Paid Members Murtz Posted May 9, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted May 9, 2013 I'm an IT focused BA, and I've been thinking about contracting for a while now. Only problem is I'm literally at step one on what I need to do in order to move from permi to contracting. Can you help me get an idea on the following Chest? Â - I've heard that people usually start contract roles when they don't have a job at that time, and the roles have a start date of asap, which is a bummer cause I'd need to do a 1 month notice. Is this true? Â - Did you set yourself up as a company or are you going through an agency? Â - Apart from the money, what other benefits (relating to tax/VAT) does contracting give you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Well. That interview went horribly.  Fucking hate telephone interviews.  Don't think I really wanted the job anyway though, so it was a good first go around to dip my toe back in, and I've written some good notes for improvement. Have some research and CV revision to do this weekend though.  Commiserations Chest. Telephone interviews are the worst, for both sides. IF it was your first interview in a while, then don't sweat it. Doing a good interview is definitely a skillset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Chest Rockwell Posted May 9, 2013 Moderators Share Posted May 9, 2013 Cheers. I know that's true, but it's hard not to feel a bit deflated afterwards and have a brief moment of fear that I'll never get another job again. Â Murtz - I'll address your questions when I'm not at work and so can give you a proper response! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Chest Rockwell Posted May 9, 2013 Moderators Share Posted May 9, 2013 (edited) Fuck it, here you go -   I'm an IT focused BA, and I've been thinking about contracting for a while now. Only problem is I'm literally at step one on what I need to do in order to move from permi to contracting. Can you help me get an idea on the following Chest? - I've heard that people usually start contract roles when they don't have a job at that time, and the roles have a start date of asap, which is a bummer cause I'd need to do a 1 month notice. Is this true?  - Did you set yourself up as a company or are you going through an agency?  - Apart from the money, what other benefits (relating to tax/VAT) does contracting give you?    First off, a 1 month notice is not so bad. I would consider yourself lucky as a lot of people I know were on a 3 month notice at my last permanent role and found it difficult to line jobs up for after when leaving, contract or perm. I was on a month's notice and managed to find a contract where that was alright. It helps if you've got some holiday saved up I guess, as I effectively had a 3 week notice instead of a full month.  So, no way around this, but there are roles out there. But you Edited May 9, 2013 by Chest Rockwell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members SiMania Posted May 9, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted May 9, 2013 Contracting is the way to go. Do it do it do it. ( I am a BA btw, not IT focused, but still not a million miles off your sector. I have not regretted the move to contracting at all) Â I did a bit of contracting before doing this, one 3 month contract ended up a 4 year role. It was nearly 9 years ago and my skills and experience are light years ahead of what they were then so I could go for higher rate contracts now. Â But........I like what I'm doing, I can work from home the majority of the time, I'm in a relatively rural area so I've got a decent house in a nice street that would cost a few hundred K elsewhere so I don't want to move, so I'm limited to my area (Cumbria and SW Scotland) or would have to work away during the week which I'm reluctant to do with my boy being just 18 months old. I've also got a great boss, work in a pretty decent team and get paid pretty well. I just want more and have ambitions that aren't achievable in my current position. Â I do sound like I'm trying to talk myself out of it, but it'd need to be the right contract and they don't exist (apart from the one I had the interview for, home based, covering Europe so travel to Amsterdam a lot initially, sounds ideal). I've got a plan on where I want to be by end of next year so that's my target. Â How did you get into BA work? It's something I've fancied doing and I do a bit of it at the moment as I'm pretty much a one man ban for implementing some systems and processes so do it all but have no real confidence that I'm doing it the right way. Are there any qualifications that are recognised widely in the clients you work for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Chest Rockwell Posted May 10, 2013 Moderators Share Posted May 10, 2013 Hmm. Sounds like you've got some tough choices weighing out the family and your personal career development! Â I have pushed myself into BA work more recently. I fell into a role in a Business Change Team through a longterm perm role, which was a cross of non IT BA work and project management disciplines. From there, I gravitated towards Project Management Office and Project Support roles, in the direction of becoming a Project Manager. Â I decided I didn't want to do that kind of work, and I preferred the more hands-on technical work of the BA stuff, particularly process improvement and the broader, more strategic Operating Model design kind of stuff. Â As far as qualifications go, I'd say there are two main ones - Â Firstly, BCS (formerly ISEB) - this is the standard one that is recognised everywhere as "the" BA qualification. It's quite a biggie, but it's modular so you can specialise on the things that interest you most and