Reply to: Are permie rates now surpassing contract rates?

[swamp]

I have long held the belief that ISO9001 is an old Soviet plan to infiltrate capitalism and destroy it from within.

You're probably right. Now the PCG have got in on the act.

I honestly hope hell freezes over before I ever succumb to this tosh.

[Mich the Tester]

Years ago in Australia I started a contract at a company that was "ISO9001". I had to read some documentation and tick some boxes in a questionnaire about ISO9001 compliance. To this day I have no idea what they were wobbling on about. What is ISO9001? And why?

I have long held the belief that ISO9001 is an old Soviet plan to infiltrate capitalism and destroy it from within.

[swamp]

Maybe it is, but when I left permiedom I decided I would never again subject myself to 360 degree assessments, Personal Development Plans, Company weekends, unpaid overtime, politicking for a puny pay rise, stupid squabbles about who gets to park closest to the front door, who gets a company vectra and who gets an astra, another bloody ‘business transformation programme’, ISO9001 Stalinists, office parties, mass redundancies when the quarterly figures are 0.000001% less than “analysts’ predictions”, second class rail travel and Sodexo canteens.

I've been poor before and to be honest it wasn't that bad compared to permiedom.

Years ago in Australia I started a contract at a company that was "ISO9001". I had to read some documentation and tick some boxes in a questionnaire about ISO9001 compliance. To this day I have no idea what they were wobbling on about. What is ISO9001? And why?

[expat]

Maybe it is, but when I left permiedom I decided I would never again subject myself to 360 degree assessments, Personal Development Plans, Company weekends, unpaid overtime, politicking for a puny pay rise, stupid squabbles about who gets to park closest to the front door, who gets a company vectra and who gets an astra, another bloody ‘business transformation programme’, ISO9001 Stalinists, office parties, mass redundancies when the quarterly figures are 0.000001% less than “analysts’ predictions”, second class rail travel and Sodexo canteens.

I've been poor before and to be honest it wasn't that bad compared to permiedom.

Well put, I might save that.

I'm in month 3 on the bench. Actually I'm getting to like it! My OH thinks I need to look at permie jobs. I've told her all the reasons why not:

-- it's not a foregone conclusion that I could walk into one anyway.
-- if I got one, it would probably be low-level, nothing like the level I could have been at if I had stayed in the permie world: that choice has been made.
-- we'd have to cut the budget quite a lot: what do you want to give up, darling?
-- I'd be doing the same work, with the same travel, but no choice about where I go and when; and for much less money.

But I haven't included: I'd rather be poor.

[DaveB]

Maybe it is, but when I left permiedom I decided I would never again subject myself to 360 degree assessments, Personal Development Plans, Company weekends, unpaid overtime, politicking for a puny pay rise, stupid squabbles about who gets to park closest to the front door, who gets a company vectra and who gets an astra, another bloody ‘business transformation programme’, ISO9001 Stalinists, office parties, mass redundancies when the quarterly figures are 0.000001% less than “analysts’ predictions”, second class rail travel and Sodexo canteens.

I've been poor before and to be honest it wasn't that bad compared to permiedom.

It all depends on how you look at it. I've gone permie again for the time being. Empahsis on "for the time being". I'm treating it as a crappy contract to tide me over until the market picks up again. In money terms I'm about about %12 down on my peak rate, which in the current climate I'm not going to complain too much about. The bills are getting paid, the warchest remains intact and I'm getting some new skills on the CV.

Roll on the recovery.

[Mich the Tester]

Sounds like sour grapes

Maybe it is, but when I left permiedom I decided I would never again subject myself to 360 degree assessments, Personal Development Plans, Company weekends, unpaid overtime, politicking for a puny pay rise, stupid squabbles about who gets to park closest to the front door, who gets a company vectra and who gets an astra, another bloody ‘business transformation programme’, ISO9001 Stalinists, office parties, mass redundancies when the quarterly figures are 0.000001% less than “analysts’ predictions”, second class rail travel and Sodexo canteens.

I've been poor before and to be honest it wasn't that bad compared to permiedom.

[Jubber]

Even if permies are paid twice as much I will not give up my dignity; I’d sooner buy a chip van and keep the dignity of self employment. Arguably permies deserve more than they get just for the amount of corporate BS they have to swallow.

Frite Kot ? I used to visit one on occasion near Brussels. The 'piquant' sauce was great. I sometimes went for the Frikadel Special (?sp) (slurp) Total junk food - but nice.

[chef]

I'm fluent in English, French and Dutch. What are they offering?

a smoke and a pancake?

[Mich the Tester]

A bit off-topic, but I saw this requirement recently:


wtf, is IT just a side-line with such a person?

Actually I think they should go the whole hog and ask for:

I'm fluent in English, French and Dutch. What are they offering?

[Drewster]

<snip>

Hey Brillo
I take it all back....... that was more fun than I expected!

[Ivor Bigun]

Even if permies are paid twice as much I will not give up my dignity; .

Sounds like sour grapes

[Mich the Tester]

Even if permies are paid twice as much I will not give up my dignity; I’d sooner buy a chip van and keep the dignity of self employment. Arguably permies deserve more than they get just for the amount of corporate BS they have to swallow.

[Drewster]

... Trend

[expat]

It is mandatory for this role to be FLUENT in ENGLISH, FRENCH & DUTCH!

Tee hee ... agree ... how could you have time for any IT having learnt all that?

By being Flemish? Or just living in Belgium for a while.

I'm fluent in English, French and German, for example, and I would think that quite a few people here are too. Especially anybody who is Swiss. Three languages is not abnormal.

[Sysman]

26k in central London hey? You can earn that driving a bus.

That's was I was seeing in 2003. The only people likely to apply were those who had already retired on on index-linked pension, with their mortgage paid off, or Bob Shadwadi.