What's a consultancy job like?
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Hi all, need some help. I've been working as a software developer for the same company for the past 5 years since leaving uni. An employment agency has asked me if I'm interested in a job for a consultancy company. What is a consultancy job like? Please let me know what you think as I don't know what to expect. Thanks in advance Andy ----------------------------- Try my Batch Image Processing Software
Read my DirectX 8 Tutorials -
Hi all, need some help. I've been working as a software developer for the same company for the past 5 years since leaving uni. An employment agency has asked me if I'm interested in a job for a consultancy company. What is a consultancy job like? Please let me know what you think as I don't know what to expect. Thanks in advance Andy ----------------------------- Try my Batch Image Processing Software
Read my DirectX 8 TutorialsWell, I'll take a stab at this. A google search on "consultancy company" seems to indicate that this is a company that specializes in a particular niche, such as tax preparation packages, accounting packages, Internet web page design, etc. I was involved with something a bit more general than that once, and I definitely enjoyed the experience. I say a bit more general because they farmed out jobs for just about anything that someone was willing to pay for, including, much to the chagrin of the company, a job I picked up to implement a proprietary network interface for an adult entertainment company. However, it seemed that they primarly dealt with HMO's and database stuff. They provided free Microsoft Certification training, etc. I met a lot of nice people, and did some interesting work, which really broadened my horizons. One thing I discovered quickly though was that the manager in the consultancy company would only have a rough idea of what the project required. Literally about 50% of the time, I would go visit the client and discover that what I was told they wanted was really quite different than what they said to me. This is in part because the requirements are poorly communicated to the consultancy. There are also different levels of employment in a consultancy. For example, I was pretty much a contractor grunt that they threw jobs at when they had them. Later on, I was asked if I wanted to become a full time project manager, with a starting salary of $100K. Not bad. I turned it down. A little later, the tech boom when fizzle and the company cut about 75% of its staff. A consultancy is, I think, a somewhat more vulnerable to the ups and downs of the market place. To summarize (you probably wish you'd read this part first), it can be fun, you need to be a good people person because you'll probably be the front man dealing with the clients, it make good money, and it exposes you to a lot of different experiences--programming, training, managing, configuration, etc, and it involves more personal risk. Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka
Microsoft deliberately adds arbitrary layers of complexity to make it difficult to deliver Windows features on non-Windows platforms--Microsoft's "Halloween files" -
Well, I'll take a stab at this. A google search on "consultancy company" seems to indicate that this is a company that specializes in a particular niche, such as tax preparation packages, accounting packages, Internet web page design, etc. I was involved with something a bit more general than that once, and I definitely enjoyed the experience. I say a bit more general because they farmed out jobs for just about anything that someone was willing to pay for, including, much to the chagrin of the company, a job I picked up to implement a proprietary network interface for an adult entertainment company. However, it seemed that they primarly dealt with HMO's and database stuff. They provided free Microsoft Certification training, etc. I met a lot of nice people, and did some interesting work, which really broadened my horizons. One thing I discovered quickly though was that the manager in the consultancy company would only have a rough idea of what the project required. Literally about 50% of the time, I would go visit the client and discover that what I was told they wanted was really quite different than what they said to me. This is in part because the requirements are poorly communicated to the consultancy. There are also different levels of employment in a consultancy. For example, I was pretty much a contractor grunt that they threw jobs at when they had them. Later on, I was asked if I wanted to become a full time project manager, with a starting salary of $100K. Not bad. I turned it down. A little later, the tech boom when fizzle and the company cut about 75% of its staff. A consultancy is, I think, a somewhat more vulnerable to the ups and downs of the market place. To summarize (you probably wish you'd read this part first), it can be fun, you need to be a good people person because you'll probably be the front man dealing with the clients, it make good money, and it exposes you to a lot of different experiences--programming, training, managing, configuration, etc, and it involves more personal risk. Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka
Microsoft deliberately adds arbitrary layers of complexity to make it difficult to deliver Windows features on non-Windows platforms--Microsoft's "Halloween files"Thanks for your views Marc, what about the travelling? Did that bother you? The job is a permanent position with the first 9-12 months in a fixed location working on a client's C# project in their offices with another senior consultant. What sort of things (benefits etc) should I be on the look out for? What's the probability that once the first project ends they'll just make me redundant (as a cheap contractor)? Cheers Andy ----------------------------- Try my Batch Image Processing Software
Read my DirectX 8 Tutorials -
Thanks for your views Marc, what about the travelling? Did that bother you? The job is a permanent position with the first 9-12 months in a fixed location working on a client's C# project in their offices with another senior consultant. What sort of things (benefits etc) should I be on the look out for? What's the probability that once the first project ends they'll just make me redundant (as a cheap contractor)? Cheers Andy ----------------------------- Try my Batch Image Processing Software
Read my DirectX 8 TutorialsI don't know about cheap, but I made a hell of a lot more money as a contractor, than as a consultant. From my experience, being a contractor, you can usually demand more money and while your company won't GIVE you benefits, they usually set you up with some pretty reasonable insurance rates and what-not. If you can manage all your money and affairs yourself, then it's a nice way to go. One of the downsides, is that you are usually snooping around for work every 6 - 12 months. As a consultant, you tend to not need to interview as much, plus have some better benefits. But, to provide these benefits, the company needs to eat a little more of your paycheck. All that said, I'm now a permanent employee somewhere. Less time looking for the next contract, better benefits, and a little more stable than the consulting job.
