Tulip Rates?

[Erebus]

Good grief, here's an example for you:


Mobile Application Developer
Location: Northamptonshire
Duration: Contract
Rate: £150 - 250
Length: 2 months (with a view to extend)

[ELBBUBKUNPS]

Rates do appeared to have gone soft more so in central London / city, there is alot more people around these days who will take these rate. I was looking to go back contracting and quit my permy role but the rates around at moment doesnt make it worth it.

[The Spartan]

I always base my rate on:

Location
Commute
Type of work
Expenses

Type of work can be quite a big one as I wouldn't expect the client to pay as much for manual testing as they would for automation or performance testing, so it can vary quite a bit I've seen gigs in London for £250 a day for automation but I doubt anyone in their right mind would take them, as I hear trying to find dev's in test for roles is like looking for rocking horse tulipe at the moment.

[MyUserName]

A year or two ago I got a call from an agent offering £300pd in central London for someone with 10 years of C++ and investment banking knowledge.

I laughed ... however, now things seem to have gotten worse!

[Erebus]

It's OK for graduates who need a portfolio and can get regular work at that rate. Otherwise it could end up falling short of a perm salary with lots of dry periods factored in between contracts (although maybe at that rate there wouldn't be!).

If it's local and a long contract it could be worth it. It is I think a tad too low though. Not as bad as the agent who not only called but text and emailed me continually offering a £175pd rate for something miles away. And yes I told him he was having a laugh and where to take the rate from the off!

[psychocandy]

Current rate is 40% of last one. Thats dire.

Took it because I was on bench for a few months and its one week notice. Just didnt expect to be here this long :-(

Location is a biggie for me. Easily do £150/day less for something close to home. Not just the costs but I dislike living away in the week.

Noticed though that there are some rates even in london for £250/day. Thats just nuts. I really dont know who does it for that sort of deal?

[DimPrawn]

Seeing lots of contracts in places like Leicester for £200 a day. Is Leicester the new Mumbai?

[MarillionFan]

I always based it on a take home after expenses etc so was flexible based on travel, location and expenses

[Doggy Styles]

I need to get work, so I consider all rates. Over the 17 years of contracting I have had gigs with all sorts of rates. All depends if I'm close to home, abroad, if it is a bank (those f**kers can pay more) or Jo Bloggs Ltd down the road (he can't)

I'm flexible. I certainly don't hold out for a rate I 'think' I'm worth. I also don't use my best rate as a marker to always hit or go above, I'd be on the bench a long time if I did that.

There's always room to negotiate upwards - depends how hungry you are.

WJS

Sherlock Holmes also took the ability-to-pay approach.

[DirtyDog]

Do you take a lower rate or insist on a higher rate generally?

I have a standard day rate. I then add on what I guess I will need in expenses to achieve that rate. I then take off an amount based on:

• How desperate for work am I?
• What is the location like?
• What is the work like?
• Does the client name give me anything extra?

If the work is local and interesting, that will factor into my price range at the lower end, rather than being boring and in London.

Is there room for negotiating up (or is that just a fantasy)?

Yes. I've been told that I'm too expensive for some roles, only to have the agent come back a week later and tell me that the client isn't happy to go that high, but they might make an exception... If the agent is on a fixed percentage, that's more unlikely to happen, since it's in their interest already to get the best rate they can for you.

Obviously be careful what you say on a public thread with regard to detail. And yes, there are benchmark rates listed on this site but are they accurate.

Probably not. I base my benchmark on the rates I know other people charge - I know people who are of a similar skill level who ask for a higher rate than I do and get it; I know people who are of a significantly lower skill level who ask for a much lower rate than I do and get what they deserve (and so do the clients).

Focus on working out a rate that you want / need, rather than what other people are charging. And if you find out that you are significantly cheaper than you could be, then start to increase your rates for the next contract.

[MyUserName]

It depends - where I am now is a lower rate than the previous IB I was at but the commute is less than a third of the time and the job (porting old C++ into slightly newer C++) is quite interesting.

[Jubber]

Do you take a lower rate or insist on a higher rate generally? Is there room for negotiating up (or is that just a fantasy)? Feather ruffling and egos aside what's your take on this or is it all completely subjective?

I need to get work, so I consider all rates. Over the 17 years of contracting I have had gigs with all sorts of rates. All depends if I'm close to home, abroad, if it is a bank (those f**kers can pay more) or Jo Bloggs Ltd down the road (he can't)

I'm flexible. I certainly don't hold out for a rate I 'think' I'm worth. I also don't use my best rate as a marker to always hit or go above, I'd be on the bench a long time if I did that.

There's always room to negotiate upwards - depends how hungry you are.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

welcome to the world of contracting.

[alreadypacked]

It depends on the agency involved.
Some agencies have English names but they are not.
Some agencies put adds for low rates, then try to bring in people from overseas.
Some non-English agents are trying to get business by telling customers they can fill roles at low rates, etc.

Lot's of other stuff going on. I filter this stuff out in Job$erve, create a search select the amount you want and ignore the rest.

HTH

[Erebus]

I've read a huge amount of conflicting posts and blogs re rates. Jobserve indeed also has a huge rate range for any given position type.

I see rates from as low as £75pd for IT contract positions (I'm not sure who they will hope to hire for a rate much lower than perm) to £600-700+. Not many beyond £1k (I've certainly worked with contractors that have achieved over £1.5k for niche skills in booms before), I don't doubt they still exist.

Do you take a lower rate or insist on a higher rate generally? Is there room for negotiating up (or is that just a fantasy)? Feather ruffling and egos aside what's your take on this or is it all completely subjective?

Obviously be careful what you say on a public thread with regard to detail. And yes, there are benchmark rates listed on this site but are they accurate.