Why did you get into contracting

[Sysman]

Thanks really handy report, although I am a little confused by the term freelancers. I think freelancers are different to contractors, although I'm not sure I could accurately articulate the difference but I definitely think they are different.

I considered myself a freelancer from the start. For the first 10 years I never signed a contract for anything except NDA and product ownership purposes, and worked from purchase orders. I always had several customers on the go and developed my own products on my own (expensive) kit.

The change to contractor only came as a result of the early 1990s recession after which all my previous contacts had moved on, their employers having gone bust or been subject to a merger or takeover.

[expat]

What I meant was despite employees receiving 5 weeks holiday per year most of the time (in my experience) most people take up to two weeks in one go for a holiday .
As a contractor if I did a 6 month gig if I decided to not to take an extension I could travel for a few months before starting another contract . And I have the freedom to do this often as a contractor . Now as an employee would I be allowed to travel for a few months every 6 months work or so ? Not all employers would be that flexible ....

Let me play Devil's Advocate.

Employment:
1. Some employers will take you back after you have left to travel or whatever.
2. Some won't.
3. Some employers and in particular some jobs will let you take months off. In teaching and especially academia it is built in.

Contracting:
1. Some clents will take you back after you have refused an extension because you want to travel or whatever.
2. Some won't.
3. Few clients will let you take months off, and it is IME never built in.

Looks like evens except that Contracting loses No. 3.

[RichardCranium]

Where is it that only gives employees two weeks' holiday?

I believe it is the norm in the USA where they consider our European holidays a communist plot to brig down capitalism, or some such.

[williamdavis]

Where is it that only gives employees two weeks' holiday?

Anyway, you can fit three-month trips into some careers, teaching for example, which might have been one of my alternatives. And you could always leave and come back to a job: some of them will pretty much guarantee to take you back. For example I was told once by a sergeant in the Met that he had backpacked in Asia a couple of times, you could always come and get your old job back.

I have used contracting for time off and travel, but looking back over my life, I don't now see that I couldn't have done it as a permie.

Must be state side.

In a few permie roles, I've had flexi-time and also been allocated 30 days holiday. However, when requesting two weeks off it was nearly always refused due to mission critical times and was only allowed 5 days at best. I nearly always lost these days at the end of the year and didn't get paid for them.

Flexi-time is just as stupid, I was racking up huge time credits due to long days and never seemed to get time to take the extra time off, in one six month period I manged to rack up 200 hours credit and hadn't taken any time off at all, all of this meant I could have taken off about three months - fat chance of that happening.

[cojak]

I'm sure this is going to bite us on the bum.

Apart from potentially giving some idiot a giggle at our expense, I can't see how Dickie..

[Sysman]

What I meant was despite employees receiving 5 weeks holiday per year most of the time (in my experience) most people take up to two weeks in one go for a holiday .
As a contractor if I did a 6 month gig if I decided to not to take an extension I could travel for a few months before starting another contract . And I have the freedom to do this often as a contractor . Now as an employee would I be allowed to travel for a few months every 6 months work or so ? Not all employers would be that flexible ....

Back in permie days a two week holiday was acceptable, but in at least two places you had to ask for a special dispensation if you wanted three weeks in a row. It was made clear that this would only be granted if you were going somewhere like Australia where the travel time would be significant.

[elwray]

Contracting:
1. Some clents will take you back after you have refused an extension because you want to travel or whatever.
2. Some won't.
3. Few clients will let you take months off, and it is IME never built in.

Who said that I would want to work for the same client after my travels ?
As for 3. I am talking about doing a 6 month contract for example and when the contract ends and then travel not taking some time off during a contract. Once I have finished travelling and I just move on and find another contract not necessarily with the same client .

[Sysman]

Apart from potentially giving some idiot a giggle at our expense, I can't see how Dickie..

I'm fairly new in my job (marketing consultant, automotive industry NOT a recruiter, I'm also a permie and not a contractor) and I've been asked to write a guide about the roles of contractors throughout the business and how contractors will more than likely play a larger part on the company (end of the permanent job for life type thing).

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders ?

SMMT is the leading trade association for the motor industry in the UK. Its mission is "to encourage and promote in the UK and abroad the interests of the motor industry."

[williamdavis]

Back in permie days a two week holiday was acceptable, but in at least two places you had to ask for a special dispensation if you wanted three weeks in a row. It was made clear that this would only be granted if you were going somewhere like Australia where the travel time would be significant.

This totally and utterly F's me off, why should a company have the right to approve or deny a holiday request based on where I'm going? What the **** has it to do with them!

This is bringing back horrible memories of having to make up spurious stories about grand parents, sick children and the such to take time off without giving 6 months notice.

Where I go or what I do has bugger all to do with the company I work for or the manager I report to. At no point should this come into play with the decision if I can or cannot take time off. Phew got that off my chest

I've been in this contract for quite a while now and nobody gives a hoot where I go on holiday providing the work gets done and yet I'd doing a very similar job as I did as a permie.

[expat]

Back in permie days a two week holiday was acceptable, but in at least two places you had to ask for a special dispensation if you wanted three weeks in a row. It was made clear that this would only be granted if you were going somewhere like Australia where the travel time would be significant.

Contracting:
Q. Can you take time off for as long as you want, to travel?
A. Wait till the end of your contract, then you don't have to ask anybody.

Employment:
Q. Can you take time off for as long as you want, to travel?
A. Give notice, wait till the end of your notice period, then you don't have to ask anybody.