Contracting for a management consultancy

[m0n1k3r]

If they treat you as an associate, fine. If they try to embed you as a permie (insisting that you have business cards from the consultancy for example), not fine.

As an associate I have always carried the consultancy's business cards and T-shirt. I am, after all, working under their name as part of their team to their client, and the client should not have to care. There has frequently been something on the card indicating that I'm an associate (such as the word "associate"). What matters is the actual working arrangements.

Being an associate of a consultancy is nothing like working through a temp work agency (aka recruitment agency).

[MrMarkyMark]

As an associate I have always carried the consultancy's business cards and T-shirt. I am, after all, working under their name as part of their team to their client, and the client should not have to care. There has frequently been something on the card indicating that I'm an associate (such as the word "associate"). What matters is the actual working arrangements.

Being an associate of a consultancy is nothing like working through a temp work agency (aka recruitment agency).

Having being an associate for a couple of consultancies, up to a Principal Level, I do completely the opposite to you. I would not accept a business card under ANY circumstances.
I usually let the client know I'm an independent contractor, on the quiet, usually against the consultancies wishes, however it has paid great dividends to me in the past.

Of course working practices are key during an IR35 investigation, however, in my view, you are basically asking HMRC in "for a cup of tea" by leaving yourself so open to be a candidate for investigation in the first place.

I don't get people that take risks with these first potential points of contact (this type of thing, contracts etc.), unless HMRC see anything straight away, it is potentially unlikely they will investigate further.

[SueEllen]

Having being an associate for a couple of consultancies, up to a Principal Level, I do completely the opposite to you. I would not accept a business card under ANY circumstances.
I usually let the client know I'm an independent contractor, on the quiet, usually against the consultancies wishes, however it has paid great dividends to me in the past.

As I'm interviewed by the end client they normally find out that I'm not a permanent member of the consultancy's staff when I go through my work history.

[MrMarkyMark]

As I'm interviewed by the end client they normally find out that I'm not a permanent member of the consultancy's staff when I go through my work history.

Yeh, does depend on the client though.
I have been for some where purely someone from the consultancy interviewed me.

I have also been told to say I worked for them, I have and would never say such a thing.

[SueEllen]

Yeh, does depend on the client though.
I have been for some where purely someone from the consultancy interviewed me.

I have also been told to say I worked for them, I have and would never say such a thing.

If you did you would be colluding in misrepresentation to the client.

[MrMarkyMark]

If you did you would be colluding in misrepresentation to the client.

Exactly, as I usually explain to the client when I speak to them.

To be frank, it usually helps as quite often staff at many clients don't like the consultancy anyway.
It has really worked in my advantage on a couple of occasions

[SueEllen]

Exactly, as I usually explain to the client when I speak to them.

Clearly those consultancies are unaware of other consultancies that got sued in the past by their clients and the skills that they claimed they had were important in the cases e.g. BSkyB suing EDS , Deloitte and Calfornia Marin County

To be frank, it usually helps as quite often staff at many clients don't like the consultancy anyway.
It has really worked in my advantage on a couple of occasions

I've noticed that