confused about pay

[lukemg]

Contractors need to be low maintenance, which means:
1- They get on with everyone, even if they hate them (Permies are allowed to be annoyed by people/slag them off, you aren't)
2- They don't moan about the place
3- They don't cause unrest by talking about money
4- They don't b1tch if they don't get invites to the pub/xmas bash/keiths leaving do
5- They don't have childcare/sickness/relative issues -leave them at home
6- They don't turn up later than agreed or leave on the dot if there is extra effort required.
Turn up, do the work as agreed, go home - repeat until end of contract and then consider options.
Yes, you get some flexibility over time but the basic principles stay the same.
Anyone who starts to think like a permie, messes things for the rest of us (e.g. some tw4t claiming employment rights on a long term contract means I will get 11 months max)

[milanbenes]

I always thought a day rate is based upon working 8 hours (or more with the more unpaid)

however depending on the relationship with the boss leaving early can be taken in leu of working later at other times

or on the invoice and time sheet log a 6 hour day and charge for 75% of the day rate

discuss with your boss and your agent openly so that everybody's expectations are managed and realistic and out in the open - avoids surprises further down the line

have fun contracting

Milan.

[Ardesco]

I always make sure that my contract states clearly how many hours are classified as a day and make sure there is a clause about overtime rates. This you can be very clear with your client that while you may stay a bit longer now and then it is not something they can try and force you to do as you have a contract stating you will work X hours a day.

I belive Natwest and Bank of Scotland are well known for taking the piss and expecting 13 hours days for all thier daily rate contractors so it's useful to have a definition of how many hours a working day is in your contract

[ratewhore]

As for timesheets, if you are on a day rate (as I am) then your timesheet should reflect days, not hours. My timesheet at the end of the month has a '1' against each date I have billed. I will not breakdown the number of hours in there. The client tried to get me to do so initially but I told em to poke off...

[Paddy]

As for timesheets, if you are on a day rate (as I am) then your timesheet should reflect days, not hours. My timesheet at the end of the month has a '1' against each date I have billed. I will not breakdown the number of hours in there. The client tried to get me to do so initially but I told em to poke off...

Quite right. If the time sheet does not fit the for daily rate just put down one day. I always stipulate in my small print that a daily rate is for a maximum of seven house in the UK and eight hours in Europe . Extra hours by professional discretion

[newcommuter]

thanks for all your advice which i've only just been able to look at.
looks like the agency don't care if i put the odd 7 hours here, 6.5 hours there - they still paid me full day rate!! and what a whopper of a pay it is too!i am so pleased - lone parent counting the pennies most of the time you see - i can relax a little now.
cheers everyone

[AtW]

Just make sure you put aside cash to pay for any time out of contract or whatever.

Good luck!

[Alf W]

Of course the Agency won't care. They add commission on what you bill.

The client might care if they notice you are taking the p1ss and doing less work than they are paying you for.

This is a wind up and I claim my £5.

[TheMonkey]

I run my own Limited, I work through an agency or directly and I fill in agency timesheets, which then get thrown in the bin.

Timesheets are there to keep the agency<-->client relationship happy. Your invoices to the agency are the ONLY "keep" requirement other than the contract.

I do 8 hours on the dot otherwise the clients get abusive generally and expect me to do extra hours to "meet their deadlines" or translated "tulipe project management". If they want extra hours they HAVE to pay for it. Simple as that. I'm not a charity, I'm a business and in business, everything has a cost, especially time.

[AtW]

Sounds like you one tough monkey mate...