Getting a Good Contract Rate

Getting a Good Contract Rate There are several techniques to getting a good contract rate. Firstly, you have got to be aware of the current market rate for your skills. That is not something that you can just guess at or put your finger in hte air. You can find his information at ITJobsWatch. First Time Contractors Ripped Off This is something that first time contractors seldom know and that is why they are so beloved of recruitment agencies. They can rip them off very easily. New contractors fondly imagine that the recruiment agent is 'their agent'. Nothing can be further from the truth. Recruitment agencies will try and get as mcuh of the money that clients pay for contractors as they can. [caption id="attachment_892" align="alignnone" width="276"] Successful Contracting Career[/caption] Normal Recruitment Agency Margin A normal rate for an agency would be somewhere between 10% and 20% of what a client pays for a contractor. If the agency takes less, the contractor is doing well. If it is more than 20% then contractors would think that we are getting into rip off territory. Some unscrupulous agencies have been known to be taking 50% or more of the money that the client pays for the contractors. Morally Wrong for Agencies to Cheat Contractors That is difficult to justify on moral grounds as the contractor does virtually all of the work. The agencies have excused this, in the past, by saying it is up to the contractor to know their rate in the marketplace. If they ask for less, or take less, that is their fault and not the agency's fault. However, that excuse doesn't wash with contractors and when they find out they are furious. [caption id="attachment_909" align="alignnone" width="214"] Getting a Good Contract Rate from an agency on a contract[/caption]