The Dreaded Question

[BrilloPad]

If you just don't want to, then say so.

Was it Sonny from the Godfather film who was told "Never tell anyone what you are thinking ever again"?

[DimPrawn]

[LondonManc]

I want £200k. Bosses wife 3 nights a week. A new DFS sofa. A handyman to bleed my radiators. And every gladiator film ever produced.

DFS?

[DimPrawn]

MF's boss was quite difficult to say no to.

[vetran]

Though they do get their pound of flesh.

not a big investment for you then?

[expat]

I've had it go both ways. One place did the money calculation exactly, to give me the same net as I was getting as a contractor. But they only wanted me for another 2 months, that was understood all round, so it was just contracting in a way that the accounts and legal depts were OK with.

Another place didn't take the idea seriously: they expected me to be so grateful to be offered a job, that I would accept a normal permie salary in order to get it. There wasn't what you would really call a meeting of minds on that one. But at bottom I was glad there wasn't, because I just didn't want to be a permie at any price.

And that goes more than ever now that my warchest, modest though it is, can stretch out to retirement if it has to. I would like to do another contract or two, but I will never conceivably work permie again, it would take too much out of my life that I would never get back. And actually that was always true: I went contracting for the money originally, as many of us did, but I stayed for the feeling that my life was mine, or at least a little more so, than as a wage slave.

I am philosophically inclined to believe in the market, so I suppose I would have to admit that there must be a price for which I would go permie. But even I am scared to think of how high it might be now.

[lukemg]

Look, standard response is:
'Are you f**king joking ? I would top myself now if I wasn't out of here in 3 months...

[ELBBUBKUNPS]

Realistically though if you ever do want to go permy in the long term the only way to get a good salary these days is contract to perm as the permy offers in that case are a lot higher than you would get in a open market going direct to permy. My preferred option is contract to perm as I know it will secure a better permy wage but it depends on what your long term goals are.

[NotAllThere]

During a progress/update call yesterday with the time sheet signer/lunatic he asked the question i hoped he wouldnt..

Him, Will you go perm?
Me, Not really my thing i enjoy contracting etc etc
Him, what would it take?

In 2000, when the market was dead, I had a similar conversation. I told the pimp, 50K. He said, fine, I'll put your forward. I was called for interview and again I was asked my salary expectations. I again said 50k. The HR lass went a bit pale, but the IT manager just nodded and smiled.

A week later, it turned out the IT manager handed his notice in the day after I was interviewed, suggested I be his replacement. On rather more than 50k... I took the position and I certainly don't regret it. Although I jumped off the management greasy pole five years later to go back to technical consulting.

(And now I earn more than I ever did, and have very little stress. I just took today off to go skiing - perfect condition: it snowed last night quite heavily and temperatures remained below zero).

[MrMarkyMark]

Around 8 years ago, was in discussion about a BI practitioner role, basically creating a consultancy arm.
120k basic, 30k bonus, shares etc.
Would have had to work/smooze, all hours, MF's lifestyles not for me, I cannot abide cheap Champagne, for one thing

Turn it down, no regrets