What Are The Risks Of Being A Contractor??

[weemster]

Occasionally you mistakenly venture into a strange on-line world, populated by an odd assortment of squirrel botherers, Irish dominatrixes and chutney spoon lickers.

It's a terrible fate.

Irish dominatrixes - sounds fab

[snaw]

Irish dominatrixes - sounds fab

Yeah, but it's the big ginger BF that follows up the paddling with a right good kicking that puts people off ...

[shaunbhoy]

Occasionally you mistakenly venture into a strange on-line world, populated by an odd assortment of squirrel botherers, Irish dominatrixes and chutney spoon lickers.

It's a terrible fate.

Sounds great...........apart from the squirrel botherers and the chutney spoon lickers.
Where do I sign up?

[weemster]

Yeah, but it's the big ginger BF that follows up the paddling with a right good kicking that puts people off ...

Sounds even better

[NotAllThere]

...A 'perm' job is not permenant - it is a contract with an unspecified duration subject to a notice period from the employer ...

No it isn't. If a perm has been there long enough to get perm rights (one, two years?), then the employer can't just give notice. There has to be a genuine reason to get rid of someone. If you're going to replace them, they have to have done something worthy of dismissal. If you're not going to replace them, then it must be redundancy.

[Doggy Styles]

The different risks result in different mindsets.

Contractors think more about skills, the client business and value for money.

Permies think more about the greasy pole, lunchtime, and their rights and benefits.

They've just promoted someone in my team. Everybody knows her performance is a long way short of warranting it, but they did it anyway to shut her up about wanting promotion. If I were a permie colleague I'd be p1ssed off, but as a contractor I just carry on doing my stuff.

[DimPrawn]

No it isn't. If a perm has been there long enough to get perm rights (one, two years?), then the employer can't just give notice. There has to be a genuine reason to get rid of someone. If you're going to replace them, they have to have done something worthy of dismissal. If you're not going to replace them, then it must be redundancy.

WHS.

Also, if it's public sector, it's a job for life with a fat pension at the end.

[KentPhilip]

If you are LTD not sure you can claim dole.

You can. I claimed 4 weeks contributions-based job seekers allowance a few weeks ago despite running a Ltd company and being over the £16k savings limit. Only £240 but it was something.

[AlfredJPruffock]

No it isn't. If a perm has been there long enough to get perm rights (one, two years?), then the employer can't just give notice. There has to be a genuine reason to get rid of someone. If you're going to replace them, they have to have done something worthy of dismissal. If you're not going to replace them, then it must be redundancy.

I think you will find if Employers want to get rid of you - they will get rid of you.

Its pretty easy.

Or make your life hell so you will leave - Ive seen every triick in the book.

The redundancy you mention is generally peanuts too .

[mace]

I think you will find if Employers want to get rid of you - they will get rid of you.

Its pretty easy.

Or make your life hell so you will leave - Ive seen every triick in the book.

The redundancy you mention is generally peanuts too .

After 2 years, you'll get 1 week redundancy for every year that you've worked, then you'll get Jobseekers allowance for 6 months.

Generally permiedom is safer in the bigger firms in the good times but then you can have entire departments laid off in the bad times. There are many reasons why you can be shown the door as a permie. Not fitting in, your skills no longer required, they've found somebody cheaper etc. In most cases, employers prefer to persuade somebody to leave e.g. overwork them, isolate them rather than lay them off as if they lay you off, other workers will worry that the same will happen to them, whilst if they bully you in to leaving, other workers will generally think up reasons as to why that guy was picked on. If you fit in and obey the rules i.e. don't moan too much, don't appear too ambitious, flatter your boss and put some hours (rather than effort in) then you can climb the greasy pole over a long time. Problems usually occur if your boss moves on and you get a new boss that you don't have such a great relationship with.

As a contractor, clients will have no qualms about giving you the chop whereas as a permie, they'll think a bit harder about it. Most senior roles are held by permies but you can get programme manager, project manager and interim management roles as a contractor.