Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watdragon!watsol!gpmorron
From: gpmorron@watsol.waterloo.edu (Gary P. Morrison)
Newsgroups: ont.jobs
Subject: Employment Agencies
Summary: Advice about agencies, $, %, contracting.
Keywords: money, contracting, agencies, employment.
Message-ID: <19468@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Date: 22 Dec 89 23:59:33 GMT
Sender: daemon@watdragon.waterloo.edu
Reply-To: gpmorron@watsol.waterloo.edu (Gary P. Morrison)
Distribution: ont.jobs, tor.general, ont.general
Organization: U. of Waterloo Grad.
Lines: 40


I need information about an EMPLOYMENT AGENCY I am considering using.

The agency is P.J. Ward of Toronto.  My problem is that they are being
very tight lipped about their commission and the whole topic of the
negotiation of salary.

I'm a recent U. of Waterloo grad (Comp. Sci./Information Systems, May '89)
and I plan to attend grad school in September '91 (for either Management
Science or a M.B.A.).  I have three years of programming experience (mostly
in "C", both DOS and UNIX).

Can you answer the following?

1. What is the industry standard for commission on (a) finding CONTRACT work,
   and (b) finding full-time employment?  What combination of fixed fee
   plus percentage of my earnings should I expect to pay?

2. The contract commission is to be skimmed from my earnings as long as I 
   hold the position.  Has anyone negotiated this into something more
   reasonable?  (I.e. skim until some mutually agreeable amount is reached).

3. What do employers expect to pay an agency for locating people in
   the systems profession?

GENERAL COMMENTS about agencies (and the art of contracting) are WELCOME.

Responses will NOT be posted to the Net (unless you do it).  If you're 
interested in the replies I receive then let me know and I'll send a summary
to you. 

Please reply ASAP...I need your advice now!

P.J. Ward reps are welcome to reply!

     - Gary Morrison

___________________________________________________________________________
!                 Everton F.C. -- The Pride of Merseyside!                !
!_________________________________________________________________________!