Maximum hours per week?

[LittleMermaid]

Am thinking of leaving a permanent role and starting contracting (not in IT - apologies for the intrusion) - is there a limit to the number of hours or contracts you can have at one time? Will be probably using an umbrella company to start off with.

[jamesbrown]

No, other than what you can reasonably deliver and is consistent with your contractual terms, but you can (and should) refuse terms that constrain your working with multiple clients simultaneously, for example.

[jamesbrown]

Guides are over there ———->

[LittleMermaid]

Thank you, I couldn't find a specific guide on this but I'll have a check through again

[northernladuk]

It would be better if you told us what exactly you are trying to achieve. There are caveats around multipe gigs, especially inside and working on the other clients time but not knowing what your are trying to do we can't start to guess every answer you might need.
The guidses don't cover it because they should tell you how contracting works and with that knowledge you should be able to work out what the art of the possible is. You are on your own contracting so need to understand what it is you do for a living.

[LittleMermaid]

In pharmaceutical contracting, some roles are part-time. For example, if there were 3 contracts requiring 2 days per week, is there anything to stipulate that I couldn't take on all 3? If I get the work done (eg working over the weekend), presumably that would be ok unless specified differently in each contract? Would umbrella companies allow this?

[malvolio]

In pharmaceutical contracting, some roles are part-time. For example, if there were 3 contracts requiring 2 days per week, is there anything to stipulate that I couldn't take on all 3? If I get the work done (eg working over the weekend), presumably that would be ok unless specified differently in each contract? Would umbrella companies allow this?

It's up to you, there are no rules about it - other than the individual contract terms which you have signed up to. If both want you there on a Tuesday, but one is am and one is pm, then no problem. If they both expect you in the morning, then there is a problem.

It's up to you to agree the working hours for each contract and to ensure you can do them without encroaching on another's contracted timing and hours.

The umbrella are only your employer in name only. You are buying a service from them, they will pretty much follow what you tell them to, including processing payroll from multiple contracts. You will need to talk to them about the specifics - perhaps give Lucy at Clarity (much recommended on here) to see how that would work.

[northernladuk]

In pharmaceutical contracting, some roles are part-time. For example, if there were 3 contracts requiring 2 days per week, is there anything to stipulate that I couldn't take on all 3? If I get the work done (eg working over the weekend), presumably that would be ok unless specified differently in each contract? Would umbrella companies allow this?

Companies will state inside roles because they want to control the contractor. You are bum on a seat so will expect fixed times. If it was a job you could do in your own time and deliver a product it would be outside.

So yeah, you can take as many contracts as you like, just as you can with jobs but with return to office starting and inside roles stipulating hours then you can't work on another clients time.

I think you are underestimating how many part time roles there are. And if you have found quite a few then you are more likely temping not contracting. If it is temping then they will definitely stipulate working hours/days. As long as the second contract doesn't encroach on the times for the first one you are good to go. But good luck with that.

[jamesbrown]

In pharmaceutical contracting, some roles are part-time. For example, if there were 3 contracts requiring 2 days per week, is there anything to stipulate that I couldn't take on all 3? If I get the work done (eg working over the weekend), presumably that would be ok unless specified differently in each contract? Would umbrella companies allow this?

I think the question you're asking is whether there is anything, in principle, to prevent you working flexibly, at the times and locations you want and for as many clients as you want, simultaneously. The answer is no, there is nothing in principle. For example, there is no statutory law to prevent what you and your clients might agree in this regard. The only thing, in practice, that will prevent you from doing this (if anything) is finding the clients and agreeing the contractual terms. We've had some posters in the past that essentially wanted to bill multiple clients for the same time, which is obviously a terrible idea and probably a fraudulent breach of contract. But, again, the only constraint here is what your clients and contracts admit.

[TheGreenBastard]

As an opposing view to the above, I billed 600 days last year, similar the year previous, I probably don't need to explain how useful this capital is for early retirement or BTL properties. It's in fact the opposite of "a terrible idea" and very much aligns with "running a business", something the permietractors of this forum can't reconcile.

I strongly advise you give it a go if you can.