Badger Stuffer

I understand your frustration and I do sympathise. However, the agent is in business to make money, the client is in business to make money and so are you.

Not every system is fair and we have to make do with the one that works best for all parties.

Maybe get your client to make the agent an offer to buy you for a permanent role and then negotiate the **** out of them for a good salary. Pronbably won't be as good but you will have paid holiday, sick leave, pension and no agensy hassles.

Worth thinking about.

TopBanana

Interesting idea, but there are fixed pay bands for permies - I'd hardly be able to afford the train in.

I also think it looks good in the future if you've ridden out a lull in the contracting market without being out of contracts.

Thanks all for your advice

[Edited by jlanng - 2/27/2003 12:47:34 PM]

I_dont_giveafvk

all IT peeps earn shed loads even if the agency takes a cut, stop cumplaining youz got a job aint you?

bezzie mate of mine was in IT and cant get a job, count yourself lucky and stop winging

TopBanana

ROFLMAO @ I_dont_giveafvk

I_dont_giveafvk

jlang

nice one glad to put a smile on your boat

medders

"All IT peeps earn shed loads" - What bollox
And having a job at the moment isn't neccesarily down to luck.
maybe jllangs really good at his job ?

I'm guessing idontgiveafvk that you dont work in IT?

I_dont_giveafvk

nah not me, just my mate always been saying how much peeps earn in IT hes says contractors earn 300 a day which is more than me in a week

carl

Some do, some don't. Those that do, only do so when they're working. Lots of out-of-work contractors at the moment -- if you're in work for six months at £300/day then out of work for six months you've averaged £150/day.

Badger Stuffer

In the glory days £1000+ a day but now the same rates have been reduced to £550..

medders

hehe - some do. Don't forget though that they have to "run a business" out of that money as well (if they're proper contractors)
If they're not running properly and they get IR35'd they'll not be happy.
plus rates at the moment are sh1te. Lots are getting out of the business as its quite bad at the moment and rates are not good.

carl

I've seen contracts ("Monitor Aligner: responsible for setting contrast, brightness, etc." ) going for £5/ph recently.

And "Senior Project Manager" positions that pay £20k pa

I_dont_giveafvk

you wanna see the motors i work on that are owned by IT people, beemers, porkers, audis the motor trade will be affected if IT people dont earn so much

mate at a local main dealer says most of their business is from IT bods

carl

LOL! Most of the 'nice' houses round my way are owned by plumbers or decorators.
There seems to be this myth that all people who work in IT are fantastically rich

MarkO

Actually, I think a lot of it is to do with luck - I know plenty of very good people who've had contracts terminated or who've been made redundant, regardless of their (extremely high) skill levels.

'Being good' isn't enough to stay in a job if the whole project's being canned. All 'being good' will do is make it easier to find another contract...

Pete Croney

If you are "on the cards" with the agency then they must pay 11% employers NI on top of anything that they pay you. That leaves them with 14% gross profit. Take out their overheads (office, admin staff, systems and furniture, rates, advertising, insurance etc) and it won't leave much net profit.

zax

"you wanna see the motors i work on that are owned by IT people, beemers, porkers, audis the motor trade will be affected if IT people dont earn so much"

It has been affected. They're doing a roaring trade in used Imprezas For sale due to redundancy...

carl

Pete -- that's not how IT contractors work unless they're working through umbrella companies. Most are limited companies, i.e. their own company gets "client's rate" minus "agency's cut", then their company decides how to distribute it, paying the employer's NI on anything paid as salary.

medders

We'll have to agree to disagree then marko. i dont beleive in luck. If a jobs going t1ts up I get out sharpish. Never been sacked or made redundant from a project in ten years.

Maybe I've been lucky

MarkO

Me either. But I know some people that have, through no fault of their own.

And if you know you're going to be made redundant, bailing out early doesn't make you any smarter or more employable....

My last contract ended 2 months' before my renewal date, but since I'd moved to Scotland by then it didn't really matter. The only reason I didn't leave early was because on the rate I was on, sitting and Scoobynetting until the final day was the only sensible thing to do.

TopBanana

Looks like the agency was obliged, by their relationsip with the client, to divuldge the commission to me - which they didn't