Why you started Contracting!

[CptnJohnson]

After 5 years of listening to broken promises and outright lies, I was feeling the knives in my back.

I swallowed the fear and set in motion something that hopefully enable me to live my life better.

Principally I didn't want to work 9-5 for someone else doing unrewarded overtime because it made my daily life easier. This way I can earn the cash I need in half the time and spend my time doing what I like.

[ChimpMaster]

Possibly but you have plenty of time to build up a nice nest egg

Yes, if you have a reasonable rate and keep your expenses low, you could be sitting on a good pile in under 5 years time.

And no jokes about sitting on a pile

[oracleslave]

keep your expenses low

Rubbish. Invest it all in btl.

HTH

[IR35 Avoider]

It amazes me how many people fall for it all. The notion of a career is one of those things that you are told to keep you on the treadmill of making other people wealthy. People willingly live hand to mouth because they are given a 'title' at work that they believe impresses people. For some people they think driving a company car that they couldn't otherwise afford is impressive to other people. These things are only impressive to other mugs like them. They sacrifice their lives to further something they call their 'career'. 'Career' is a word. It is an attempt to make working to make the company owner rich sound prestigous.

I wonder if they finally work it out when they are given their carriage clock when they retire and realise they have nothing to show for a lifetime of toil. I hope for their sake at that point that they do not.

I realise I am preaching to the converted but I just thought I would share my amazement with you all. People are really really dumb.

I agree with what you say, and feel the same way.

Having said that, I know someone who (in South Africa) after qualifying as an electrical engineer, joined a mining company, rose above engineering into management in the parent company, having done an MBA in his spare time, and has subsequently risen almost to the top of the parent companys parent, a FTSE100 multinational. (When the top job became vacant recently, he and other internal applicants lost out to an outsider.)

[shoes]

having done an MBA in his spare time, and has subsequently risen almost to the top of the parent companys parent, a FTSE100 multinational. (When the top job became vacant recently, he and other internal applicants lost out to an outsider.)

It sounds like he is in a good position. But obviously cases like these are very much the exception - how many 'top jobs' in an organisation can there be? And I wonder if it has been worth it? That kind of rise up the greasy pole requires a lot of dedication, late nights, weekends, sucking up to the right people. And even now how does his take home compare to a contractor on a reasonable rate? Can he take months off at a time if the mood takes him?

And this is the best case scenario for a permie. Still not worth it in my opinion.

[Bumfluff]

I went into contracting as I could never last more than 2 years as a permy at any place so decided to go contracting. Been contracting for 4 years in April, sadly though Im starting to feel I need to go back to permy, dont want to be a code monkey all my life and just not getting project or management experience as a contractor. Plus in my sector permy salaries arent that far of contractor money.

[sli_gryn]

does anyone else think it's weird to get paid for not working (permie paid leave...)? that, really simply, is why i became a contractor. pay me for the job i do (and well, thx!) and i'll take care of the rest. not going to let someone in HR try and figure out/b_ll_x up my tax/allowances all for being paid not to work? didn't sound right so became a contractor. (may well be the dumbest reason, but still)

[BrilloPad]

does anyone else think it's weird to get paid for not working (permie paid leave...)? that, really simply, is why i became a contractor. pay me for the job i do (and well, thx!) and i'll take care of the rest. not going to let someone in HR try and figure out/b_ll_x up my tax/allowances all for being paid not to work? didn't sound right so became a contractor. (may well be the dumbest reason, but still)

Thats why they want people as permies - control. And why I am a contractor.

[Sockpuppet]

I went contracting because I kept getting fired from permit jobs.

Got fired twice in 3 months. We had fundamental disagreements about how much I should get paid. I also did an average of 20 hours a week unpaid overtime then realised that it wasn't being appreciated when my performance appraisal read "no committed to the company". I then went into a kind of self destructive period for a few months. Ok, so technically I wasn't fired from the first one. I got a compramise agreement and a few grand thrown my way in order to not turn up to work again. Sweet.

Went contracting and due to the lax background checks no-one was any the wiser.

I even got an interview at first place that fired me from their grad scheme working with the same guys. My daily rate would have been over what my weekly rate was when I was a permit but couldn't be arsed with the hassle of the management that was bound to come around.

Since contracting had 3 contracts two of them (first and current one) were with same co in the same team. Current just got extended by 3 months and the middle one was with a co that picked me up because I did work for them on the first contract. All in all nothing but stella reviews since becoming a contractor.

Personally I think that highlights the issue with permie managers. Not working any differently to how I was just as a contractor I am actually getting some challenging work rather than the tulip stuff that permies get.

[NotAllThere]

I first went contracting because the company for which I was working had delusions of inadequacy. I had one manager berate me for leaving work at 5:30, when all my colleagues stayed at least to 6:00pm - apparently I was letting the team down, (despite the fact that my call resolution was around double of their combined total, and I took the difficult ones) and I should remember who pays my mortgage.

So, I resigned without a contact to go to. Three weeks of no work, and then a very good contract.

Years later, I left contracting to take up a management position. I went contracting again, after an attempt to stitch me up by my manager and his boss - dumb and dumber. I gave them plenty of rope to hang themselves with, and then brought HR into our little disagreement. HR went "oh smeg", and offered me a not inconsiderable sum to go away. As a bonus, dumber found out, one week before I officially no longer was an employee, that he wasn't either.

I've now got loadsa contacts in the industry, plenty of work, and I actually enjoy what I do, with no stress, and plenty of time off. I like my lifestyle - just got back from a days skiing, enjoying a beer, and looking forward to some excellent nosh tonight.