My Notice Boss!
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My Notice Boss!
I’ve only gone and done it? For today I handed in my notice to pursue a career in aviation, ever since that day two years ago when my girlfriend bought me a trial flight at Biggin Hill for a birthday present I have spent most of my time 1) on this website 2) day dreaming starring into the blue yonder 3) trying to work out how I will fund this new addiction 4) wondering how I’ve ended up in the car park at London City again?
Anyway this is it, I’ve stopped drinking (how dedicated!) and am in the middle of a very tough health and fitness program in preparation for the Class1 medical and have had my eyesight confirmed to CAA standards by an optician.
I’ve just read the “My first lesson" post and that has brought it all back, the reason I have left it so long, is that, I thought I would have saved up enough cash by now to take some time out and jet go off to the States to get my PPL and 150hrs to start the ATPL ground school. But no, I have nowhere near enough cash for this and at this rate never will have. So I made the decision to jack-it-in and go contracting to raise the necessary dosh.
As you may have probably guessed I work in IT, (Support Engineer) so contracting should pay well and give me the flexibility to take time off to jet off to the States, I hope to do this in March 2002, in the meantime I am going to study the PPL ground school in readiness for the States, I will cross the schools bridge closer to the time, but I figure that as long as I am logging on to this site I won’t go far wrong.
Just need to find a contract now! Any offers? I’ve got 4 weeks I hope it will be enough.
Thanks to you all for all your information and advice so far.
Anyway this is it, I’ve stopped drinking (how dedicated!) and am in the middle of a very tough health and fitness program in preparation for the Class1 medical and have had my eyesight confirmed to CAA standards by an optician.
I’ve just read the “My first lesson" post and that has brought it all back, the reason I have left it so long, is that, I thought I would have saved up enough cash by now to take some time out and jet go off to the States to get my PPL and 150hrs to start the ATPL ground school. But no, I have nowhere near enough cash for this and at this rate never will have. So I made the decision to jack-it-in and go contracting to raise the necessary dosh.
As you may have probably guessed I work in IT, (Support Engineer) so contracting should pay well and give me the flexibility to take time off to jet off to the States, I hope to do this in March 2002, in the meantime I am going to study the PPL ground school in readiness for the States, I will cross the schools bridge closer to the time, but I figure that as long as I am logging on to this site I won’t go far wrong.
Just need to find a contract now! Any offers? I’ve got 4 weeks I hope it will be enough.
Thanks to you all for all your information and advice so far.
Guest
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It seems that so many of us wannabe's on pprune are IT contractors! Good on you jacking your job in, I resigned from a permament job 3 years ago to try and break into contracting, I have never once regretted leaving holiday/sick pay behind! Life is all about taking these little gambles. Good luck.
Regards,
Simon
PS. Best thing to do with regards to getting a contract is register and submit your CV in www.jobserve.com . You end up with lots of agents phoning you trying to get you on jobs that you don't want but in the end something good comes along.
Regards,
Simon
PS. Best thing to do with regards to getting a contract is register and submit your CV in www.jobserve.com . You end up with lots of agents phoning you trying to get you on jobs that you don't want but in the end something good comes along.
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tornado1 - I contracted (Analyst Prog / Project Mgr) for seven years and never had an enforced break. I now work as head of IT for a major IT recruitment company so send me your CV and I will ensure it is routed well. Expect rates between £35 and £45 per hour initially but that should increase. I looked at PPL in the States but as a senior permie burger can't take the time off - love flying got all of 2 hours!!! Wish I'd done it years ago 
Who knows where my career will go - 36 and still want to fly fast jets (OK not a chance)!
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Stop that oscillation!
Who knows where my career will go - 36 and still want to fly fast jets (OK not a chance)!------------------
Stop that oscillation!
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Do you realise that you're now going to get lot's of CV's from all the IT contractor ppruners?? Hahah, my contract is up end of Sept. wanna sort me out with a new job? :-) This flying lark makes you beg for work just to get your airtime fix!
Regards,
Simon
PS. I was joking ofcourse.
