Getting scheduled on any cool work requires you to already be well established as a safe bet to deliver that type of work, or to play office politics with the scheduling team to get it. This isn't just my experience - many have shared a similar story with me. On top of that, there's a very specific type of gig at NCC that *everyone* hates doing. And there is an abundance of this type of work. If this corner of the organization lays its claws in you, good luck. Because it is VERY difficult to escape their grasp. I basically had to threaten to quit in order to start getting basic webapp pentests - with the "unique and interesting" work that the recruiter promised me nowhere in sight. The scheduling system overall encourages stagnation of skills, and you will have to actively fight to overcome this if you want any chance at all to get work that *doesn't* make you want to chew glass. "Your pay is more bonus-heavy than other places, but don't worry, almost everyone always gets max utilization bonus" - dont fall for this lie. The recruiter told me (and many others I know), this exact statement. The bonus is very difficult to max out. I dont think I even came close to max bonus once, and a few quarters, received no bonus. This is a lie they tell you so that they can hire you for less than the market average for the work. Dont fall for it. Additionally, if a client cancels your gig the week before it starts *will* result in a very significant percentage of your quarterly bonus going straight down the drain. More rounds of layoffs are very likely. This is somewhat speculative, but to verify what I'm saying, google "Preliminary unaudited results for the year ended 31 May 2023 ext:pdf" (first link) - then press CTRL + F and search for "phase 1" - I will paste that here: • Phase 1 (March-April 2023) – initial reduction in global delivery and operational headcount; -c.7% reduction of the Group’s global headcount • Phase 2 (June-September 2023) – a further reduction in global delivery, operational and corporate functions headcount prior to opening our off-shore operations and delivery centre in Manila • Phase 3 (October 2023-May 2025) – finalisation of the Group’s operating model The financial document referenced above is one that they *cannot* legally tell lies on (but lying to you over Microsoft Teams is perfectly legal.) So if they say anything that contradicts a statement in one of their financial documents, decide for yourself which is more likely to be true. Phase 1 and 2 both refer to reductions in force, with phase 2 also referring to the opening of the Philippines offices they intend to outsource cheap labor to. Phase 3, which is set to complete in May 2025 refers to completing the group's "Operational Model." Given the nature of Phases 1 and 2 both being about layoffs, as well as the growing their outsourcing of cheap labor operation, phase 3 "finalises that" - i.e., your job going away and being replaced with cheap labor in the Philippines. But of course, that is all speculation based on what phase 1 and 2 were - and *not* said anywhere explicitly on the referenced document. So I'm sure your job isn't going anywhere ;)