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Thanks for your views Marc, what about the travelling? Did that bother you? The job is a permanent position with the first 9-12 months in a fixed location working on a client's C# project in their offices with another senior consultant. What sort of things (benefits etc) should I be on the look out for? What's the probability that once the first project ends they'll just make me redundant (as a cheap contractor)? Cheers Andy ----------------------------- Try my Batch Image Processing Software
Read my DirectX 8 TutorialsBigAndy wrote: what about the travelling? I was doing this in San Diego a few years ago, and everything was about 30 minutes from where I lived. I specifically excluded jobs in LA for family reasons. If I were unattached, the train would have been a great option. You can negotiate with the consultancy as to where you want to work. In fact, you can negotiate a lot--location, type of job, work hours, working at home vs. on site. Some of this is specified by the customer, but once you've established a relationship with the consultancy and a track record with the customer, you can have a lot of flexibility. A 9-12 month contract should include health benefits, at the minimum. Personally, I'd stay away from stock options. Too many of these companies disappear in a few years. Talk to a tax advisor on retirement plans that you can contribute to yourself (I haven't seen any company do matching contributions in a long time!). The great thing about a consultancy is that they are the ones look for work for you, even while you're working. Depending on your strengths right now, you may be able to negotiate an "idle time" retainer for when there is no work, or do some internal stuff or training. If you're a valuable asset, they'll amortize any idle time into the cost of a project instead of having you disappear at the end of the contract. Think leverage. You have a lot of leverage if you're good. BigAndy wrote: they'll just make me redundant (as a cheap contractor)? There is no such thing. You're rate is based on your experience, schooling, and certification training. Consultancy's want big longterm contracts from clients, not the small shit. Too much overhead. Six years ago (eek!) I was getting between $45-$65 per hour, depending on the client. The consultancy added an additional $30/hr, so the client was paying $75-$95/hr. As a consultant negotiating directly with the client, I charge between $65-$85/hr, but I have to deal with dry spells too. The $30/hr rate is pretty good for the consultancy, but keep in mind that they are also taking the risk. They're the ones to get sued when YOU screw up. :-D One more thing. Look at the contract terms closely. The contracts I signed said that I couldn't do work for the client directly for 1 year after the client terminated relationships with the consultancy. Lately, I've seen five years. It's difficult to enforce, but you don't want to get a bad name for yourself either. If yo
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Thanks for your views Marc, what about the travelling? Did that bother you? The job is a permanent position with the first 9-12 months in a fixed location working on a client's C# project in their offices with another senior consultant. What sort of things (benefits etc) should I be on the look out for? What's the probability that once the first project ends they'll just make me redundant (as a cheap contractor)? Cheers Andy ----------------------------- Try my Batch Image Processing Software
Read my DirectX 8 TutorialsWhat's the probability that once the first project ends they'll just make me redundant (as a cheap contractor)? Contractors are treated as contractors which are treated poorly by most companies as people for hacking out code. They are not valued as highly as employees and usually don't receive the same benefits such as health care, stock options, etc. The only thing that you do get though is the ability to bill at a high hourly rate and possibly the freedom to work your own hours. If you're not getting either of the last two and will only get a slightly high hourly rate and will have to come in at whatever times they tell you too then you won't be much better off than an employee. The other thing is that they may not even retain you after the first project, however, that depends on the company. You should be prepared to go looking for more work after the 9-12 months are over in case they find that they really don't need you anymore. It's much easier to get rid of contractors than employees. However, depending on you and your situation, this may be the change you need. Perhaps you're tired of the security and want some more excitement in your life and the ability to work with different companies on different projects. There may be huge gaps in between jobs so you have to be careful to always save money for the downtimes. But if you're main concern is security and benefits, which it currently seems like, then you're better off staying as an employee. Being a contractor and code/road warrior takes a lot of work but can be satisfying for a person that likes to live on the edge.