PPS. Torndado 1 > One thing to maybe bear in mind when looking for contracts is the IR35 tax issue. Some agencies claim to offer "IR35 proof" contracts so that you can still claim dividends and are not seen as an employee of your client (very tax efficient). I'm not sure how reliable these contracts are. Best thing is get a good accountant and then they should beable to work things to your best advantage.
[This message has been edited by Simon W (edited 03 July 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Simon W (edited 03 July 2001).]
Regards,
Simon
PS. I was joking ofcourse.
PPS. Torndado 1 > One thing to maybe bear in mind when looking for contracts is the IR35 tax issue. Some agencies claim to offer "IR35 proof" contracts so that you can still claim dividends and are not seen as an employee of your client (very tax efficient). I'm not sure how reliable these contracts are. Best thing is get a good accountant and then they should beable to work things to your best advantage.
[This message has been edited by Simon W (edited 03 July 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Simon W (edited 03 July 2001).]
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Thanks for the support guy’s I was waiting for “You stupid fool, what did you want to go and do that for” but your right SW it’s these little gambles that keep you on you toes, I just hope it pays of, it sounds like it just might, my problem now is how to study for the PPL ground school.
“You want it when” nice once check your mail.
Any further advice will be well received
“You want it when” nice once check your mail.
Any further advice will be well received
Guest
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Nice one tornado! I am just in the process of finishing off the PPL and embarking on the modular route. I'm 36 and have arsed around working in big Pharma companies for the last ten years trying to get the most out my PhD. I knew all along all I wanted to do was fly for a living (in fact I would do it for nothing) but after failing to get into the RAF to fly fast jets and realising I would never afford to fund an ab initio course I kind of gave up. Trouble is the yearning never went away. I was at a twent year reunion at my old school about two months ago (which is scary in itself!). One of my old friends told my wife "all he ever used to talk about was being a pilot". She replied "that's still the case! So, I'm abandoning Microsoft Flight Simulator for the real thing. And like you I know deep in my heart this is for me. Let's just both hope someone will be as enthusiastic about employing us in a couple of years time.
Good luck matey.
Nige
Good luck matey.
Nige
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Hurray another one doing the dirty to the perms.
I am just about to come off contract in 14 days then its 4 months off to complete the ATPL(frozen) the end is in sight.
A few words of caution about pimps they arn't doing you a favour getting the job they will make serious amounts of money from your work and they won't be adverse to lying to get the placement.
Some agencys are better than others.
check out.
www.freelancehq.com
Good luck
MJ
I am just about to come off contract in 14 days then its 4 months off to complete the ATPL(frozen) the end is in sight.
A few words of caution about pimps they arn't doing you a favour getting the job they will make serious amounts of money from your work and they won't be adverse to lying to get the placement.
Some agencys are better than others.
check out.
www.freelancehq.com
Good luck
MJ
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The best thing to do with the recruitment people is get to know a few who have got you good interviews etc, and stick with them. I would not be so sure about posting your CV on Jobserve, you get a lot of bullsh!t merchants contacting you trying to get you into any old contract they can to make their comission.
I know some very good people at very good agencies who have repeatedly got me good interviews with good companies. Tornado1, I think you've made the right decision, contracting is definitely the way to go for a Wannabe because of the money and flexibility it offers. Depends on what your skill set is of course and the market goes up and down but you should always get work especially if you are prepared to travel.
By the way, I know what you mean about the car park at LCY, see you there next time!!!!!
[This message has been edited by Wedge (edited 04 July 2001).]
I know some very good people at very good agencies who have repeatedly got me good interviews with good companies. Tornado1, I think you've made the right decision, contracting is definitely the way to go for a Wannabe because of the money and flexibility it offers. Depends on what your skill set is of course and the market goes up and down but you should always get work especially if you are prepared to travel.
By the way, I know what you mean about the car park at LCY, see you there next time!!!!!
[This message has been edited by Wedge (edited 04 July 2001).]
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Mad Jock - you obviously have no idea about what an agency does. Sure there are some bad ones out there but then I've met a lot of cr*p contractors who lied on their skills set and treated the role like being a permie - leaving the agency to try and resolve the problems they caused. Having been on both sides of the fence, and hired many (+ fired) many useless contractors, believe me I know.
