IT Contractor - In ha'ere

Phate · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:14

Hello All,

Question for the IT Contractors here.

What qualifications would you guys say are best to do to become a contractor?

I have just started my MCSE for my own gains, but it has got me thinking what else I could do and possibly move onto contracting as that seems to be where really good money is. I've seen a lot of jobs paying £600 a day. Which I want a piece of

So aside from MCSE, what else would be good to do? Obviously experience counts for a lot, but that is only something I can pick up as I go along.

Thanks all,
Jacob.

[DOD]Asprilla · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:18

Depends what you want to do - IT contracting is a big and diverse place.

I'm classed as an IT contractor, but I have no technical qualifications at all since I specialise in process design and business analysis.

Unless you know what you want to do within IT how can you know which qualifications to get?

Admiral Huddy · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:18

All the contacts I've worked on in the past are by the experience you have and qualifications don't come into it. This is because they want someone who will fit straight in with no faffing around. Contractors interviews are structured very differently than a permy interview.

Phate · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:25

[DOD]Asprilla;10678671 said:
Depends what you want to do - IT contracting is a big and diverse place.

I'm classed as an IT contractor, but I have no technical qualifications at all since I specialise in process design and business analysis.

Unless you know what you want to do within IT how can you know which qualifications to get?

Ok, I should have been more specific.

Tech Services is what I'm interested in, Exchange, Data Warehousing, Active Directory.

Phate · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:26

Admiral Huddy said:
All the contacts I've worked on in the past are by the experience you have and qualifications don't come into it. This is because they want someone who will fit straight in with no faffing around. Contractors interviews are structured very differently than a permy interview.

Indeed, experience does play a big part, I have gotten my past 2 jobs based on experience as I currently have no qualifications what so ever.

I feel that having some qualifications will help me get my foot in the door to gain the experience, or am I talking out of my arse?

Thanks again.
J

Burned_Alive · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:27

Without sugar coating (because if you talk yourself up in contracting and cant do the work they'll soon find out) what experience do you have?

Phate · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:32

Burned_Alive said:
Without sugar coating (because if you talk yourself up in contracting and cant do the work they'll soon find out) what experience do you have?

Been working in IT for 4 years now, 3 years of that has been 1st and 2nd line tech services work.

My current job has beeen primairily Administration (paper work) which has allowed me to pick a few things up in Active Directory.

I can build and get an OS on servers (including racks), pc's, laptops. With servers once the base OS is there I have not done any further with regards to configuring it for it's needs, like file server, exchange etc.

Thanks.

Jon Frost · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:42

Phate, Im at about he same stage as you (currently doing 2nd line field support however aroudn the UK.)

My feeling is I need some more time before i consider contracting. I hear the jump from one to tother is quite hard to.

Daveyboyuk · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:42

Phate said:
Been working in IT for 4 years now, 3 years of that has been 1st and 2nd line tech services work.

My current job has beeen primairily Administration (paper work) which has allowed me to pick a few things up in Active Directory.

I can build and get an OS on servers (including racks), pc's, laptops. With servers once the base OS is there I have not done any further with regards to configuring it for it's needs, like file server, exchange etc.

Thanks.

No offence intended but your skills will probably not bring in £600 a day (that over £100,000 per year). As people has said, contracting is about going, doing the job and leaving, with minimum fuss.

Jon Frost · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:44

IT support contracts (2nd line) get around £20 and hour after the agents take their cut.

Ish.

Phate · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:49

Jon Frost said:
Phate, Im at about he same stage as you (currently doing 2nd line field support however aroudn the UK.)

My feeling is I need some more time before i consider contracting. I hear the jump from one to tother is quite hard to.

I'm not talking about doing contracting now.

I'm talking about in a few years time when I've got A LOT more experience mate

No offence intended but your skills will probably not bring in £600 a day (that over £100,000 per year). As people has said, contracting is about going, doing the job and leaving, with minimum fuss.

Indeed, I know I wouldn't earn be able to earn £600 a day lol - I'm talking about when I've got experience and the qualifications which employers of contractors look for

My company charge £1000 a day for my services to external syndicates, but I don't see much of that

Jon Frost · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:51

Well you can have all the experiance and qualifications needed, but often in contracting its not what you know but who you know.

Admiral Huddy · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:53

Phate said:
Indeed, experience does play a big part, I have gotten my past 2 jobs based on experience as I currently have no qualifications what so ever.

I feel that having some qualifications will help me get my foot in the door to gain the experience, or am I talking out of my arse?

