Reply to: Urgent 13 developers required, do such projects work?

[eek]

Actually given the level of comments around £50k not getting you a 'decent' developer is actually a joke. Those comments are the ones that are picked up by Business leaders that we have a skills shortage and need to FTV or offshore. In truth £50k is a fantastic
salary and the vast majority of permie developers aim for that amount. Development skills are ten a penny in Asia and in truth it's the Business Analysis / Technical / Systems Analysis skills that are sought after. Developers =
Bobs.

Don't flatter yourselves.

To an extent you are right. However there is a significant London premium which you just don't get even if you go 20 miles outside London. I would have no problem seeing that salary attached to Basingstoke, Reading or even zone 6 London and think it was a plausible to get that number of decent people. Go 100 miles north and you could easily get decent people for £35-40,000.

Once you hit central London however I think it ends up being very hard to get decent people who will stay any length of time. In many ways its the same issues we all have when thinking about taking a job there. Is the extra £100 a day worth the hassle of getting there and back again.

And as you say its development. There is no way that all 13 people need to be on site developing a project. While I don't think there is sensible reason in the world for work to be offshored you could easily onshore that work to the north save yourselves £150,000 a year and be guaranteed that there were not 500 other opportunities trying to steal your star developer.

[MarillionFan]

Given the quality of work I see down in London £50,000 isn't going to get you much of any type of developer.

Actually given the level of comments around £50k not getting you a 'decent' developer is actually a joke. Those comments are the ones that are picked up by Business leaders that we have a skills shortage and need to FTV or offshore. In truth £50k is a fantastic
salary and the vast majority of permie developers aim for that amount. Development skills are ten a penny in Asia and in truth it's the Business Analysis / Technical / Systems Analysis skills that are sought after. Developers =
Bobs.

Don't flatter yourselves.

[eek]

The use of "pay grades" and "salary" still make me wonder if it IS for contractors.
We're talking around the £200-250/day mark if it is, which in central London is farcical. Unless they want a team of PHP/VB developers.

Given the quality of work I see down in London £50,000 isn't going to get you much of any type of developer.

[d000hg]

Are you worried about the fact that:

- They are all being recruited very quickly (lack of planning by project mgmt)
- They won't have any time to form a team (leading to poor performance)
- They will all be contractors (although not implicit, this is implied in the above?)

I'd be more concerned regarding the quality of contractor you could get for £50k a year.

Suity and his friends?

The use of "pay grades" and "salary" still make me wonder if it IS for contractors.
We're talking around the £200-250/day mark if it is, which in central London is farcical. Unless they want a team of PHP/VB developers.

[Mich the Tester]

God I had good hair back then.

I had hair back then.

[eek]

Are you worried about the fact that:

- They are all being recruited very quickly (lack of planning by project mgmt)
- They won't have any time to form a team (leading to poor performance)
- They will all be contractors (although not implicit, this is implied in the above?)

I'd be more concerned regarding the quality of contractor you could get for £50k a year.

Suity and his friends?

[AtW]

Yes, you and DP have both suffered since then.

Au contraire - we both made others suffer

[d000hg]

20 years ago I earned maybe $100 per month if that.

Yes, you and DP have both suffered since then.

[DodgyAgent]

God I had good hair back then.

It was so smooth you land an aircraft on it

[DimPrawn]

God I had good hair back then.

[Zippy]

You buggers are a lost cause

[DodgyAgent]

Are you worried about the fact that:

- They are all being recruited very quickly (lack of planning by project mgmt)
- They won't have any time to form a team (leading to poor performance)
- They will all be contractors (although not implicit, this is implied in the above?)

Its a massive reference grabbing exercise

[Freamon]

SO basically I got this hilarious email from an agent today, seeking 13 (thirteen!) developers, with very concrete pay grades, so a project that's about to eat 13 x 50k = 650k in salaries per annum alone, add an office in central London to house said devs plus the inevitable middle management and we're looking at burning millions of pounds and I just can't see how it's going to the most efficient way to spend/invest that kind of money.
Or am I wrong and this will attract the top talent and the group of 13 will produce software that will earn those millions back in no time at all?

Are you worried about the fact that:

- They are all being recruited very quickly (lack of planning by project mgmt)
- They won't have any time to form a team (leading to poor performance)
- They will all be contractors (although not implicit, this is implied in the above?)

[shaunbhoy]

So was I. You never heard of a child prodigy?

I did look funny in my suit mind.

Plus ca change!!

[DimPrawn]

You old fecker. I was only 5.

So was I. You never heard of a child prodigy?

I did look funny in my suit mind.