IR35 - do most avoid it? Also SQL Server skills - are they in demand?

[KentPhilip]

Amended.

who says I'm not doing enough research?

I spent all yesterday afternoon on the phone doing research.

[Clippy]

Admins, if you are reading this, would you be kind enough please to delete this thread as I have come up with another hair-brained scheme I wish to ask questions about because I am too lazy to do the research myself

Amended.

[Churchill]

Admins, if you are reading this, would you be kind enough please to move the thread to Business/Admins

As a tip, to get things moved to light relief, just mention "knockers"...

[KentPhilip]

Admins, if you are reading this, would you be kind enough please to move the thread to Business/Admins

[KentPhilip]

wrong forum...try business/contracts

Oh but it is so much more fun in this forum.
I'll only get serious answers in the business/contracts bit.

But OK. How do I delete my thread here, or move it there?

[max]

First thanks to those of you good people who answered my posts here last week. I'm going to be cheeky and ask a third question, on IR35 and SQL Server, if I may?

1. There is lots of talk about what you can do to get around IR35, but no information on here about how many of you are, in the end, caught by it. As a rough percentage, how many of you IT contractors have to pay it? most of you, half, only a few?

As a first-time contractor applying for contracts on jobserve.com, how realistic are my chances of getting a non-IR35-caught contract? If I "insist" to agencies that I do what is necessary to tailor a contract outside of IR35 is that going to limit my job options.

I expect you want to know my skillset to answer this question: It is 5 years permie experience of third-line support of a large bespoke content management system based on Microsoft SQL Server 2000. Jobs involved investigating user problems and system failures, gathering evidence, reliably replicating fault scenarios on the test servers, and reporting these back to the software developers to fix. And rolling out new fixed versions of stored procedures etc. Some VB Script coding.


2. If I wanted to do this sort of thing on a contract basis, what sort of rate would I reasonably get, for my first contract, and beyond?
With the above experience could I go for roles as a "SQL Server DBA (database administrator)" even though I only spent around 10% of my time on SQL Server itself.


I'm running a small business that is taking time to get going, is not making any money yet, and I'm wondering whether to try to keep my options open by going for a 3-month contract while working on my business in my spare time until it starts making some money.
I took voluntary redundancy from my permie job 3 months ago, and although I have plenty of cash to last for years I don't want to spend too long as a "dragons den dosser" getting up at midday, coding at 4am, and eating lunch with Trevor MacDonald (i.e. eating lunch at 10pm).

Thanks again.

wrong forum...try business/contracts

[KentPhilip]

First thanks to those of you good people who answered my posts here last week. I'm going to be cheeky and ask a third question, on IR35 and SQL Server, if I may?

1. There is lots of talk about what you can do to get around IR35, but no information on here about how many of you are, in the end, caught by it. As a rough percentage, how many of you IT contractors have to pay it? most of you, half, only a few?

As a first-time contractor applying for contracts on jobserve.com, how realistic are my chances of getting a non-IR35-caught contract? If I "insist" to agencies that I do what is necessary to tailor a contract outside of IR35 is that going to limit my job options.

I expect you want to know my skillset to answer this question: It is 5 years permie experience of third-line support of a large bespoke content management system based on Microsoft SQL Server 2000. Jobs involved investigating user problems and system failures, gathering evidence, reliably replicating fault scenarios on the test servers, and reporting these back to the software developers to fix. And rolling out new fixed versions of stored procedures etc. Some VB Script coding.


2. If I wanted to do this sort of thing on a contract basis, what sort of rate would I reasonably get, for my first contract, and beyond?
With the above experience could I go for roles as a "SQL Server DBA (database administrator)" even though I only spent around 10% of my time on SQL Server itself.


I'm running a small business that is taking time to get going, is not making any money yet, and I'm wondering whether to try to keep my options open by going for a 3-month contract while working on my business in my spare time until it starts making some money.
I took voluntary redundancy from my permie job 3 months ago, and although I have plenty of cash to last for years I don't want to spend too long as a "dragons den dosser" getting up at midday, coding at 4am, and eating lunch with Trevor MacDonald (i.e. eating lunch at 10pm).

Thanks again.