Firstly... please forgive me... I am a 'user' - i know, i'm sorry... but i need your help

I have a problem... having created a number of ecommerce websites my partner (who was the server / developer person) has decided he does not want to continue ... to the point where he really won't help create a bridge between the jobs or anything. I wear many hats here but code / servers isn't in the mix for me.

I know have to re-develop a small team to continue the product and run the business from the development / server areas.

the advice i have received so far is to:
- 1: use the software that my server provider uses & supports (plesk, rather than webmin) and
- 2: A load of other changes ... such as use their mail etc... all so that they can better support us in the end. To co-ordinate these changes I should develop a relationship with a good local Linux Consultant that I use periodically - starting with a chat and then a days work or so on my server.... there is another issue in so much as there could be settings here that affect the product - but I'm not sure where/what... and like I say, my now ex-partner is totally uninterested....

I have started talks with a new programmer now on the basis of a partnership... and these initial talks are going quite well... but this person would have a mammoth task, so i am thinking that placing this area in the hands of a consultant is a good first step.

How would you go about this and how much would you expect to pay... just as an idea (I realise this is a broad question)
- I am UK based.

Although there is no budget in the company and i am using my own funds, I need to be sure that I go about this in the right way... any advice would be very helpful.

I hope this makes sense...

Thank you in advance for your help.

LQ Job Marketplace ?

... and better to say where, exactly, in the UK you are [N. London, E. Birmingham...]

Good luck, and welcome to LQ!

This might be a good place to ask also http://lug.org.uk/.
There are plenty of IT contract agencies in the UK, I used to work there. You might be able to find a friendly one who'd give you a ballpark figure.

...

That has nothing to do with *nux zealots. Windows developers are the exact same way, even worse since their code only runs on ONE platform. It has more to do with going to school for a science degree, not a business degree. And otherwise doing what one is told to do, even if it makes no sense. Specifications are written by managers, who may not be programmers.

Anyway, you might start with a few online sites. Depending on what you're looking for. Temp, Contract, W2, part time, full time, yada yada yada. Your local LUG might help in the search. It really depends on the expertise you're looking for. Is there some reason the previous guy is leaving? Better offer? Tired of coding specs that have no business sense? Tired of being on 13 pager rotations and otherwise spending 80+ hours a week on site? Benefits suck? Changes to the company indicates eminent danger? Been there, done that.

There's so many job sites, it's hard to know which to use. I compiled a list of almost 700 of them in 1999. Some of them are very regional. While others are too international. I got out of IT and went back into the entertainment industry because I figured that the paychecks would be a little more regular. Finding work only once a year, with six months between jobs a year really sucked for any sort of long term plans. Factor in the function if IT is to eliminate the need for IT. And having to relocate / start a new (on my penny) everytime I found a job. And the need to have viable long term goals is higher than a pretty paycheck.

Moved: This thread is more suitable in <LQ job marketplace> and has been moved accordingly to help your thread/question get the exposure it deserves.

Do you mean a business degree would make you communicate more persuasively with managers when their specs make no sense? But you have a science degree and that raises a barrier?

Advertise on Craigslist. That's one job board that all under-employed developers read.

EDIT: I just realized how old the thread is.