outsourcing/consultancy experiences anyone?

[Deefoo]

Are there people here that work as a consultant for an outsourcing agency
(like www.psdgroup.com) and that would like to share their experiences? I
might be interested in such a job, but I am not sure.

Thanks,
--DF

 

[Ignoramus17238]

Are there people here that work as a consultant for an outsourcing agency
(like www.psdgroup.com) and that would like to share their experiences? I
might be interested in such a job, but I am not sure.

I used to be a computer consultant, it was fine, except with one guy
who was forgetting to pay or had chcekcs bouncing. He was
disorganized, not a fraudster. I got all my money that he owed.

i

 

[Deefoo]

I used to be a computer consultant, it was fine, except with one guy
who was forgetting to pay or had chcekcs bouncing. He was
disorganized, not a fraudster. I got all my money that he owed.

i

Thanks for your response, but I do not mean independant consultant, but
consultant (as they are called) for a company that "rent" them to companies
that need an engineer on a more or less temporary basis.

--DF

 

[Ignoramus17238]

Thanks for your response, but I do not mean independant consultant, but
consultant (as they are called) for a company that "rent" them to companies
that need an engineer on a more or less temporary basis.

That's what I was doing, working through agencies.

i

 

[Rich Grise]

Are there people here that work as a consultant for an outsourcing agency
(like www.psdgroup.com) and that would like to share their experiences? I
might be interested in such a job, but I am not sure.

Well, the definition of "consultant" is kinda like, "a person whom people
consult". I seriously doubt if you'll walk in off the street someplace and
get a contract - keep your day job, and just let people know what you do
the rest of the time; go networking at the local suits' watering hole,
that sort of thing; and start with doing side jobs, get a reputation, and
when you're in enough demand, you can part company with the day job on
amicable terms - don't burn bridges.

Good Luck!
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

Thanks for your response, but I do not mean independant consultant, but
consultant (as they are called) for a company that "rent" them to companies
that need an engineer on a more or less temporary basis.

Do they have "temp" agencies in your country? There are thousands of them
in the US (well, thousands of branches - there's only a handful of
different companies doing it)

I've done temp work, but was kind of limited for options for high-tech
work, basically because of my lack of credentials. But if you have a
proper degree, and some experience, it should be a snap.

Good Luck!
Rich

 

[mc]

The biggest thing to remember about consulting is that you cannot get 8
billable hours a day (if you're honest). You will be able to bill about
half of that. A remarkable amount of your time is taken up maintaining your
own tools, making contacts, keeping records, etc., rather than doing
billable work.

 

[Deefoo]

The biggest thing to remember about consulting is that you cannot get 8
billable hours a day (if you're honest). You will be able to bill about
half of that. A remarkable amount of your time is taken up maintaining your
own tools, making contacts, keeping records, etc., rather than doing
billable work.

Thanks for the answers, but I am afraid some of you are misunderstanding the
question. Here in Europe (at least) there are plenty of companies (like the
one I cited) that hire all kinds of engineers. They are paid by this company
and rented to other companies as "consultants" for several months where they
do their thing (hardware/software/management/etc). Very common in software
engineering. It is like a specialised temp agency except that once they hire
you, you become their employee and they pay you, project or not. So if
you're lucky you do many interesting projects in many different companies,
but if you are less lucky you sit all day in some office sipping coffee.
I've been approached by several of these companies (as I said, they are
plenty) but I have never met an electronics engineer that works for such a
company and I would like to hear some stories if possible before going any
further.

Thanks,
--DF

 

[Rich Grise]

Thanks for the answers, but I am afraid some of you are misunderstanding the
question. Here in Europe (at least) there are plenty of companies (like the
one I cited) that hire all kinds of engineers. They are paid by this company
and rented to other companies as "consultants" for several months where they
do their thing (hardware/software/management/etc). Very common in software
engineering. It is like a specialised temp agency except that once they hire
you, you become their employee and they pay you, project or not. So if
you're lucky you do many interesting projects in many different companies,
but if you are less lucky you sit all day in some office sipping coffee.
I've been approached by several of these companies (as I said, they are
plenty) but I have never met an electronics engineer that works for such a
company and I would like to hear some stories if possible before going any
further.

I've done "engineering-grade" work as an independent contractor, but it
was by word-of-mouth referrals. I'd think that doing the same thing
through an agency wouldn't be much different, albeit in each case I only
got paid for actual work (which there happened to be 40 hours' worth of
each week, but that's not the point). I've also worked for temp agencies
doing file-clerk-grade work, and still only got paid for actual work,
which might or might not be sporadic.

I'd say jump in and give it a shot - you can always say "no" to any given
assignment, and you can change your mind any time - you're not marrying
the agency! ;-)

Good Luck!
Rich