Anybody an IT contractor?

pinkaardvark

pinkaardvark

pinkaardvark

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Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
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Location
Cambs
Just been made redundant(not nice) but with a 10k settlement(so not too bad).

So i'm looking into going solo and need some pointers/advice about contracting in IT although advice welcomed from anyone contracting ie setting up a ltd or umbrella, finding work, am I mad hehe.

For info I'm a VB.NET/SQL developer with Analyst/Architect skills blah blah MCSD/MCTS etc. No idea what the job market is like as so many of the jobs listed look like CV trawling exercises but determined to give it a go before going back to being a permie.

All help welcomed.
 
pinkaardvark said:
So i'm looking into going solo and need some pointers/advice about contracting in IT although advice welcomed from anyone contracting ie setting up a ltd or umbrella, finding work, am I mad hehe.
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http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17698856

Some good advice in that thread.

pinkaardvark said:
For info I'm a VB.NET/SQL developer with Analyst/Architect skills blah blah MCSD/MCTS etc.
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If I were you, I'd get upto speed on C# (if you're not already), it should take you around 10 minutes if you're a decent developer. Most good .NET development contracts want C# rather than VB.NET in my experience.
 
Mickey said:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17698856

Some good advice in that thread.

If I were you, I'd get upto speed on C# (if you're not already), it should take you around 10 minutes if you're a decent developer. Most good .NET development contracts want C# rather than VB.NET in my experience.
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Yeah, i'm aware of that. I have been upgrading my skill set and sitting some more current MS certs and doing them in C#. You're right as I know the .net Framework very well converting to c# has really taken me very little time. Just I don't have any experience per say to stick on my CV.
 
pinkaardvark said:
Yeah, i'm aware of that. I have been upgrading my skill set and sitting some more current MS certs and doing them in C#.
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Nobody really cares about the MS certs you know? Nobody really cares about any qualifications. It's all about experience in contracting.

pinkaardvark said:
You're right as I know the .net Framework very well converting to c# has really taken me very little time. Just I don't have any experience per say to stick on my CV.
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Write yourself a new CV to submit for contracting jobs.

Structure it like:
Page 1:
  • Your name, address & contact details
  • Personal profile - just say who you are, sort of work you like doing
  • Key Skills - basically just a bullet pointed list of any technologies and languages you know/have experience of
  • Relevant Commercial Experience - bit of blurb about how you have experience doing lots of things, full development lifecycle etc.. then a bullet pointed list of projects you've worked on, mention which languages you used and what you did
Page 2:
  • Education details, any qualifications you've done, where you did them, any you are currently doing etc.. If it's a big qualification (degree size) maybe a list of projects you did as part of it
  • Work Experience - list of places you've worked, basic job title and dates you worked there
  • Leisure Activities - just a basic bit of info about you, what you like doing, show them you're the kinda guy they want to have around
Page 3:
  • There is no page 3, they probably didn't even read page 2

The most important part if submitting your CV to agencies is the key skills list of keywords for their CV searching system to pickup ;) I also know people who put big lists of technology keywords in the document properties in Word so they get picked up for pretty much any search run.

Once you have that CV, find some good agencies and submit it to them, upload it to jobserve, apply directly for any decent jobs you see advertised and you should be on your way.

When it comes to giving daily rates, it varies from area to area but i'd not go below £200-250 if you want them to think you're worth having. If you're not desperate for a job straight away then say £300-400 and wait for a bigger money contract to come up (you could be waiting a while though).


Good luck :)
 
Firstly thanks for an excellent reply.

Yeah the MS cert thing, i'm using that more as a vehicle to constructively use my time on the bench to update my skills. i.e the two main areas that i'm weak on are c# and ASP.NET so studying for the certs is helping me focus on learning.

Can I ask if you have set up a ltd company? Should I do that now or should I wait to get a contract and then do it at short notice? Just I notice that on some of the jobsites when you hit reply it asks for that info.
 
i think your required to setup ltd company if you do your own tax returns/audits

i use a umbrella company called parasol to do all the tax for me,at a cost though of 25 quid p.w

i may be wrong on the former info , but im not ltd.
 
Dogoid said:
i think your required to setup ltd company if you do your own tax returns/audits

i use a umbrella company called parasol to do all the tax for me,at a cost though of 25 quid p.w

i may be wrong on the former info , but im not ltd.
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Ok, I fancy the challenge of administering the accounts etc for a ltd, but in the short term my objective is just to get a first contract to help me build up a bit of a buffer fund etc.

I'll have a look at parasol thanks.

I guess my biggest problem is just fear and after being made redundant i'm questioning my abilities(although was made redundant due to lack of work rather than performance).

I'm cambridge based so looking for anything along the M11 corridor. So you reckon I should look at around the £300pw level to ensure I get something quickly. 3-6 months doing something cack is fine by me as it'll give me the breathing space to pad out my skillset to make my CV more contract friendly.
 
p.s. I really appreciate the advice and I see parasol have a referrer scheme so I'd be happy to give them you details so you get a cash bung mate, just drop me a mail at MyOcukUsername at hotmail dot com
 
pinkaardvark said:
I'm cambridge based so looking for anything along the M11 corridor. So you reckon I should look at around the £300pw level to ensure I get something quickly.
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Is that a typo or did you really say £300 PER WEEK? I'd be looking for more £300 per day mate.

As for an umbrella company, in the past i've used http://www.paystream.co.uk/ and they seemed decent. Ended up with quite a bit more after tax than I would have otherwise (and it was nice to know that all the tax was paid by the time it got to me). Using this service I had a LTD company setup in my name and run by them.

For most of my work though (I work mainly freelance) I just invoice directly, i'm registered as a sole trader and do a standard self assessment tax return myself. I should get round to setting up a LTD myself really, from what I can tell, it's not complicated, just getting the time to look into it is hard :)
 
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