Contractor Club

[BigRed]

The idea is to take the agents out of the equation, so that's a good start. Has anyone tried it?

[stek]

The idea is to take the agents out of the equation, so that's a good start. Has anyone tried it?

Yes. Contractor Club for one.

[Antman]

Yep, I'm signed up. I think it's a good idea, I haven't got or put any work through it yet. I've seen some stuff when I wasn't available and there wasn't anything when I was.

I guess it needs that critical mass when it pays for itself for the owners but I don't know what that would look like. I hope they keep it going though, you'd have thought that in this day and age the whole agency model would have disappeared.

[PrimulConsulting]

Yep, I'm signed up. I think it's a good idea, I haven't got or put any work through it yet. I've seen some stuff when I wasn't available and there wasn't anything when I was.

I guess it needs that critical mass when it pays for itself for the owners but I don't know what that would look like. I hope they keep it going though, you'd have thought that in this day and age the whole agency model would have disappeared.

Thanks for the supportive comments Antman. We are going to keep it going! After 6 years contracting I took a break starting in early July and I am now working on developing the Club as my 9-5 (as yet totally unpaid) job. I have a load of ideas which I am sharing with members by means of a survey. I have tested the survey on 20% of the base and the rest will be receiving their link in August. Without telling you the early results (I'll share with all members when the whole base has had a chance to comment) - it looks very exciting.

[SimonMac]

The first rule of contractor club, is you DONT TALK ABOUT CONTRACTOR CLUB!

Sheesh, bloody noobs

[CoolCat]

So how does it work if you are operating through an umbrella? Lots of long term contractors are?

Can the club issue a receipt for their fees for something the large umbrellas will allow to go through as an expense?

Or some other agreed way of working it with the biggest umbrellas?

[PrimulConsulting]

So how does it work if you are operating through an umbrella? Lots of long term contractors are?

Can the club issue a receipt for their fees for something the large umbrellas will allow to go through as an expense?

Or some other agreed way of working it with the biggest umbrellas?

Hi

Some 99% of members are Ltd companies. However those working through umbrellas may also be able to join.

We have relationships with the following, wherby they will make a deduction for commission expense exactly as you say:
Brookson
Plan IT
Carrington
Drole Computing
Umbrella Contracts

We get no kick-back from any of these.

We would be happy to form relationships with other umbrellas subject to:
1. Them operating PAYE and not offshore body shopping, payment as loans, other tax efficient schemes. These may all be legal, but they do not fit well with the Club ethos. (Some may call me a "Pompus xxxx" but the rules won't change)
2. They have to be prepared to work with us. There are 2 issues here:
a) some have automated systems where such a deduction means they need to make manual intervention. The cost they would reclaim from the Club is typically 4% of day rate. The Club earns 4% of day rate - so we would not be able to afford this set up.
b) others are very close to Agencies and would not want to risk those relationships by associating with Contractor Club. (It's quite interesting for us to see which organisations are "for contractors" and which just operate in the contractor market... but now I'm getting into tangental woffling)

[PrimulConsulting]

The first rule of contractor club, is you DONT TALK ABOUT CONTRACTOR CLUB!

The Club has really been run by a couple of contractors doing it for free in evenings and weekend. I gave up contracting to work on the Club full time in July. However I have not - since setting it up in 2012 received £1 as salary or dividends or anything else. I'm working for free now and there just is no money to advertise. The hope is that the Contractor Community will think it a good idea and tell each other.

(There's a subtle hint hidden in there)

Rob

[malvolio]

The Club has really been run by a couple of contractors doing it for free in evenings and weekend. I gave up contracting to work on the Club full time in July. However I have not - since setting it up in 2012 received £1 as salary or dividends or anything else. I'm working for free now and there just is no money to advertise. The hope is that the Contractor Community will think it a good idea and tell each other.

(There's a subtle hint hidden in there)

Rob

PM sent...

[CoolCat]

Hi

Some 99% of members are Ltd companies. However those working through umbrellas may also be able to join.

We have relationships with the following, wherby they will make a deduction for commission expense exactly as you say:
Brookson
Plan IT
Carrington
Drole Computing
Umbrella Contracts

We get no kick-back from any of these.

We would be happy to form relationships with other umbrellas subject to:
1. Them operating PAYE and not offshore body shopping, payment as loans, other tax efficient schemes. These may all be legal, but they do not fit well with the Club ethos. (Some may call me a "Pompus xxxx" but the rules won't change)
2. They have to be prepared to work with us. There are 2 issues here:
a) some have automated systems where such a deduction means they need to make manual intervention. The cost they would reclaim from the Club is typically 4% of day rate. The Club earns 4% of day rate - so we would not be able to afford this set up.
b) others are very close to Agencies and would not want to risk those relationships by associating with Contractor Club. (It's quite interesting for us to see which organisations are "for contractors" and which just operate in the contractor market... but now I'm getting into tangental woffling)

Why carnt you just invoice the contractor, and let him book it to expenses through the umbrella? You just need to find a category of expenses that all the main umbrellas have already got an agreement with the tax man for?

Your list of umbrellas is ok as a starting point, but you need to get a mechanism for folk using all the largest umbrellas to use.