A reasonable starting rate

**Cooperinliverp00l** · 15 October 2008, 09:57

what is always said on this forum if your happy with the rate then go for it....if your not then demand higher but what if the agent say no ? will you walk away or accept the original price ?

Personally i work out my personal rate...bolt on top travel expenses and this is the rate i say...if they aren't happy then i say no and walk away

Good luck

**Jubber** · 15 October 2008, 10:13

If you are talking to the client directly then you are in a much better position. Will you have to stay over for the gig? Try and bolt on travel and accommodation expenses. If you have to stay over the rate does seem a bit low.

If you are local and that's all it's paying, then yes, why not. 250 a day is still over a grand a week. Much needed experience on the CV, London client, may lead to bigger better things. Go for it.

**stackpole** · 15 October 2008, 10:20

Two sensible replies out of two? I'm on the wrong website...

I am not a web developer myself, and maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but web development doesn't seem to pay as well as a few years ago. 250/day doesn't sound bad.

**tay** · 15 October 2008, 10:28

And Web Developer is a pretty generic term, if most fo your CV is full of 'Mew Media' contracts.. I would take the money and thank yourself lucky.
If on the other hand you previous contracts have involved massive amounts of business layer, analysis and problem solving with new technology in major blue chips.... maybe 250 is far to low.
And your claim to be good at what you do is totally pointless. You are a very small fish in a big pond.

**expat** · 15 October 2008, 10:29

Originally posted by scotty46 View Post

.....
I'm very good at what I do (web developer), so don't want to underprice myself.
.....

Almost worth a separate thread, this part. Is there better money top be had for being very good? How do you get it? How do you establish that you are really good, and therefore worth it?

Not through the agent, for sure: most of them don't care if you are good, or don't even know what it means.

**Ruprect** · 15 October 2008, 10:39

Originally posted by scotty46 View Post

Hi there,

I'm new to this contracting business and am talking to a potential client about a 4 month contract. They're only offering 250/day while working in central london, which although seems almost reasonable to me looks very low compared all the stuff I see on this board and others like it. I'm very good at what I do (web developer), so don't want to underprice myself.

Any thoughts? I was gonna go back and ask for something in the region of 350-400/day, which seems more in line with the general trends.

Any advice appreciated!!

Aren't we all?

OK, who's sock puppet is this then eh? come on, own up.

**jim2406** · 15 October 2008, 10:49

what language stack do you use?

rates for PHP / LAMP etc seem to be a lot less than MS technology

**DimPrawn** · 15 October 2008, 10:52

Originally posted by jim2406 View Post

what language stack do you use?

rates for PHP / LAMP etc seem to be a lot less than MS technology

Cos MS is proper enterprise level technology stack and PHP / LAMP is for 1990's "Welcome to My Homepage" stuff.

HTH

**jim2406** · 15 October 2008, 10:55

agreed (i'm a .net person)

i just didn't want to piss all over the LAMP campfire by saying it's rubbish :-)

as someone said prior web developer covers a very broad spectrum!

A reasonable starting rate