The job has gone now. The client gave it to someone who had worked for them before. ....Or I think my day rate was too high. I will make more of an effort getting contacts for client repping next year. Phoned another one the other day then realised my day rate was high, but I was factoring in Ebola in that region. Think I over-factored!
At least you have learned something form the experience for next time you apply, its not all negative.
Just remember the industry is on a bit of a down turn at present as well. A lot of rigs are getting cold stacked. Plus as Brazil are building and crewing their own vessels and rigs alot of what is working there will now be looking for new contracts elsewhere lowering rates futher as companies fight for work. I know this is already affecting dayrates in my area of work.
It must be really difficult trying to set yourself a day rate when you don't know what the going rate is, very easy to either cut your own throat or go in too high as Mike suspects he has done. I would much prefer the company making an offer as a starting point.
Very true, even more difficult if you've been away from the job for a while. In reality day rate for my job has gone back to the levels they where maybe 5-6 years ago. but then again marine crew day rate has been fairly stagnent for a good few years maybe only going up £40/day max. There are obviously certain jobs that pay more but obviously thats for a reason.
Do you ever find that you have two chaps doing exactly the same job aboard ship getting paid different rates and if so what kind of disharmony does it cause?
The IT industry is the same, rates have been in long term decline through simply being stagnant, although in the right contract now I could earn what I currently make as an employee in about 200 days a year which is about 30 days a year less than I work now, but it's lots of uncertainty and with young kids and with me getting older I find myself not looking for contracts now, even though contract work would let me spend much more time with the kids.
Well it doesn't really happen that much on the marine side but I've worked on a DSV where dive supervisors day rates varied by as much as $400/day!!! On our side rates can vary but maybe only by 10-20 quid/day. Obviously it can create a lot of tension within a department when each others day rates become known. Even worse if a bloke who's earning more for the same position is a right useless bugger!!
The uncertainty is the biggest issue for me as well. i need to know when and where my next mortgage payment is coming from.
Yes, the agency approach threw me. I made a few calls to get an idea and followed their leads but it wasn't like the old days where the agency used to say "It is £xxx/day". It was easier then. I could do with one job to get my hands dirty again and then get a better feel of everything when I'm back in it again.
I used to get a little disgruntled in the old days if the day rates varied by up to £20 but $400 is amazing. I used to often get asked what rate I was on but used to refuse to be drawn on it. It wouldn't take long to hear from loose mouths what was being earned, then make a better rate next time.
Being away from the kids is the main reason why I haven't pursued overseas work, Jim. Age does have it's conundrums. I did 22 years overseas and that was enough but the overseas money would come in handy.
You are right Timmers. It is always difficult to know what agents get up to as they want their slice of the pie.
I noticed that as well about 6 yrs ago, agencies stopped quoting day rates when they started to rise up at great speed. They now ask you what you want to do it for. Generally agencies work alphabetically down a list anyway. With my surname I'd get offered a job about a day after my mate who's surname is Adams! On the marine side its very easy to price yourself out of a job job now by coming in £20 over, on the project side depending on the department i'd say there is still a wide devide they can be had for. Probably not in the realm of $400/day anymore butmaybe half that now. If you're a money maker you can nearly demand what you want, if youre a money waster (marine crew) they keep the rates low because they know they can just emloy, indians, russians, ukrainians etc
The agencies seem to leave the onus on the individuals then Stu, then will send someone out paying him £200/day when others can make £800 for example. If the £200 man meets the £800 man in the field, that would be really sticky and perhaps confrontational. I am contacting people this week to get a better idea of what they pay for my skills.
Basically thats it in a nutshell. Marine crew dayrate don't tend to be widely differentt but £20/day over a 6 week trip can start to make a bit of a difference. I've worked with guys that have been made to promise not to discuss their dayrate with those onboard. Nonsense of course because it will eventually come out. Those on dayrate always earn more than contracted guys out here anyway. Day raters are seen as short term, unstable work and so are deemed to need a higher rate. As contract you get the benifits associated and also a degree more stability. At the end of the day, as I've been told so many times i've lost count, if you don't like **** off somewhere else. And that is essentially the long and short of it, if you find that someone is earning more than you there are only a few otions open to you. Ignore it, ask the company for more or leave and try to find a job that pays more. I used to get angry about it but I prefer stability knowing when my next wage is coming in. I'm not one of these who keeps a grip packed by the front door and can be at the airport in a hours time as soon as the phone rings because they are unsure when the next work will come along.
I lived like that for many years, it was ok as a single man but not ideal with a family. Being away all the time can take its toll on a marriage also, as well as the kids.
