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Renewal / Rate Increase / Role Change

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    Renewal / Rate Increase / Role Change

    Yay time for the age old question! Edit - apologies, seems to have turned into a wall of text.

    Let me set the scene a little first;

    It's my first gig, I joined an already-missed-it's-deadline-thrice project. The team manned by consultants, one as an interim lead.

    ClientCo gave a deadline that was achievable if not a little reckless. We hit the deadline through over time,increasing technical debt and corralling teams we have dependencies on into bumping us up the priority list. A lot of this was lead by me, because the interim lead was floundering in his new role, having spent the last 40 years of life shirking all responsibility and the five before that crapping himself.

    So here I am 3 months into the project, approaching burn out, glad for a breather and hey, maybe I can finally do the washing up now?

    Meanwhile interim lead has communicated upwards that I am dissatisfied with the work we are doing. This is not entirely untrue as the expectations are absurd and negotiating with teams for resources isn't why I got into programming.

    As a reward for my hard work and to stop me from leaving due to job dissatisfaction I am offered a lead role on a new project, that also, drum roll please, has a possible but very tight deadline.

    Obviously interim lead has done a bad job of communicating why I am dissatisfied - no surprises there, his inter-personal skills are worse than his technical ones and that is saying something.

    I have since bypassed him from the comms loop and communicated my own position of having gone above and beyond reasonable expectations of a contractor to deliver, and said that I have no intention of continuing in the same vein despite the tight deadline.

    As an aside it looks like the previous team (incompetents) will be the team I am leading on the new project, with interim lead presumably now beneath me.

    I mentioned to ClientCo that my contract is up end of Jan and they immediately wanted to know how to renew it with the consultancy.

    Off the back of this I mentioned it to my agent. He asked if I would accept and I said it depends on the offer, which he said wont change.

    Now this is a lot of nothing at the moment as there's no formal offer.

    Ignoring all of the above, I am already underpaid for market - a guy left our team recently and you could add 100 to my day rate and I'd still be short of what the ad said. (My first gig, got stiffed, long chain)

    What is the best way to approach a raise, given that clientco want me to lead project with tight deadline and I am already under market value? Agent is unlikely to want to rock the boat for fear of the agency he is contracting with wont give him more gigs, probably doesn't have great margin to sacrifice.

    The margin is all with ConsultancyCorp so is it them I push? Or try to get the client to on my behalf? Or just tell the agent that my responsibilities have increased and I am putting my rate up and let him figure out where to get it from.

    #2
    The only real way is to get another role lined up, at a rate you like, and be prepared to walk.

    Anything else could leave you up tulip creek with Apple Maps.

    Back in the day, one used to get rate increases without even asking, ohh, the 90’s....

    Comment


      #3
      Quote them an extra 100 pd and be prepared to walk.

      Comment


        #4
        It sounds like you're unhappy there and a more senior role with even £100/day more isn't going to change that.

        End of Jan is a long way off yet. It would be surprising if the client gave you an extension already but it's not unheard of. It sounds like you're ready to move on though, you sound thoroughly fed up.

        Try lining something else up, a contract elsewhere. Then you have something to compare with and something to negotiate with. Until then, you have little choice.

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          #5
          No way you'll get a rise that will be knocked on the head by the accounts dept. They don't care what you did, IT projects and whether they delivered in week 42 or week 43 doesn't interest them. In fact financially it usually has virtually no impact as to when something is delivered as it usually takes several months before a deliverable is having some meaningful impact.

          Make your choice now, if you have nothing in the pipeline it'll take you a few weeks to get a new contract and it probably won't be 100 pounds a day more.

          If you don't have any alternatives then I would just renew. bear in mind no-one is asking you to go beyond the call of duty, that was your own personal decision. In your next project just replan the end delivery date rather than killing yourself. It wouldn't surprise me if the new features remained switched off for the next few months any way.
          I'm alright Jack

          Comment


            #6
            You shouldn't be doing any work that isn't in your contract.
            'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

            Comment


              #7
              Thanks for the advice, I will try and get something else so I am in a stronger bargaining position and have options.

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                #8
                Sounds like a bit of an IR35 nightmare to me as I already suggested. It's just a gig, you'll have plenty over your career. Don't fall in love with it, you aren't a permie anymore.

                You also need to understand that as a contractor you can't take on work that's not in your contract. This makes you look like a disguised permie which is bad. Read up on IR35 to understand more.
                'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by northernladuk View Post
                  Sounds like a bit of an IR35 nightmare to me as I already suggested. It's just a gig, you'll have plenty over your career. Don't fall in love with it, you aren't a permie anymore.

                  You also need to understand that as a contractor you can't take on work that's not in your contract. This makes you look like a disguised permie which is bad. Read up on IR35 to understand more.
                  Ignore this advice. Most people doing contracts are disguised employees and trying your best and being ambitious is well encouraged.

                  Some people here will tell you they are real business because they have some business cards or do ir35

                  Ir35 is so grey and vague no one knows much about it. Asking for a pay rise and taking on more responsibility is a good thing and you can always ask for a rise

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by 1 Jack Kada View Post
                    Ignore this advice. Most people doing contracts are disguised employees and trying your best and being ambitious is well encouraged.

                    Some people here will tell you they are real business because they have some business cards or do ir35

                    Ir35 is so grey and vague no one knows much about it. Asking for a pay rise and taking on more responsibility is a good thing and you can always ask for a rise
                    The thing about being a disguised employee is you need a really good disguise.

                    Comment

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