More than one gig

[tvr450]

This has been discussed before I think:

http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...agreement.html

[vwdan]

I've done a fair bit of "ad-hoc" consultancy. I don't work for more than one person at once (i.e., subbing etc) but I just schedule them around each other. In my case they all know the drill - if there's no PO, they don't get booked

Pros:

• IMHO, it's much more fun day to day
• More "consultancy" like than "contractor" and that rubs off in the way you're treated by clients and permies
• Far less of a tendency to get involved in random other stuff (Great for IR35), and it's easier to say no
• Can generally demand a higher daily rate
• More time off / at home

Cons:

• In my experience, less money overall because nothing ever juggles perfectly. A 6 month contract will probably be 6 months solid at your day rate, whereas this won't be
• Agents do NOT understand this model at all. I'm not kidding when I say this - expect pain later on
• As above, it's hard to find this work through agencies. You need contacts
• Less consistency - it's always the London bus effect

While I'm sure there'll be some debate about the specifics of IR35 (And yes, it's on a per contract basis), IMHO the reality is that you'd have to work really really hard to operate with multiple clients and remain within IR35

Overall, I enjoy working like this but I wouldn't necessarily say I prefer it. There's a lot to be said for an easy, well paying Mon - Fri gig.