I never said they were the norm, just that they're uncommon. That said, if you want solid advice for your mates, it's simply this. Be resonably competent, pas

I never said they were the norm, just that they're uncommon. That said, if you want solid advice for your mates, it's simply this. Be resonably competent, pass a technical interview that's mainly talking based, get your foot in the door at £600 a day, ask for more after you establish yourself. If you actually deliver your network will be completely different and you'll be able to command those higher rates for quite some time. More importantly, don't bottle negotiations. Your competition isn't amazing, they're just guys who know the framework de jure and make sure they're buzzword compliant.