Reply to: Daily Rates

[Mr Crosby]

during contract negotiations I've found it helps if you go down on your employer, I did it last time and increased my rate to £14.75 p/h.

[dude69]

Supply seems to be exceeding demand in .Net world too.

I was turning down £400 a day in September and now with 7 months extra agile experience at an investment bank I'm struggling to find many jobs paying over £320. Some investment that was.

I went for one at £350 and the guy said I was good but someone undercut me by £100!

So stop encouraging people to move into .Net, there's enough of us already.

That's the vibes I'm getting anyway.

People must be pretty desperate. I'm still refusing to speak to anyone at £500 or less.

[milanbenes]

that's means you do Prince2 then right ?

Milan.

[Dow Jones]

Play the game

When DP says: 'SAP is great-go for it!' he doesn't want more competition for .Net
Conversely when MB says: '.Net is great-go for it!' he doesn't want competition for SAP.
(I am sure I got it the right way round)

Bit of a charade game this, can we all play?

My turn now: 'PRINCE2 is great-go for it!'

[oracleslave]

A fellow contractor at my client site started contracting in the eighties as a business analyst on £1250 per day. He landed a 12 monther with a 12 month extension as his first 2 contracts. He bought 4 houses at the end of the 2 years, kept them for 20 years and sold 3/4 a couple years ago.

Now he 'contracts' for fun but is on less that half the rate he was on in 1985

[Pondlife]

Guess he is busy every evening reading the Dummies Guide to Net for ex SAP people.

I'm selling copies of this as my plan b.

will be minted init.

[milanbenes]

'A fellow contractor at my client site works in SAP and he has 20 BTL properties',

I wonder how comfortable he is feeling in these times of financial uncertainty ?

Guess he is busy every evening reading the Dummies Guide to Net for ex SAP people.

Milan.

[Andy2]

don't listen to DimPrawn, sap's gone to the dogs, it's all .Net these days.
Milan.

A fellow contractor at my client site works in SAP and he has 20 BTL properties.
The real money is in SAP , all other skills pay peanuts.
Get into SAP as soon as you can.

[ChimpMaster]

Does it though? You have to spend a lot of time away from your family, huge commuting or housing costs in London and what's left is taxed heavily.

Yeah I would say there is a limit for everyone. I would think my limit is in the £300 region - and only if it was a local contract. Fortunately I am earning somewhat more than that, and trying to make it so that I can afford to choose whether or not to take on future contracts. If you have a good wedge coming in then my advice would be to max it out while you can, and to save/invest as much as you can until you are no longer dependent upon such income.

[milanbenes]

don't listen to DimPrawn, sap's gone to the dogs, it's all .Net these days.


Dim, you missed one point in your post, and that is, the rate might be low, BUT, it is a damn site easier to find a contract, or another higher paying contract if you already have a contract (same is true for pulling birds by the way), therefore komrade, you'd be better to be in a contract on a low rate to get through the bad times than on the bench and trying to find a contract

still, quitters are good for the rest of, the more quitters there are the more chance the rest of us have of staying in work

Milan.

[DimPrawn]

Beats the bench in hard times though.

Does it though? You have to spend a lot of time away from your family, huge commuting or housing costs in London and what's left is taxed heavily.

There comes a point where you are better of changing career to something with a future and vast pay. Only plumbing and SAP come to mind.

[oracleslave]

£250 however is utter tulipe.

Beats the bench in hard times though.

[ChimpMaster]

An average plumber in central London can command over £100K pa. Thats fitting taps and running tubing to a radiator.

Anyone working in IT in London on less than £400 per day is wasting their time.

I kind of agree but I'm earning a good rate at the moment. If I wasn't earning for a while then £300/day might seem like a reasonable number. I'm sure £300/day sounds pretty damn good to the average UK employee.

£250 however is utter tulipe.

[DimPrawn]

An average plumber in central London can command over £100K pa. Thats fitting taps and running tubing to a radiator.

Anyone working in IT in London on less than £400 per day is wasting their time.

[Moscow Mule]

£250 in London. Would that even cover the costs of the Tube journey and lunch?

Only if you were living with your mum.