Does daily rate have anything to do with the job?

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

I started off contracting on a very measly 250/day nearly 5 years ago, rate has gradually gone up on average but also taken some big jumps on occasion. The wierd thing is that I found a big work load on that tiny rate and as I have gone up in rate the work load and hours has gone down. Some of the interviews are laughable as well.....

So is daily rate inversely proportional to the difficulty of the job at hand?

[scooterscot]

You're thinking like an employee.

You rate is based on how much you think your client is willing to pay.

If the job is difficult you've got a qualification problem. If the job is stressful, you've got too much on, ride it out. If the job needs to be delivered yesterday, charge them a bucket load.

[Avalonia]

And how much the pimp can shaft you for. I've just benched myself than extend on a tulip rate.

[Cenobite]

My philosophy, albeit pretty obvious, is that you always need to fight for the highest rate you can: it's not like they ever give you a break and think "well he's on a low rate so we can't flog him to death". Also in my experience, it's the lower paid gigs where the projects are in a more desperate state, and try to make you work harder. I don't think there's any such thing as an easy low-paid gig.

[Avalonia]

And be prepared to walk away if they won't negotiate

[Antman]

And how much the pimp can shaft you for. I've just benched myself than extend on a tulip rate.

That's ok if you want the time off, but don't chop off your nose to spite your face.

I'd rather have some money coming in than nothing even if the agent has me over a barrel, pride doesn't come into it.

[jmo21]

There are always "digital agency" contracts in my area, who pay peanuts and I have heard on the grapevine they want their {local_currency} of flesh and then some for those peanuts.

All my gigs so far have been relatively stress free in terms of work/timescales, and at what I class as good rates for where I live.

[Avalonia]

It's not cutting the nose off. Being offered a six month no notice clause extension on a crap rate for a high stress rate? Give it to some other sucker. It's no nose off my face.

[eek]

It's not cutting the nose off. Being offered a six month no notice clause extension on a crap rate for a high stress rate? Give it to some other sucker. It's no nose off my face.

+1. Certain places have reputations which mean I won't even entertain an agent discussing them (Barclays are a prime example)..

And I can cope with crap contracts I spent 18 months at Caudwell....

[northernladuk]

You're thinking like an employee.

You rate is based on how much you think your client is willing to pay.

If the job is difficult you've got a qualification problem. If the job is stressful, you've got too much on, ride it out. If the job needs to be delivered yesterday, charge them a bucket load.

+1 Can also vary greatly between clients based on their politics and attitude to contractors as well. I've been at 3 gig's in a 10 mile radius and the rates varied by nearly 100 quid for exactly the same role. Those rates were just what was standard in their organisations. Nothing to do with role or what they do.