do it gradually. Â Also, a lot of places like to see a good understanding of the overall delivery lifecycle, so some sort of project/programme delivery training is highly regarded. The most widely recognised one is Prince 2, but there are others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members SiMania Posted May 10, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted May 10, 2013 I've got prince2 practitioner already and thought that alone would open a door or two but I think I need more practical project experience for it to be beneficial. I'll look into BCS and see if I can get something agreed at my next appraisal. I've got some more ITIL to do before then which I'm looking forward to. My boss is a a BCS fan so it shouldn't be too hard to push it through. Â Thanks for the advice Mr R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 This is the sort of advice I could use too. I have six years of BA and testing experience but the testing route is a dead end given I'm a manual tester and everybody in London wants automated experience. I have an ISEB/BCS in software testing, have the books and so forth for the BA foundation but my current job is more account management so not sure where to go. Honestly, I'd like a little more money for less bullshit so would the BCS help me on that route? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Tommy! Posted May 13, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted May 13, 2013 First day of my new job and back at work after just over 2 months off. Â It was very much like this, but with a health and safety talk in the middle.. I also need that cheap e-reader some one pointed out to me on here to arrive mighty sharp to fill my lunch break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Dead Mike Posted May 17, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted May 17, 2013 Thought this was probably the best place for this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Chest Rockwell Posted May 17, 2013 Moderators Share Posted May 17, 2013 (edited) It's really a choice about work/life balance huh? Â Anyone who tells you to go for it otherwise you're settling and stagnating because you're comfortable is talking bollocks. But if you do have aspirations to do more, earn more, etc. you should definitely not avoid it just because you're worried about change. Â Basically, if you want a different job at some point, now is as good a time as any* but you shouldn't feel like you have to do it, because it's the thing to do. Â Are you still learning in your current job? Are you bored? Â Â * I don't mean this in the flippant way that this phrase gets used, but actually that there's never a "right time". Edited May 17, 2013 by Chest Rockwell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patiirc Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Well, that's a weight off my mind. I've now got a 2 years fixed contract, where I've been on placement! This means I can now go about sorting out getting myself out of debt, get a holiday (double pay at the end of the first month, because of the way their system works means I'm going away, somewhere). The wage isn't amazing, and there is no scope whatsoever for promotion, but it's not about that quite yet. It's about getting back to being back at work continuously (only been 6 months after the time off with my back) and building from there. Â Now that's in place I have a good foundation to build on and once I hit 9 months/ a year, and can see what else is available. Management have already said they will push for me to go elsewhere should anything come up with in the business I'm in because I'm too good for where I am at present and should be on a much higher wage. It's nice to hear, but I don't always trust it though; too much office politics in other jobs means I'm not quite ready to believe that kind of thing yet. Â I will proceed optimistically yet cautiously, and maybe even look at going back to Uni/OU next year and get a qualification that is vocational rather than the next to useless degree I have now. Either way, it's all looking good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Chest Rockwell Posted May 20, 2013 Moderators Share Posted May 20, 2013 Well, that's a weight off my mind. I've now got a 2 years fixed contract, where I've been on placement! This means I can now go about sorting out getting myself out of debt, get a holiday (double pay at the end of the first month, because of the way their system works means I'm going away, somewhere). The wage isn't amazing, and there is no scope whatsoever for promotion, but it's not about that quite yet. It's about getting back to being back at work continuously (only been 6 months after the time off with my back) and building from there. Â Now that's in place I have a good foundation to build on and once I hit 9 months/ a year, and can see what else is available. Management have already said they will push for me to go elsewhere should anything come up with in the business I'm in because I'm too good for where I am at present and should be on a much higher wage. It's nice to hear, but I don't always trust it though; too much office politics in other jobs means I'm not quite ready to believe that kind of thing yet. Â Â Â Too easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Surf Digby Posted May 30, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted May 30, 2013 I've just handed my notice in. It's been a long, long time since I left a job on my terms, and it feels very odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Thought this was probably the best place for this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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