Is there an Australian version of this somewhere?
I wish people would replicate this for as many countries as possible.
Becoming a contractor programmer in the UK
101–110 of 164 posts
Re: Becoming a contractor programmer in the UK
#102The old discussion is now closed. You should be aware that there is no obligation for limited companies to have a business bank account. However, it is usually a good idea to have one. Furthermore, you don't need to be a UK resident to open a business bank account but most banks will not deal with you due to higher costs and fraud concerns. P.S. your company does not require a UK-based bank account. You can open a bu…
Very true. Also the advice about marketing yourself is crap. Recruiters are the #1 way of landing contracts. They're finders and you're paying a finders fee for that service. They have the big guys with oodles of cash to get hold of. If you can't get a gig through a recruiter then you either don't have skills that are in demand or don't come across as someone who they'd want to sell. If you don't go through the recru…
How do you find out who are the good contracting recruiters if you are interested in contracting in London/UK?
It is such a massive grey mass of companies, if you just google it or try to search LinkedIn.
Re: Becoming a contractor programmer in the UK
#103> You should have savings to cover at least 4 months of > your usual expenses. You will spend some money > establishing a company. It may take several weeks to > find your first contract. If you wanted to be extra safe, sure. I made the switch when I was heavily in debt, and it helped me get out of debt, so YMMV. > A service like www.formationsfactory.co.uk will make the > incorporation process easy. Actually it's su…
> Most permanent jobs have a 4 week notice period Really? In experienced level dev jobs? Most of the people I know are on two months notice. Three months, which is what I'm tied to, doesn't seem uncommon for senior devs/DBAs/similar.
I've never seen more than 1 month notice in a standard contract. Everyone I know who has had more than that negotiated it for themselves.
Re: Becoming a contractor programmer in the UK
#104As others have noted, the 4 months of living expenses requirement can be quite excessive. I've seen similar advice in the past and can't help but recall my personal anecdote of starting a company with barely enough money for one month of expenses. What is far more vital to one's success as a solo contractor is not having savings, but having guaranteed future revenue generation – clients with signed contracts. As the…
> 4 months of living expenses requirement can be quite excessive
That's what banks want to see, for example, if you apply for a mortgage as a contractor.
Re: Becoming a contractor programmer in the UK
#105Adding my two cents. I have been a contractor for almost 3 years now. My personal opinion: - Contracting pays a lot more than a perm role. - You do not deal with politics, which is a major plus for me. - You do not hear about you not getting your promised y% bonus because company did not do x% business. - You are not worried about 'changing the world', the way you would in a startup. - working 4-6 years your asses of…
Good list, but as a contractor in the US, the one thing that sticks out that I don't agree with (necessarily) is:
-Getting 450 a day is always better than siting idle waiting for that 550-600 a day contract.
I'm fine with making a tradeoff like that for very short term work, but I don't want to commit myself to long- or medium-term work at any sort of significant discount.
If I'm confident I can get that 550 eventually, it easily pays for those days I spend on the beach.
Re: Becoming a contractor programmer in the UK
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
Very true. Also the advice about marketing yourself is crap. Recruiters are the #1 way of landing contracts. They're finders and you're paying a finders fee for that service. They have the big guys with oodles of cash to get hold of. If you can't get a gig through a recruiter then you either don't have skills that are in demand or don't come across as someone who they'd want to sell. If you don't go through the recru…
How do you find out who are the good contracting recruiters if you are interested in contracting in London/UK? It is such a massive grey mass of companies, if you just google it or try to search LinkedIn.
Look for smaller companies and individual recruiters first. If they get you an interview in under 48 hours for a non shonky outfit and are willing to discuss your terms rather than enforcing theirs then you're probably ok. The big ones are shit. Requires phoning around for a couple of days.
Re: Becoming a contractor programmer in the UK
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
My experience (and that of many coworkers I've had) - unless you've really pissed in the pool, there is an unending supply of good contracts in London.
Anyone know what the market's like for embedded s/w development these days? ~ 15 years ago (ouch) recall we were using a lot of contractors for protracted periods & had to keep them sweet for fear they might just skip off to another job. Didn't make the transition then. Always wondered ..
Embedded contracting in the UK is dead atm.
I found that in the field, most contract vacancies from agents are fake. As for the few hw startups, they're mostly unfunded.
Re: Becoming a contractor programmer in the UK
#108> You should have savings to cover at least 4 months of > your usual expenses. You will spend some money > establishing a company. It may take several weeks to > find your first contract. If you wanted to be extra safe, sure. I made the switch when I was heavily in debt, and it helped me get out of debt, so YMMV. > A service like www.formationsfactory.co.uk will make the > incorporation process easy. Actually it's su…
On the 4 months savings thing. When I arrived in London (as a foreigner fresh off the boat) I had about 4 weeks worth of money. I couch surfed and worked the recruiters endlessly and landed a job in 10 days. It wasn't the greatest job but it was a start - a 3 month contract building a new system. It's amazing how motivated you can be when you see your bank accounts date with destiny. After the contract was signed I u…
In one of your other comments, you note that was in boom times.
Re: Becoming a contractor programmer in the UK
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
Very true. Also the advice about marketing yourself is crap. Recruiters are the #1 way of landing contracts. They're finders and you're paying a finders fee for that service. They have the big guys with oodles of cash to get hold of. If you can't get a gig through a recruiter then you either don't have skills that are in demand or don't come across as someone who they'd want to sell. If you don't go through the recru…
How do you find out who are the good contracting recruiters if you are interested in contracting in London/UK? It is such a massive grey mass of companies, if you just google it or try to search LinkedIn.
In practice, it's they who find you. Just change the address on your linked in profile to "London" and see the emails coming in. If they don't come, your CV is probably not a good fit to the current needs of available contracts (due not enough experience in technologies that are currently hot).
Re: Becoming a contractor programmer in the UK
#110Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Most permanent jobs have a 4 week notice period Really? In experienced level dev jobs? Most of the people I know are on two months notice. Three months, which is what I'm tied to, doesn't seem uncommon for senior devs/DBAs/similar.
I've never seen more than 1 month notice in a standard contract. Everyone I know who has had more than that negotiated it for themselves.
At my current company in Germany, notice period is 3 months from the end of the quarter. That effectively means it's 3 to 6 months, depending on the day you quit.
It might be on the longer side, but it's not unusual for Germany for full time professional position.
On the other hand, it works both ways, so it's not that bad as it sounds at first.