Thanks again.
J

No I don't think so but it is harder for a contractor to pickup new skills because companies don't tend to invest in educating temporary staff (or it's very rare they do) so the emphassis is on the contractor to self motivate and establish new skills on their own. Not easy.
.

Jon Frost said:
Well you can have all the experiance and qualifications needed, but often in contracting its not what you know but who you know.

I couldn't agree more with this.. I landed one contract in the banking sector years ago and all my contracts since and the permy job I have now have all come from who I've known.

Phate · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:54

Jon Frost said:
Well you can have all the experiance and qualifications needed, but often in contracting its not what you know but who you know.

My friends Dad has been doing contracting years and said he would be more than happy to help me find a job, he has hundreds of contacts

Just a case of being when I'm ready to do it!

Phate · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:55

Admiral Huddy said:
No I don't think so but it is harder for a contractor to pickup new skills because companies don't tend to invest in educating temporary staff (or it's very rare they do) so the emphassis is on the contractor to self motivate and establish new skills on their own. Not easy.
.

I don't expect it to be easy

I like a challenge!

Jon Frost · 13 Dec 2007 at 11:58

Good contact to have.

Another 'problem' going from perminent to contractor is that contractors are often wanted 'there and then'. They will often not wait for you to hand in your 4 week notice (or whatever you have.)

Most of my mates contracting had to quit, then apply for roles once they had no jobs. This can be quite hard if you have a mortgage etc.

Sorry, not trying to be negative just helpful

.

[DOD]Asprilla · 13 Dec 2007 at 12:02

An ITIL qualification is a decent generic one to have and it's very quick (three daysfor practitioner and one day for foundation) and relatively cheap (£1500 / £600 accordingly).

If a company operates in an ITIL environment they want contractors who can slot straight in and understand the structure.

a1ex2001 · 13 Dec 2007 at 12:03

Phate said:
Been working in IT for 4 years now, 3 years of that has been 1st and 2nd line tech services work.

My current job has beeen primairily Administration (paper work) which has allowed me to pick a few things up in Active Directory.

I can build and get an OS on servers (including racks), pc's, laptops. With servers once the base OS is there I have not done any further with regards to configuring it for it's needs, like file server, exchange etc.

Thanks.

I think you need to get some more experience before you consider contracting as your skills appear to be too low for any type of AD or exchange contracting. I'd suggest a technical role with a company which hosts it's IT in house or a junior consulting role.

I have built a couple of AD systems and some Exchange environments and I only now consider myself as being close to having skills with touting as a contractor.

If you try and blag it as a contractor you will get caught out!

callmeBadger · 13 Dec 2007 at 12:05

Basic 3rd line support, building and configuring servers and acting as an escalation point for the support staff, £350 - £400 a day is what my place charges to have me on site.

Companies are fine to pay that much, but they do expect you to turn up at 8 in the morning never before having set foot in the place and by 8.30 be practically running the place.

Phate · 13 Dec 2007 at 12:15

Jon Frost said:
Good contact to have.

Another 'problem' going from perminent to contractor is that contractors are often wanted 'there and then'. They will often not wait for you to hand in your 4 week notice (or whatever you have.)

Most of my mates contracting had to quit, then apply for roles once they had no jobs. This can be quite hard if you have a mortgage etc.

Sorry, not trying to be negative just helpful .

Indeed, I have a 1 month notice to give, but like I say, I won't be doing this for quite some time yet.

[DOD said:
Asprilla]An ITIL qualification is a decent generic one to have and it's very quick (three daysfor practitioner and one day for foundation) and relatively cheap (£1500 / £600 accordingly).

If a company operates in an ITIL environment they want contractors who can slot straight in and understand the structure.

That's great! Thanks dude, will look into it

a1ex2001 said:
I think you need to get some more experience before you consider contracting as your skills appear to be too low for any type of AD or exchange contracting. I'd suggest a technical role with a company which hosts it's IT in house or a junior consulting role.

I have built a couple of AD systems and some Exchange environments and I only now consider myself as being close to having skills with touting as a contractor.

If you try and blag it as a contractor you will get caught out!

Like I say, I'm not going to be doing it yet, not for quite some time.

I wouldn't try to blag, my 2 faced ******* uncle does this and makes sure he signs a 6 month contract and he's hated by a lot of companys around europe.

callmeBadger said:
Basic 3rd line support, building and configuring servers and acting as an escalation point for the support staff, £350 - £400 a day is what my place charges to have me on site.

Companies are fine to pay that much, but they do expect you to turn up at 8 in the morning never before having set foot in the place and by 8.30 be practically running the place.

Thanks for the info

.