Organizations or sites for Irish Software Development Contractors?

MeWantBroadband

Hi,
Does anyone know of any organizations specifically for IT contractors in Ireland? Or any websites that have good forums for this kind of thing, especially software development?

This forum on Boards.ie is geared towards technical questions etc.

Thanks.

cousin_borat

Don't know what area of IT you're working in. Oraclecontracters.com have recently set up an office in Dublin.

Theres also another crowd I cannot mention on the thread. Don't know much about them since I've been out of the country most of the time so unable to attend any of their events. Look at the stickies and you'll see the name

There seems to more of a Microsoft, .NET scene in Ireland. I'm not really aware of a Java networking scene

BostonB

I'm nit sure what you are asking about. Agencies that deal with IT contracting. Or some sort of support group for IT contractors to discuss issues etc.

MeWantBroadband

BostonB wrote:

I'm nit sure what you are asking about. Agencies that deal with IT contracting. Or some sort of support group for IT contractors to discuss issues etc.

What I mean is, an organization website for IT contractors to talk about their professions, share tips, etc.

cousin_borat

MeWantBroadband wrote:

What I mean is, an organization website for IT contractors to talk about their professions, share tips, etc.

You still have not said what area of IT you work in, so you're not making it any easier to recommend

BostonB

Not Irish specifically, but I find it useful. TBH the problems and issues of IT contractors are the same everywhere really.

http://www.experts-exchange.com/

chilli_pepper

www.linkedin.com is what you are looking for I think

cousin_borat

chilli_pepper wrote:

www.linkedin.com is what you are looking for I think

If the OP is looking at recruitment then Linked in is very good for referrals alright

MeWantBroadband

Is there an organization or forum where contracting programmers in Ireland associate with each other. I am not looking for these sites to find a job, that it what Monster, IrishJobs etc. and your own networking are for.

What I mean is where they discuss issues that effect them as a profession e.g. tax, terms and conditions, agencies, experiences with certain gigs etc.

cousin_borat

Take a look at askaboutmoney.com. Quite a few IT contractors post there regarding questions about tax implications, starting out contracting, etc etc

Again, you're not being specific about what areas of programming you work in. A contractors field of expertise is quite narrow. Hence there are interest groups for Oracle professionals which I have mentioned, Java professionals, SAP, etc etc. Generally it is within these groups focused on a particular vertical that you find people exchanging information. As much as I'd like to I'm not much use to a VB or .NET developer since I know shag all about them.

There's no one association where ALL contracting programmers in Ireland "associate with each other". And even if there is it'd be pretty pointless.

BostonB

MeWantBroadband wrote:

.... issues that effect them as a profession e.g. tax, terms and conditions, agencies, experiences with certain gigs etc.

I'm not aware of any specific forums like that. The business side of IT contracting is quite simple, so it would full of the same questions asked over and over.

Get contact either direct or via agency
Set up as soletrader/Limited company
Do your own accounts & taxes vs an accountant

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=106
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=10
http://www.askaboutmoney.com/forumdisplay.php?f=15
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/

..and check out the stickies at the top of the forum.

MeWantBroadband

cousin_borat wrote:

Again, you're not being specific about what areas of programming you work in. A contractors field of expertise is quite narrow. Hence there are interest groups for Oracle professionals which I have mentioned, Java professionals, SAP, etc etc. Generally it is within these groups focused on a particular vertical that you find people exchanging information. As much as I'd like to I'm not much use to a VB or .NET developer since I know shag all about them.

It seems like there must not be any sites for what I envisaged, or if there are, nobody here uses them. Yes, there are 1000's of sites about any given programming technology, and I have loads of regular sites I use for that.

There is more to a job than the technology you use, and contracting is different from permanent in several ways outside of the technology. Whether that is enough for people to form a forum or an organization may be the question. Perhaps there is not much of a demand to have a place to discuss the issues that effect them.

democrates

On the face of it it seems like an unfulfilled demand and I had been thinking the same thing for web entrepreneurs, but as others have pointed out, there are already specialist sites fulfilling each area of interest from finance to legal to IT. They are usually going to be used by more experts and therefore be more useful than a generalist site.

That said, you could always set up a site and run it on the side, sure the Irish Linux Users group have one, if it takes off and pays its own way great, if not, so what.

cousin_borat

MeWantBroadband wrote:

It seems like there must not be any sites for what I envisaged, or if there are, nobody here uses them. Yes, there are 1000's of sites about any given programming technology, and I have loads of regular sites I use for that.

Sheesh, I told you the Oraclecontracters have just set up in Ireland at the start of the post. I don't know if thats any use to you since you refuse to say what bloody area of work you are in.

MeWantBroadband

I have a partial answer to my own question, which I will post here should others look for this in the future.

This site is for the UK, but otherwise, it is exactly the kind of thing I had in mind.

http://www.contractoruk.com/

BostonB

Looks interesting. Must have a look through it when I get a moment. Thanks for the link.