question on ltd/employment

[eek]

I once had that question, why wasn't I working? My reply was "because I have hundreds of thousands in the bank and I don't need to."

A lot of the wage slaves simply cannot comprehend how someone could go months or years and not work, and they think you were desperately looking for work while living on benefits or something.

Yep - I recently started a contract after 3 years of not really working in a conventional sense and trying to fit into their reference criteria was entertaining.

[SueEllen]

Agencies are asked to provide references going back the last x years and because they are incompetent cheapstakes do it badly rather than offloading it to a third party.

I've had third party referencing companies hired by an agency reference me more than once.

The personnel couldn't get their head around the fact I had gaps and asked my referees more intrusive questions. It got to the point my accountant answered something along the lines of "I'm just the accountant", and my other referees wrote sarcastic responses.

[eek]

I've had third party referencing companies hired by an agency reference me more than once.

The personnel couldn't get their head around the fact I had gaps and asked my referees more intrusive questions. It got to the point my accountant answered something along the lines of "I'm just the accountant", and my other referees wrote sarcastic responses.

Just because it’s a third party doesn’t mean it not cheap and full of incompetent workers doing everything they can to add a few more quid to the bill.

one easy option I would have had is use my accountant - except I don’t have one because they don’t add enough value to me for what they charge.

[Slx]

I can sympathise with this I’ve had some pretty intrusive questions about gaps between contracts as well, as I used to enjoy taking time off between them especially during the summer (not a fashionable thing to do but but I enjoy the work/life balance!). I even had to provide ferry details etc for one agency after time off, and diy receipts etc. Now I just work on small projects between contracts if I’m taking time off and provide them with the website name and say I’ve been working on this for x weeks/months. One agency even emailed the website asking for a reference for me for the dates, which I duly provided ?

Brilliant idea, great, thank you, I am grateful for any suggestions. Now, as you manage your website, which name do you use to provide as reference when you reply back to agencies? (assume it cannot be generic name/your name), I could set a website for my company, set there 8 years experience, add all the roles under this "employment" and solve the issue - like I've been employee of KPMG and be placed at clients sites under different contracts)

I though being a director and paying my salary is enough to cover the employment reference part from agency perspective as it is an administrative issue that needs to be checked (as it makes sense to me - looking for contracts is WORK which is paid with a salary, being a director it's a job itself. Now, I get it's not legally the same thing as having a employment contract is place for you as director but I am not interested in the benefits part or employment on my ltd)

[Slx]

The companies or agencies are basically checking that you haven't been in prison during the gap. Tell them you were on maternity leave, renovating your house, looking after a relative, etc.

Prison is covered by DBS, I've been asked on all new roles for DBS, so it's not this.
You can tell them whatever but they require someone to confirm it. This is the annoying part as I have to keep bother again and again same persons which is non-sense.

[Slx]

Been contracting for a long time, never been asked about gaps or for any references. Sounds a bit weird. Does the question about gaps, get followed up with 'who was the hiring manager?'.

No, I did that mistake once to provide the hiring manager name (they bring their candidates there in the end)
These annoying questions on gaps are coming at the offer stage after OK from interviews, negociate rates etc
End client doesn't care about gaps as otherwise they won't ask for calls, interviews in the first place etc

[gixxer2021]

Brilliant idea, great, thank you, I am grateful for any suggestions. Now, as you manage your website, which name do you use to provide as reference when you reply back to agencies? (assume it cannot be generic name/your name), I could set a website for my company, set there 8 years experience, add all the roles under this "employment" and solve the issue - like I've been employee of KPMG and be placed at clients sites under different contracts)

I though being a director and paying my salary is enough to cover the employment reference part from agency perspective as it is an administrative issue that needs to be checked (as it makes sense to me - looking for contracts is WORK which is paid with a salary, being a director it's a job itself. Now, I get it's not legally the same thing as having a employment contract is place for you as director but I am not interested in the benefits part or employment on my ltd)

Sorry for the late reply. So for my cv I have all my contracts listed under my consultancy ltd (I think like you’re suggesting above), so for my small projects they’re listed with their website name under my ltd name if that makes sense? So if I decided to do a small website on tuning motorcycle engines I’d register fastertwostrokebikes.com and list that with dates between my clients to avoid gaps. To most agents it just looks like another (small) client. All enquiries for refs go to info@fastertwostrokebikes.com, etc asking to confirm dates for myself/ltd working for the dates, which I confirm. I find this easier than trying to argue with agencies about being a director, even though you’re technically correct. I sometimes use the same project for other gaps, just put on the cv upgrading faster…com to latest react version, etc. Also gives a good talking point with clients, etc. I should also add I don’t try and hide the fact that they’re my sites, my cv will usually say something along the lines that my company owns the site and developed it.