Got "tricked" into this contracting business

[norfolk]

It's a minefield.

It sure is, and it's a good lesson.

Not that it really matters now, but the agent was pulling a fast one this time: I mean, why else would he offer me the same exact number that he knew I earned at present and acted like it was the deal of a life time (i.e. after tax)? In any case, such things need to be put down on paper accordingly and while I did try that I wasn't stubborn enough to succeed.

As to your present predicament, you really need to sort it out with the client. Tell them you are unhappy and ask them to let you go or make some other arrangement. It doesn't happen often, but I have seen sufficiently large clients cancel their contract with an agency and organise another agency for the contractor concerned.

Yes, I'm working that angle as well but there seems to be some reluctancy from the client on cancelling my contract towards the agency and set me up with another.

Also, as I'm under a clause that won't allow me to provide any additional work for the client (I know, I should have objected to that) without a sizable fee, I will have a hard time sticking around after a potential cancellation.

[Taita]

Better to do it now then in a contract with a agency who were in your country.


I've always personally found it better to be truthful with the client to some degree and come to an arrange with them to leave.


This is common in the UK regardless if you are a business or a consumer. The trick used by many companies of all sizes is not to put things down on paper and make sure contentious recordings disappear.

Therefore the onus is again on you to write things down with dates, times and who said what and send confirmation emails/letters of what was stated.

Obviously you don't do this most of the time but in situations i.e. insurance, mobile phone purchasing, where things are known to often go wrong for other people.


If the client is in your country then I don't advise you to do this as they can tell others about you by name. It's better to get them to agree they don't want you to do any work for them any more.

Companies don't want people working for them who clearly don't want to be there.

"I've always personally found it better to be truthful with the client to some degree"
Is this the same as being economical with the truth?

[SueEllen]

"I've always personally found it better to be truthful with the client to some degree"
Is this the same as being economical with the truth?

Nope.

You tell the client as much as you think they want to hear.

In this case the client knows what the issue is so it's a case of getting them to agree to end the contract.

[d000hg]

What, exactly, is the problem?
What were you lead to expect, how were you lead to expect this?
What does your contract say?

Blaming the agent etc will not help you gain credibility here.

He didn't say he wants credibility. He's happy we say and think what we like, but is just hoping he might get some advice amongst that.

However, I will say that this is NOT the fault of the Agent. You have failed to do your due dilligence, you have been blinded by the monies involved, pre-tax (which is how we refer to your pay in the UK) and you have then failed to read, or understand the contract, before signing it.

This is like someone turning around to me and saying "you told me I'd get paid £50,000 per annum, but you failed to tell me I'd get taxed...." My reply would be a very simple "I told you the truth - it's not my fault that you think you're above the tax laws of this country"

Yeah yeah yeah. Wrap stuff up in legalese so it's deliberately hard to understand and then claim no culpability.
Of course he didn't do his due diligence but he's not a contractor and as such you don't necessarily know you need to do a lot of due diligence in the first place... when you enter a new field you don't know the right questions to ask and I'm sure that happened to all of us once.

[d000hg]

However there are 3 or 4 newbies in the pro forums today, possible invasion or just normal life?

[The Agents View]

Yeah yeah yeah. Wrap stuff up in legalese so it's deliberately hard to understand and then claim no culpability.
Of course he didn't do his due diligence but he's not a contractor and as such you don't necessarily know you need to do a lot of due diligence in the first place... when you enter a new field you don't know the right questions to ask and I'm sure that happened to all of us once.

The contractor being liable for paying tax after payments have been made, is hardly making things hard to understand!!!

[d000hg]

Depends if the agent deliberately tried to hide that, or could tell the contractor wasn't aware and said nothing, in order to get a lower rate.

[gingerjedi]

Feck me just don't turn up, nothing will happen.

Move on.

[dynamicsaxcontractor]

You get about 300 krona (~£30) in your personal bank for each 1000 krona (~£100) you earn in Sweden. If the agent is from the UK I understand the problem as in the UK you get about £70 for every £100.

[norfolk]

You get about 300 krona (~£30) in your personal bank for each 1000 krona (~£100) you earn in Sweden. If the agent is from the UK I understand the problem as in the UK you get about £70 for every £100.

The income tax is ~30% and the social security amounts to the same so it's more like 1000 * 0,7^2 = SEK 490 in this case (there's a treshold where you get taxed more heavily also).

Not that it really matters but I have my reasons to believe the agent was simply full of it.