply that i wont have probs getting in but at that time i was concentrating more on my datawarehouse skills as well as working for investment banks.

i should have gone for the money !.

for 550 quid does she suck and swallow ?

that'll probably cost twice as much.

trust me this dudez earn a consistent wack for doing jack tulip. sorry to offend App developers here, but its the truth.

I would think that the ones doing real work are the ones that interface other systems into oracle Apps hence more of a backend job. Now that I would like instead of bloody clicking buttons


css_jay99

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