The "beancounters" in the TV networks thought it was a wonderful idea to make all those "non-productive" Technical people redundant & pay a premium for the same people to come back & do the same work as private contractors---Go figure!
As a result of this,Techs in Perth a few years ago were charging around $75 an hour for work at TV studios,using test equipment & parts provided by the customer----if you are providing all that stuff yourself,you should charge a bit more.
The Electronics community in Aust is quite small,& fragmented,so that not all Technical people in say,WA know all those working in the same area in Sydney,or Adelaide.
People working in a different,but related, area?--------Probably very few would know each other.
If you are known for lousy workmanship,that will get around,as Engineers & Techs are bitchy & will gossip!
It's a bit unfair,but it seems to always be negative--------I've never heard"Gee, Fred does great work!"
I guess the point is that excellence is expected by your peers,& not commented on.