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Working for a consultancy - pros/cons?

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    Working for a consultancy - pros/cons?

    Apologies if this topic has been raised already , I did a quick search and could not find what I am looking for.
    I am working as a permanent employee in a bank and have been thinking about going contracting for some time. Due to the mortgage application and not having enough money in war chest I can't dive in into contracting yet. I decided to carry on working as permanent for a couple of years and do the jump later on if I still feel like it.
    As I was looking for a new job, I have been approached by a consultancy and they offered very attractive package, over 15% more than I make now. Their client and type of work is very similar to what I do now. They subcontract me for a bank and I work as a permanent employee for this consultancy. For me it looks like a good first step towards going contract.

    What should I look out for? I understand that I would need to read contract papers very carefully to catch out things like overtime, notice period, pension ( pension is much smaller AFAIK).
    What other things are different when working as a 'proper' employee and being subcontracted by a consultancy?

    #2
    You are over thinking it. You are still a proper employee. The fact you work at a clients site (for now) is pretty irrelavant.

    Well actually its not. I cant help thinking its 15% more because they'll just bin you if they lose the gig so your job security iant quite as good.

    The rest of it is just permie stuff and this is a contractor site. I think you are getting too giddy for the wrong reasons. You need to be looking at the consultacy and see if this is a long term thing or if they are just going to use abuse and cast aside.
    Last edited by northernladuk; 14 November 2016, 21:29.
    'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

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      #3
      I worked for a consultancy before contracting.
      But a real consultancy, different project/client every few months. Learnt to think on my feet, hit the ground running, be productive on my first day.

      I would look for a consultancy that will give you useful experience, not more of the same.
      Fiscal nomad it's legal.

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        #4
        15% is nothing to flinch over. 250-300% was how much I boasted my permie income by when moving to contract gig. Did not realise how much my employer was taking the...
        "Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience". Mark Twain

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          #5
          I see no advantage.

          I have worked with a lot of these perm consultants.

          They are often working away from home - so it's a young mans game.

          They do long hours- often there is high pressure to advance the consultancy within the bank, so you can be under pressure from your consultancy bosses as well as the bank bosses (even more so). And late nights are often followed by drinking with other consultants afterwards. A lot of adultery goes on between peer consultants away from home.

          You probably cannot return to a client as a contractor for a year after working there for the consultancy.

          Some of them pocket their daily food "per diem" (I think it's called) and live very frugally while on a job. That's how they make their money.

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            #6
            Originally posted by Fronttoback View Post
            I see no advantage.

            I have worked with a lot of these perm consultants.

            They are often working away from home - so it's a young mans game.

            They do long hours- often there is high pressure to advance the consultancy within the bank, so you can be under pressure from your consultancy bosses as well as the bank bosses (even more so). And late nights are often followed by drinking with other consultants afterwards. A lot of adultery goes on between peer consultants away from home.

            You probably cannot return to a client as a contractor for a year after working there for the consultancy.

            Some of them pocket their daily food "per diem" (I think it's called) and live very frugally while on a job. That's how they make their money.
            This is exactly my experience when I was at Accenture. To the T. It was fun whilst it lasted, but it became very tiresome.
            I was an IPSE Consultative Council Member, until the BoD abolished it. I am not an IPSE Member, since they have no longer have any relevance to me, as an IT Contractor. Read my lips...I recommend QDOS for ALL your Insurance requirements (Contact me for a referral code).

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              #7
              Originally posted by Scruff View Post
              This is exactly my experience when I was at Accenture. To the T. It was fun whilst it lasted, but it became very tiresome.
              Lately in my line there will be me and maybe two or three other independent contractors. And then armies of perm consultants, dozens. Usually a few Accenture guys in there. (They are usually pretty good). What I don't like about these consultancies, generally, is how they try to push out the contractors so that they can get more of themselves in- they are obviously being incentivised to do it. It's another dimension of stress to deal with apart from workload.

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                #8
                Originally posted by Scruff View Post
                This is exactly my experience when I was at Accenture. To the T. It was fun whilst it lasted, but it became very tiresome.
                +1 with my experience with Accenture, IBM and EDS/HP. Accenture was probably the worst for that culture with meeting rooms packed with consultants working all hours at some of the ClientCos I have been at.

                I think it's good for new grads/starters to get experience quickly but you will crave more control of what you are doing after the consultancy wants to clear the bench and get you doing something at a client site that isn't where you want to take your career.

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                  #9
                  Thank you all, this helps to put it into perspective.

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by scooterscot View Post
                    how much I boasted
                    I do enjoy a good Freudian.

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