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First Contract Role - Tips and Guides

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    First Contract Role - Tips and Guides

    Hello everyone,

    I will start my first contractor role in the public sector in a few weeks. I want to know what it looks like working in the public sector in a contract role.

    How is the relationship between the permanent staff and the contract staff like? What are the deliverables for contractors?

    Any guide/leads are appreciated

    #2
    Originally posted by wisel View Post
    Hello everyone,

    I will start my first contractor role in the public sector in a few weeks. I want to know what it looks like working in the public sector in a contract role.

    How is the relationship between the permanent staff and the contract staff like? What are the deliverables for contractors?

    Any guide/leads are appreciated
    No body knows. every team in every department will be different.
    merely at clientco for the entertainment

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by wisel View Post
      Hello everyone,

      I will start my first contractor role in the public sector in a few weeks. I want to know what it looks like working in the public sector in a contract role.

      How is the relationship between the permanent staff and the contract staff like? What are the deliverables for contractors?

      Any guide/leads are appreciated
      Your deliverables will be defined in the contract and/or statement of work and ought to have been discussed at an interview. If you don't know what work you've been engaged to do then that's a bit of a worry.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by eek View Post

        No body knows. every team in every department will be different.
        Absolutely this. I've done two stints at the same gov dept and a different one. All three completely different experiences. Same dept but two different teams even made a big difference. The skill of contractor is to adapt quickly to each situation. There is no norm. In the three I had the polar opposites, one role if you raised an urgency or pushed it would have you out the door, next to nothing got done in time. The other high pressure, long hours, delivered at pace.

        Your deliverables will be defined in the contract and/or statement of work and ought to have been discussed at an interview. If you don't know what work you've been engaged to do then that's a bit of a worry.
        This. Contract interviews (IMO) are a two way street. You need to be quizzing them about what's do be done and how so you can make the choice whether to take the role or not. Sounds daft but you also need to check the role you are going to do is the one advertised as it's not uncommon to be given a set of tasks that have nothing to do with the advertised role.

        As a contractor you are engaged to deliver a piece of work, not just be an employee and sit there waiting to be told what to do, so clear what that work up is in your interview.

        If you are that green you could take ask someone for Dave Chaplins book for xmas
        https://www.amazon.co.uk/Contractors.../dp/0956074529

        More than anything there is a seismic shift in your relationship. They are not your employer now, they are your client/customer. They want your skills and they pay handsomly for them. You are no longer swanning around as an employee. You have to deliver value for money and treat them like a customer. You'll only find out exactly how to do that when you get to know the work and people but as I say, these people are not your colleagues, they are your customers so you have to be better than them and more professional.
        'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

        Comment


          #5
          Thank you, everyone for your contribution, it's been really helpful

          Comment


            #6
            The first thing you have to realise, and the short form of the above properly useful advice, is that your job now is being a contractor. What you are selling are your skills and experience. Don't mix the two up.
            Blog? What blog...?

            Comment


              #7
              Lots of mindless bureacracy.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by wisel View Post
                What are the deliverables for contractors?
                Is this role inside or outside IR35? (If you don't know what that means, look through the guides in the right-hand margin.)

                If it's inside IR35, then you'll effectively be treated as an employee, but the specifics will still vary from role to role. E.g. if you're on a service desk then maybe you need to update tickets with your progress. Or if you're upgrading laptops to a new version of Windows, maybe you need to send a weekly report with a summary of how many you've done so far. You need to discuss this with the client, so that you know what they're expecting from you.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Thank you. It's inside IR35

                  Originally posted by hobnob View Post

                  Is this role inside or outside IR35? (If you don't know what that means, look through the guides in the right-hand margin.)

                  If it's inside IR35, then you'll effectively be treated as an employee, but the specifics will still vary from role to role. E.g. if you're on a service desk then maybe you need to update tickets with your progress. Or if you're upgrading laptops to a new version of Windows, maybe you need to send a weekly report with a summary of how many you've done so far. You need to discuss this with the client, so that you know what they're expecting from you.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by wisel View Post
                    Thank you. It's inside IR35


                    then ignore all the amazing advice about being a contractor.
                    You're staff/employee/wage slave, with a possibly swifter exit if you p*SS someone off.
                    See You Next Tuesday

                    Comment

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