Anyway Tornado1 - get your medical ASAP - I passed my class 2 this morning but cause of my eyes will never rate class 1. So the airline world is safe....
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Stop that oscillation!
Anyway Tornado1 - get your medical ASAP - I passed my class 2 this morning but cause of my eyes will never rate class 1. So the airline world is safe....
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Stop that oscillation!
Guest
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I think i do know what agency's do after 4 years and 10 contracts, and i have seen way to much BS coming from them.
Seen to many people screwed by fine print and misrepresentation. If your agency is one of the good guys on that site fine. If listed you should a nice high score be excepting comments with little moderation.
But there is not many of them is there?
But i agree they are a necessary evil until you are well known enough that you can miss them out and get the 20% extra that they charge.
Every job i have done i have got an extension (current 18month 3 ext outlasted 50% of the locals) and i agree there are alot of cr*p contractors out there. Which is why the old hairys are so sort after, and the fresh starts have problems with getting the first job.
Fortunatly for me i have several old uni friends who work as pimp's and resourcers so i get to hear all of the little scams that the agencys get up to and the bad jobs kicking about. I haven't heard a good word yet for any in the city, and thats from people on the other side of the fence.
QA in scotland were pretty good but then again we were getting contracted out to QA consulting so the project manager sorted all our problems out.
I standby what i said, read that site it has alot of home truths on it. And when you get contacted by an agency have a look at its profile. The profile for my agency is 100% correct.
This is a good page as well
http://it.uk.freelancehq.com/home/tips.shtml
MJ
As you can see the recruitment consultants don't like being refered to as pimp's.
Seen to many people screwed by fine print and misrepresentation. If your agency is one of the good guys on that site fine. If listed you should a nice high score be excepting comments with little moderation.
But there is not many of them is there?
But i agree they are a necessary evil until you are well known enough that you can miss them out and get the 20% extra that they charge.
Every job i have done i have got an extension (current 18month 3 ext outlasted 50% of the locals) and i agree there are alot of cr*p contractors out there. Which is why the old hairys are so sort after, and the fresh starts have problems with getting the first job.
Fortunatly for me i have several old uni friends who work as pimp's and resourcers so i get to hear all of the little scams that the agencys get up to and the bad jobs kicking about. I haven't heard a good word yet for any in the city, and thats from people on the other side of the fence.
QA in scotland were pretty good but then again we were getting contracted out to QA consulting so the project manager sorted all our problems out.
I standby what i said, read that site it has alot of home truths on it. And when you get contacted by an agency have a look at its profile. The profile for my agency is 100% correct.
This is a good page as well
http://it.uk.freelancehq.com/home/tips.shtml
MJ
As you can see the recruitment consultants don't like being refered to as pimp's.
Guest
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MJ - Thought this was a flying forum? And four years contracting makes you a "low hours" merchant. Ever tried to manage a direct deal, when I contracted I set up two such deals and spent a lot of time chasing invoices - core time that I could'nt bill!
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Stop that oscillation!
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Stop that oscillation!
Guest
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Fair comment about low hours merchant its only a means to an end for me. But i still get the same rates as the other high hours merchants who are even more cynical about agency's now than i am. And since i stupidly redid my CV showing a end date i get 5-6 calls a day.
And as for the flying comment I am just making sure that a fellow wannabes don't get shafted and enter into the contracting world with there eyes open. So there time spent will be productively producing money with minimal stress and harasment to reach there end goal as i have nearly done. Although i will proberly have to go back for awhile after completing the course.
And i agree direct contracts can be a hassel. But the additional 550 pounds a week i earn't was more than worth it.
If anyone has any questions email me because the usual method with the agency folk is any trouble and they get the lawyers in and get it moderated.
MJ
[This message has been edited by mad_jock (edited 04 July 2001).]
And as for the flying comment I am just making sure that a fellow wannabes don't get shafted and enter into the contracting world with there eyes open. So there time spent will be productively producing money with minimal stress and harasment to reach there end goal as i have nearly done. Although i will proberly have to go back for awhile after completing the course.
And i agree direct contracts can be a hassel. But the additional 550 pounds a week i earn't was more than worth it.
