how do your family/friends feel about you being a contractor?

[SueEllen]

When I mentioned to my mother in law that clientco wanted to make me permie, she said 'time to grow up then?'

You have to remember loads of old folk had jobs for life.

Even if you were permie now it would be highly likely you would had worked for a good few companies even if you just stayed in the same job. (I actually contracted for a client who managed to have 3 name changes in a year as they were 3 different companies.)

It's funny some mates of mine who are retired couple get stressed every time one of their children mentions that there are redundancies in their organisation. There as I'm like "And ?".

[Old Greg]

My mother-in-law has no idea I've been on the dole for six months, can't even get an interview for McDonalds and post shiite all day on an internet forum

ftfy

Apparently she does.

[thunderlizard]

My friends are mostly slightly jealous of how I get to take loads of time off between contracts and do other stuff. (I do like to take humungous chunks of bench time). Not the money though, as they are mostly professionals, and left me behind in that respect years ago.

[robin]

I think for a lot of people (especially family) when I explain how I work, being at different places, they associate it like 'temping', most understand temping as this is the way you work and therefore contracting is the same.

Its like some see the word 'contracting' as what you call temping in the IT area.

When I tell people I can earn more contracting again I think most think of it like a 'temp' where it must just be a bit more not what can be 'a lot' more. Its almost like they think how can doing exactly the same job but working in a more temporary way mean you know earn loads more??

[EternalOptimist]

I think for a lot of people (especially family) when I explain how I work, being at different places, they associate it like 'temping', most understand temping as this is the way you work and therefore contracting is the same.

Its like some see the word 'contracting' as what you call temping in the IT area.

When I tell people I can earn more contracting again I think most think of it like a 'temp' where it must just be a bit more not what can be 'a lot' more. Its almost like they think how can doing exactly the same job but working in a more temporary way mean you know earn loads more??

Tell them you are a director. Tell them 'love to chat, but I have to organise my accounts, pay my corporation tax and meet the payroll'


fck em
just fkn fkng fck em

[Lumiere]

I ask this as I find the biggest mental hurdle for me coming out is the views/comments of my family and friends through I think just not fully understanding me.

Its almost like they think this is just a temporary mad phase I'm going through and I will soon see sense and go on a date with a 'nice girl' one day.

Funnily enough, I didn't tell my mum and dad for over 2 years after starting

HTH

[Churchill]

Tell them you are a director. Tell them 'love to chat, but I have to organise my accounts, pay my corporation tax and meet the payroll'


fck em
just fkn fkng fck em

**** yeah!

[KentPhilip]

I just explain that contracting is the normal way of working, with normal rates of pay of (say) £300/day. And that Permanent employment is an artificial construct designed to pay people a fraction of the normal pay for implied job security and a less efficient allocation of resources.

[shoes]

Why care what they think? If they had opinions worth listening to they wouldn't have spent their lives on a permie treadmill of misery hoping they aren't living in poverty at retirement. Snide comments are rooted in jealousy, take heart in the fact that they come from people who know full well you're living your life better than them; they're annoyed at themselves, not you.

Plough your own furrow.

[conned tractor]

Maybe he'll get a real job this time.


Is the drivel I hear through my wife from the inlaws.