Web Consultancy UK

I’m going to let you in on a naughty little secret that most developers don’t want you to know about.  It’s called rentacoder.com, and it’s been a lifesaver for many an overworked UK coder over the past few years.

Rentacoder is essentially a middleman between UK developers and coders/designers in developing countries.  It provides a safe, easy to use, and above all cheap, means of outsourcing work to countries where the dollar is still strong enough to hold sway.

Now, if I were to tell you that by using Rentacoder UK developers are able to get quality work done at a fraction of the price it would cost in this country, you might reasonably ask why you too shouldn’t give it a try?  Well, the simple answer is, that actually, you probabaly should.

Rentacoder is a fantastic means of getting a project completed to a  high quality, whilst at the same time actively helping coders in disadvantaged areas generate some much needed income.  I see it very much like Comic relief, but without Lenny Henry in a garish red jacket.  Coder Relief in fact.

But it does come with some pit falls…

1.  To really work on a low budget you have to be prepared to take a chance on a low scoring coder.  This is someone new to Rentacoder who has yet to build up a reputation score (much like Ebay’s Power seller scoring system, based on client feedback) or a network of clients.  This doesn’t work out everytime, so avoid projects with a tight deadline.  If the coder isn’t up to the task, don’t worry.  So long as you’ve set a rigid brief that hasn’t been met, Rentacoder will mediate in your favour and return all escrowed funds.  If however you haven’t briefed the coder correctly with your requirements, or have renaged on your side of the bargain, beware, as you are likely to lose your deposit.  Either way, just re-submit your job, and try another coder.

2.  Using a coder whose first language isn’t English can at times be very tricky.  Using Rentacoder is harder work than using a UK coder, as you will often have to micro-manage the project via email.  This isn’t a problem if you’re technically minded, and know exactly what you require - however, for those that don’t know their HTML from their CSS it can be very tricky.  There are of course Rentacoders on the site that have an excellent understanding of English, and will be every bit as savvy as their UK counterparts, but these are generally the coders than have high reputation score,a nd you will therefore find yourself paying a  premium (it will still be far cheaper than a UK agency however).

3.  There are of course dubious characters on rentacoder, as there are in real lige.  with some 1/2  million coders on the site this is inescapable.  However, Rentacoder.com are very wise to this, and so long as you follow their advice to the letter, you can’t really go wrong.

So go on, give it a go.  I can assure you that once you get the bug you’ll never want to do your coding any other way