If anyone has any questions email me because the usual method with the agency folk is any trouble and they get the lawyers in and get it moderated.
MJ
[This message has been edited by mad_jock (edited 04 July 2001).]
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I actually had a cunning plan about that which is equivalent to a flying doctor.
But fixing hardware and OS's in the middle of nowhere and i would get payed full rate for both jobs and build the hours.
I hate to imagine what the rate per reboot would be
MJ
[This message has been edited by mad_jock (edited 04 July 2001).]
But fixing hardware and OS's in the middle of nowhere and i would get payed full rate for both jobs and build the hours.
I hate to imagine what the rate per reboot would be
MJ
[This message has been edited by mad_jock (edited 04 July 2001).]
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It’s been great to get a real insight into the merry old world of contracting, thanks for all your comments, links and banter. I will now enter with great caution and build up a portfolio of the best agencies to deal with, but for me at the moment as long as I get my £35 p/h I will be one very happy wannabe.
I think I’m going to do the medical latter in the year as I have a bit of the old hay fever at the moment and am a bit worried that will affect my results, if anyone has any info on the hay fever thing affecting medicals I would be very grateful.
MJ £100 p/h WoW! What the hell do you have to do to earn that? I like the flying doctor thing sounds perfect, I would be up for some of that, what would you call it?
I think I’m going to do the medical latter in the year as I have a bit of the old hay fever at the moment and am a bit worried that will affect my results, if anyone has any info on the hay fever thing affecting medicals I would be very grateful.
MJ £100 p/h WoW! What the hell do you have to do to earn that? I like the flying doctor thing sounds perfect, I would be up for some of that, what would you call it?
Guest
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I don't earn that. I have once managed to get into the high 70's averaged when we completed project early. Somehow managed to keep the whole lot stable for 1 month until the signoff and got a nice bonus for our troubles.
Which i think was mainly due to the fact that i refused to let them install the exchange server crap until after the signoff. I had 900 users using a sparc4 for the email server and it didn't even break sweat 100% up time. They were installing the air conditioning system for the exchange server when we left.
Don't be expecting 35 a hour for the first job or 2. Start with a rollout or 2 which can be good fun but hard work then slip sidways into doing more of the server stuff.
It will get you into the spirt of contracting because you won't be working with locals, then when you get stuck on your own you will know how to behave. Its very different to being a perm.
And one bit of advice about behavour.
DON'T SHAG THE LOCALS
Jobserv and jobsite are where i get most of my work from when i started.
Good luck
MJ
One the other contractors as suggested a method of getting 100uk ph but there is no way i am getting my back door kicked in for any amount of dosh.
Which i think was mainly due to the fact that i refused to let them install the exchange server crap until after the signoff. I had 900 users using a sparc4 for the email server and it didn't even break sweat 100% up time. They were installing the air conditioning system for the exchange server when we left.
Don't be expecting 35 a hour for the first job or 2. Start with a rollout or 2 which can be good fun but hard work then slip sidways into doing more of the server stuff.
It will get you into the spirt of contracting because you won't be working with locals, then when you get stuck on your own you will know how to behave. Its very different to being a perm.
And one bit of advice about behavour.
DON'T SHAG THE LOCALS
Jobserv and jobsite are where i get most of my work from when i started.
Good luck
MJ
One the other contractors as suggested a method of getting 100uk ph but there is no way i am getting my back door kicked in for any amount of dosh.
Guest
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Well said Wedge.
It is a means to a very good end.
And i think ways for getting the money for the training is very current for wannabies who can't take advantage of the other methods. If you want to be a private flyer there is already a forum for you.
I have a class 1, i have the hunger, i will succeed!, like every thing else i have set as my target.
I will leave it up to the moderators to decide if this topic is current to the wannabies forum or not.
MJ
It is a means to a very good end.
And i think ways for getting the money for the training is very current for wannabies who can't take advantage of the other methods. If you want to be a private flyer there is already a forum for you.
I have a class 1, i have the hunger, i will succeed!, like every thing else i have set as my target.
I will leave it up to the moderators to decide if this topic is current to the wannabies forum or not.
MJ