Local Government Job
A freelance reader sent us this story about a recruiter who only offered him half his normal rate to take a local Government job. Here’s his story.
The contract rate that the agent offered me was about 1/2 the normal market rate for a contract with those skills.
It was the usual thing.
They wanted experience in all sorts of things.
It looked like they’d taken a permie salary added a few K and divided it to come up with a day rate for this contract.
Told Recruiter No Thanks
Again, I said to agent no thanks to the recruiter.
So he said it was local government and that is all they could afford.
He told me that I should think about how I’d be helping the community and I would be able to feel good about myself if I took the gig!
I declined!
IT Contractor Comment
That'[s a good one – and a new one on me.
One can almost hear and see this agent trying to get a contractor to take a contract at half his normal rate to ‘help the community’.
Some agencies must think that contractors are complete idiots.
Help the Local Community Yourself
The contractor would have been entitled to say to the recruiter “To help the local community would you consider giving up your margin?
“If you do so I will take a similar amount off my normal rate and then the local government authority will be able to afford me.
“Then we can both feel good sbout ourselves.
“What do you Say”.
Is there anyone who think that the recruiter would go for that?
Worked for Local Authorities
I’ve worked for local authorities before.
Although rates are lower than for commercial companies they are not half the commercial rates.
If the normal rate is £400 a day then the local authority rate would be somewhere between £300 and £350 a day.
Is it just possible that this ‘alruistic’ agent was trying to cream a whopping margin off the contractor for the local government job?
Answers on a postcard.
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