Veni, vidi, but not quite vici

[QwertyNow]

After attempting to get a contracting career started, I am going back to a permie role for now (which I am looking for at the moment). Did not manage to find a contract, but did learn a couple of valuable lessons about what not to do when trying to move from permie to contracting !

At this stage, I think I would like to stay in the permie job for 1-2 years, and then come back and have another go at the contracting market. Except I would like to pick a permie job which is better suited (based on what I learnt when I was looking for a contract) for a launch into contracting.

(a) Am not quite sure what to do with my limited company which I incorporated. Shut it down? Make it "dormant" (but in this case my accountant says they will still charge fees on a monthly basis, something like £48 per month) ?

(b) Ideally, I would like to move to the financial sector (on the technical side), but my background is telecom and embedded. Would experience with trading turrets be useful (see the Existing systems at Trading turret - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) ?

Thanks,
QN

[BrilloPad]

Did you actually contract(as in invoice) via your company?

[QwertyNow]

Before I attempted to get into contracting, I incorporated my company, hired an accountant, and opened a business bank account, so that I was prepared to start working as soon as I picked up my first contract.

Except that I did not pick up a contract and am going back to permie land but with a (firm) intention of giving contracting another go in a year or so.

[BrilloPad]

I have just starting a contract after a few years permie. The first thing I did was get a gig. Then got limited company etc. That would be the best way next time.

As it will be a year or two, personally I would close the company down.

As for finance, its odd that previous finance experience helps. I suppose they like to see if people can stand the commute and can put up with simplistic systems and rude people. Effectively you need to drop your rate to get the first city gig. People *tend* to do one gig or get trapped looking for a way out.

[QwertyNow]

As for finance, its odd that previous finance experience helps.
Sorry, did you mean true rather than odd?

I suppose they like to see if people can stand the commute and can put up with simplistic systems and rude people. Effectively you need to drop your rate to get the first city gig. People *tend* to do one gig or get trapped looking for a way out.
Sorry again, but what did you mean by that (the bit in bold) ?

Thanks,
QN

[BrilloPad]

As for finance, its odd that previous finance experience helps.
Sorry, did you mean true rather than odd?

I suppose they like to see if people can stand the commute and can put up with simplistic systems and rude people. Effectively you need to drop your rate to get the first city gig. People *tend* to do one gig or get trapped looking for a way out.
Sorry again, but what did you mean by that (the bit in bold) ?

Thanks,
QN

1. It is true and odd. Occasionally there are adverts that say "non previous finance welcome". Thing is .net coding is .net coding. Why does it matter what sector it is in?

2. I have worked with a few who hate the commute, hate the culture. They do one contract then leave. Others put up with it for the money - they don't want to be there.

I always remember working with a brainbox who came from pharmaceuticals. He doubled his money to come to the city(Tokyo MItsubishi International - if anyone remembers them). He expected the work to be twice as interesting or twice as hard. He got neither and was sadly disappointed. But he still took the money.

Hope that helps - feel free to ask more. Hopefully you will get some other opinions too!

[QwertyNow]

Thank you, that does it make it clearer.

QN