Contract Work

[Jass]

Hi,

I was wandering if someone could help me. I am currently exploring the contract market and am interested in starting contract work in Project coordination & ideally to move into project management. What would I need to be aware of to make this move?

I am currently working permanent full time in the MOD and know I can get more money if contracting but also know there are the down sides such as security and the travel.

Also who would be the best people to talk to for contract jobs maybe initially on a part time basis?

I would appreciate anyonew input on this from experience please

Thanks

Jass

[Sockpuppet]

Talk to the current contractors at your site if there are any about the ups and downs.

Most job boards are the best places to look. Depends what area you are in skills wise.

[Cooperinliverp00l]

i remember the day i first thought i would start to look at contracting.......

i recommend looking on job boards like Jobserve for your skills and area you live in this will give you an idea of the sorts of rates you can get and what the work load is like close to you. It will also give you an idea as to how far you would have to travel if there wasn't anything local.

i would then recomend getting your cv up to speed and start applying for jobs just so that you can start to get your name known with agents and see what sort of feedback you get from them regarding roles you have applied for (don't worry about wasting their time). You will find that majority of gigs like you to start a.s.a.p on adverts but take that with a pinch of salt (especially with government contracts) as there is a lenghty recruitment phase they have to go through.

After a few roles applied for and searches on job boards you should be able to see whether you really do want to go contracting but be prepared to hand in notice at any time should the ideal contract come along that are willing to wait for you to hand in notice (it can happen)

Good Luck

p.s total different thread but you will then need to decide to set up LTD co or go Umbrella co

[Jass]

Contract Work

Thanks for that

I have been working in Project Management for over a year now and have been inovolved in several sme projects. I class myself as a Senior Project coordinator/Junior project manager as i have had my own project to manage.

I am 24 and am not sure whether my inexperience would be held against me in the contract market. The way I see it it doesnt seem so as I have seen a number of opps around the country (particularly Greater London area) which really fit the bill in terms of what im doing and what I can do. And it pays much better as a contract obviously!

Do you think there is much of a chance of finding part time contract work that i can start alongside my current role so I can get a taster of the contract world or would that be difficult?? And if so where would be the best places to find these as it seems as if they would be rare?

This particular site also offers some great information on starting your own limited company and umbrella companies. May be a silly question but is it a reliable source for this?

I would appreciate your input greatly.

Thanks

Jass

[where did my id go?]

Do you think there is much of a chance of finding part time contract work that i can start alongside my current role so I can get a taster of the contract world or would that be difficult??

Very little chance - also your existing contract of employment may rule this out.

This particular site also offers some great information on starting your own limited company and umbrella companies. May be a silly question but is it a reliable source for this?

Depends who is talking, but generally yes. Malvolio etc are good.

look at pcg as well.

Do you have SC ? That could help you.

[Peter Loew]

Thanks for that

I have been working in Project Management for over a year now and have been inovolved in several sme projects. I class myself as a Senior Project coordinator/Junior project manager as i have had my own project to manage.

I am 24 and am not sure whether my inexperience would be held against me in the contract market. The way I see it it doesnt seem so as I have seen a number of opps around the country (particularly Greater London area) which really fit the bill in terms of what im doing and what I can do. And it pays much better as a contract obviously!

I am a recent contractor, after having finished a 9 month Technical PM gig in London a couple of weeks ago, I find that the PM contract market is extremely competitive (much more so than the Java/J2EE markets which I was also looking at). I have around 2 years of accumulated PM experience. Put simply, you want to come out of a permie situation with as much as you can - security clearance, PRINCE2, etc.

You need PRINCE2 somewhere on your CV. Even if you are not yet certified, put it down and say it's pending. Many job ads state something like, "PRINCE2 certification or at least an interest in gaining it..." so put it down if you don't already have it. Although it's not a PM methodology, ITIL is also widely sought after, so you need an understanding of what it is and ideally you will need to have worked in an ITIL structured environment. Even if job ads don't mention it, it is still something that could get your CV passed docile agents / HR departments and into the business for a potential interview.

SC Clearance is good too, and I have found that it goes hand in hand with PRINCE2, as they are both Gov. requirements a lot of the time.

I have worked in PRINCE2 and ITIL environments and have good experience of both but I am not yet certified in either. Just be aware that you need to narrow your PM experience down so it will actually be of interest to someone, if it's too generic (e.g. "Project Manager... abc") you won't get noticed and your CV will be hoarded by donkey agents.

P

[Sockpuppet]

I have been working in Project Management for over a year now and have been inovolved in several sme projects. I class myself as a Senior Project coordinator/Junior project manager as i have had my own project to manage.

I am 24 and am not sure whether my inexperience would be held against me in the contract market. The way I see it it doesnt seem so as I have seen a number of opps around the country (particularly Greater London area) which really fit the bill in terms of what im doing and what I can do. And it pays much better as a contract obviously!

Do you think there is much of a chance of finding part time contract work that i can start alongside my current role so I can get a taster of the contract world or would that be difficult?? And if so where would be the best places to find these as it seems as if they would be rare?

Well, Im 24. Started contracting when I was 23.

Inexperiance is not so much the problem as the perception that you are inexperianced. Its also about creating the right image, saying the right things all the time etc etc.

"I've worked in project management for over a year" and "I had my own project to manage". If I was a recruiter I would say that meant you managed 1 project over a period of 13 months. That doesnt really make the client ooze with confidence about your abilities. What was the size, outcome, direct reports, timescale etc.

As said before get PRINCE2, SC, more PM experiance - PM is competative. Also dont ever go contracting because of "the money", its the work-life balance you should be looking at. Daily rates seem a lot until you see what you are NOT getting paid.

The main thing is to get your CV out there. You may see a lot of contracts that you think that you can do but its getting the client to think you can do them is the challenge.