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What's the probability that once the first project ends they'll just make me redundant (as a cheap contractor)? Contractors are treated as contractors which are treated poorly by most companies as people for hacking out code. They are not valued as highly as employees and usually don't receive the same benefits such as health care, stock options, etc. The only thing that you do get though is the ability to bill at a high hourly rate and possibly the freedom to work your own hours. If you're not getting either of the last two and will only get a slightly high hourly rate and will have to come in at whatever times they tell you too then you won't be much better off than an employee. The other thing is that they may not even retain you after the first project, however, that depends on the company. You should be prepared to go looking for more work after the 9-12 months are over in case they find that they really don't need you anymore. It's much easier to get rid of contractors than employees. However, depending on you and your situation, this may be the change you need. Perhaps you're tired of the security and want some more excitement in your life and the ability to work with different companies on different projects. There may be huge gaps in between jobs so you have to be careful to always save money for the downtimes. But if you're main concern is security and benefits, which it currently seems like, then you're better off staying as an employee. Being a contractor and code/road warrior takes a lot of work but can be satisfying for a person that likes to live on the edge.
Perhaps you're tired of the security... I beg to differ. I feel a lot more secure in the fact that I have three or four clients that give me a steady stream of work, rather than working as an employee for one company that lays claim on all my inventions, can lay me off at any time, and probably will go out of business due to inept management. As you said, it's excitement, but in a good sense, not in the "we can't guarantee your paycheck from now on" kind of sense (which I've been told by several of the companies I've worked for in the past as an employee). Maybe I just pick bad ones! Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka
Microsoft deliberately adds arbitrary layers of complexity to make it difficult to deliver Windows features on non-Windows platforms--Microsoft's "Halloween files" -
Perhaps you're tired of the security... I beg to differ. I feel a lot more secure in the fact that I have three or four clients that give me a steady stream of work, rather than working as an employee for one company that lays claim on all my inventions, can lay me off at any time, and probably will go out of business due to inept management. As you said, it's excitement, but in a good sense, not in the "we can't guarantee your paycheck from now on" kind of sense (which I've been told by several of the companies I've worked for in the past as an employee). Maybe I just pick bad ones! Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka
Microsoft deliberately adds arbitrary layers of complexity to make it difficult to deliver Windows features on non-Windows platforms--Microsoft's "Halloween files"Right, good point! That's one way of looking at the security aspect of it. But if you don't know many people and can't bring in a steady stream of clients then the financial security will be less than an employee being able to collect a paycheck every month regardless of whether or not the company has any clients that month. So the security is there if you've got a rolodex of clients that can keep you busy. But many people who haven't worked in the field for many years won't have that type of client list to call upon and would most likely be struggling just to make ends meet. I was in the latter situation when I first started consulting a while ago and almost wished I was an employee again.
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Right, good point! That's one way of looking at the security aspect of it. But if you don't know many people and can't bring in a steady stream of clients then the financial security will be less than an employee being able to collect a paycheck every month regardless of whether or not the company has any clients that month. So the security is there if you've got a rolodex of clients that can keep you busy. But many people who haven't worked in the field for many years won't have that type of client list to call upon and would most likely be struggling just to make ends meet. I was in the latter situation when I first started consulting a while ago and almost wished I was an employee again.
Reno Tiko wrote: But if you don't know many people and can't bring in a steady stream of clients And you make a good point there too! :-D Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka Muraoka
Microsoft deliberately adds arbitrary layers of complexity to make it difficult to deliver Windows features on non-Windows platforms--Microsoft's "Halloween files"