Work from home - finding contracts?

**Wilmslow** · 29 December 2007, 15:59

Originally posted by d000hg View Post

The contracts listed on this site see like the are all full-time contracts where you must work on-site. Does anyone else here work in a less traditional way, finding work online and working entirely from home without ever even meeting your employer? Are there any places specialising in advertising such opportunities and/or have people got any advice or experience they can share?
I've found my two current contracts simply through online communities I'm part of. Which brings up another point - I prefer not to have just one contract at any time, the diversity of working on two different things is really exciting to me, and of course it adds a little extra security. So my ideal work would be something I can put in a flexible number of hours into each week.

Are there others like me here? Or is this site purely more traditional contractors?

Hello again!

I guess it depends on the work that you do. If I was doing coding or regresison testing, then would probably work. I work as a software tester, currently working as a Quality Consultant meaning I need to be touchy feely holdie handie to the client, and the people I am training at the clients site.

I started work as a tester, thought of being a code monkey, then decided that testing is where tyres meet the tarmac more, hence enjoy testing and quality management.

Would be nice to bring that together with working from home at the same time, hence contracting is the ideal way of life for me as I get a few months on site, then a few weeks at home, and so on.

Each to our own I guess.

**d000hg** · 29 December 2007, 19:11

I keep forgetting that everyone here isn't a programmer... I'll try to remember! I work as a software developer - so my work would include UML modelling, database design, Java/C++/C# programming, PL/SQL & T-SQL work, JSP/ASP.net and stuff like Flex.

I'm 100% sure there is work out there I can do from home. I just don't know how I find it!

**Cowboy Bob** · 29 December 2007, 21:27

I'm a full on J2EE guy as well, and I've done plenty of work from home. The thing is, that the work found me rather than the other way around. What I have is a website that is set up to look professional (this is very important - hire a pro-designer if you can't do it yourself) and then an ad in the Yellow Pages with the website address. Then be patient and wait for the clients to bite.

In the meantime, go contracting on client sites until you are self-sufficient. It won't take long before you either have to start rejecting work or needing to hire staff in order to cope. Well, when I say won't take long, it took me 2 years to get to the point of being self-sufficient and not having to apply for agency jobs.

Good luck...

**d000hg** · 29 December 2007, 23:54

Thanks for that. I have my domain registered (I got it as soon as the company formed) but no web site. I hate HTML/CSS and I suck at art so while it feels odd to hire a developer when I am one, I think that route is best.

Care to share your URL? I'd planned on my site being pretty simple, but nice looking... little more than a little information and a buzzword-bingo page, and some contact details.

**Cowboy Bob** · 30 December 2007, 13:42

Sorry, but personally I prefer to remain anonymous on this site for a variety of reasons. Maybe someone else will volunteer their site?

**d000hg** · 30 December 2007, 22:42

That's totally not a problem.

**RandyW** · 30 December 2007, 23:00

I can't work from home, there's far too much porn on the web for me to be anything like productive.

HTH

**cojak** · 31 December 2007, 08:54

Originally posted by Cowboy Bob View Post

Sorry, but personally I prefer to remain anonymous on this site for a variety of reasons. Maybe someone else will volunteer their site?

a nice response from dooghg there - but why don't you pm your url CB on pain of death if he reveals it?

**weemster** · 31 December 2007, 10:29

Try to use personal contacts to find a way of working from home if you can. I am currently doing a lot of work from home and have been in the same gig for about two and half years (I say gig but there is no contract in place just two self employed people working together). Its a lot easier to do this sort of thing if the companies involved are small imo - as larger companies want bums on seats and the quality of the contractors they take on reflect this, this type of contractor wouldn't last two minutes in the small contract model.

As for what you do tester, dev whatever - this doesn't really matter and we should strive be as 'contractable' as we can make ourselves. There is more pressure working for the small outift as you tend to get more involved with company and the individuals putting their faith in you unlike the large outfits who don't care about you and you them.

Work from home - finding contracts?