Why do contractors register for agencies, but never apply for jobs?

[Adam Martin]

Strange, but true: 2 weeks after broadcasting locally in Brighton, I
gave up, and put out a paid ad for an iOS/Android developer for
"anywhere in UK" - and several of the agencies that wrote back sent
Brighton-based candidates.

So ... for these guys that pay no attention to any of the local
mailing lists, job sites, etc ... the best that could now happen is
that each of those developers would lose 10-20% of their salary.

(in reality: I don't want to underpay people by 20%, so it's extremely
unlikely we'll follow up with any of them)

Why do people do this?

[Paul Ledger]

I can think of a couple of reasons...

1. They don't know the list exists (obvious one) 

2. There is a contractor mentality built in, i.e. if I go through an agency I will get paid on time, I don't have to worry about IR35

I would suggest and this is the obvious reason, none of them no these lists exists

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Mobile App Development

www.flexicoder.com

[Gemma Hentsch]

When you have an asshole client trying to actively screw you over, you have a layer of protection to bitchslap them down.

[Adam Martin]

On 14 August 2012 14:12, Paul Ledger <paul....@flexicoder.com> wrote:
> I can think of a couple of reasons...
>
> 1. They don't know the list exists (obvious one)

Has anyone compiled a list of lists ? :)

For instance, I tried:

- Mobile Brighton
- Wired Sussex
- Farm
- Skiff / Werks

...the only one I didn't touch was BNM, because it seems to be more of
a gossip list (maybe BNM is where everyone looks? or are there
others?)

NB: those are also the places we post reminders for upcoming Mobile
Brighton events - if there are other lists we should be posting to,
please let me know!

> 2. There is a contractor mentality built in, i.e. if I go through an agency
> I will get paid on time, I don't have to worry about IR35

Good points. One of the agencies that contacted me is specifically an
IR35 avoidance company - they don't charge for candidates, because
they take a small profit on handling all the IR35 and PAYE and NIC for
the contractor.

Interesting stuff...

(my understanding is: these companies are on slightly dubious legal
ground, and HMRC keeps trying to shut them down, but has had very
little success so far?)

[Adam Martin]

Is that worth 20% of your salary?

I think I'd prefer to set aside 2% of my salary for some big scary
debt collectors, and 10% to pay even scarier solicitors.

Then, at the end of each contract, if I hadn't needed to spend it -
give myself a 25% bonus!

[James Marsden]

dotBrighton is probably worth including. Lot of developers on there.


I'd also suggest that people are quite busy and perhaps don't want to rely on catching an email thread at the right moment, when they can be directly called by their agency/recruiter when an application that suits them pops up.

[Paul Ledger]

You'll also find that there aren't that many companies that will take on people direct (although that does seem to be changing), so people look where there is likely to be more work, i.e. jobserve

[Will Johnston]

Whenever I've been looking for work, the only adverts I've seen have been from agencies (or pimps as I lovingly call them) and a few places in London looking for permys.

When I've been looking I've posted on this forum but had no response.

I'll be looking from the 1st of September if anyone has anything. Ideally home based or on the south coast.

I'm currently eating my way around Thailand and Cambodia!

Cheers
Will

Sent from my iPhone

[Gemma Hentsch]

this current experience could turn me off freelancing...

[Will Johnston]

I think the other answer is because (as others have said) I'll get paid.
Little companies arse you about because they have crap cash flow and big ones have faceless departments that try to delay payments to 60 days post invoice for fun. In my opinion gencies pay on time and reliably, other than that they are still pimps.

Cheers
Will

Sent from my iPhone

On 14 Aug 2012, at 19:06, Adam Martin <adam.m....@gmail.com> wrote:

[Gemma Hentsch]

I've actually had an agency screw me over because the finance director was out of the office on the day so I ended up being paid a week late (really screwed me at the time) and their response was fuck off when i complained.

[Nick Kuh]

>> I'm currently eating my way around Thailand and Cambodia!

And I'm currently jealous!

[Nick Kuh]

Wow - I wish I'd only ever had to wait 1 week for a late payment.

In my experience some clients delay payment for months!

[Gemma Hentsch]

I've experienced clients who fuck you over as well, but it was more a "beware agencies are still clients, but generally slightly more reliable and a lot more slimy"