Hassle free contracting life?

**DimPrawn** · 14 April 2011, 09:14

I've never had any major issues beyond agency fishing, a few cockups on payment (down to incompetence rather than malice). I have known colleagues who have used agencies that have gone bust and worked at clients that have gone bust, but you can see this coming a mile off if you have any business nouse.

So I think a lot of it is luck and stupidity combination.

For me, contracting has been a completely hassle free, highly profitable and varied "career".

HTH

**russell** · 14 April 2011, 09:34

If you work for small clients this is likely to happen more often I would think, never happened to me mind you.

**VectraMan** · 14 April 2011, 09:48

Originally posted by zeitghost

Client went tits up while I was working direct.

Only lost £3k, so can't really complain.

I lost about £6K when that happened to me 3 years ago. It was a small startup, so maybe I should have been more suspicious.

Only problem I've had with agents is one who didn't pay me because they hadn't received their contract back from the client, which they really should have been chasing themselves and not waiting for me to complain. But it all got sorted out within a couple of weeks. It's the dealing with the scum when looking for work that gets you down; in my experience once you're in a contract it's fine.

**jmo21** · 14 April 2011, 09:54

I've only been contracting 3 years, and nothing bad happened yet thankfully.

Back in my permie days, I was offered a job with a very small startup, but at £6k less than I was looking for. They said we'll pay you X - 6k in first month, X - 5K in 2nd etc, and after 6 months you'll be at what you were looking for.

My spidey senses were tingling, so knocked it back. I don't know how quickly they went bust, but when I checked a year later they were gone.

So I've always been very wary, even before I started contracting.

**DimPrawn** · 14 April 2011, 09:59

Contracting for a startup is not a very sensible thing to do. Very high risk but where's the reward above say contracting at a blue chip?

Different if you are getting shed loads of money to offset the risk or stock options or something, but otherwise, they go bust you get zip.

**MarillionFan** · 14 April 2011, 10:04

It's called life. The longer you live it, the more likely tulip will happen.

**VectraMan** · 14 April 2011, 10:18

Originally posted by DimPrawn View Post

Contracting for a startup is not a very sensible thing to do. Very high risk but where's the reward above say contracting at a blue chip?.

In my case it was a very interesting job, and a chance to start something from scratch, which seemed a lot more appealing than being bored out my mind at a blue chip. And the guy doing it assured everybody the funds were secure for 6 months of contractor time (at a pretty decent rate). Joining a startup on a low permie salary with a vague promise of better things to come, and then discovering the company goes bust after 6 months wouldn't be good, but as a contractor I was quite happy to commit to 6 months only.

If the recession hadn't hit, it might have been okay.

**northernladuk** · 14 April 2011, 10:37

Originally posted by MarillionFan View Post

It's called life. The longer you live it, the more likely tulip will happen.

Deep man, deep!

**hyperD** · 14 April 2011, 10:49

Not had a problem when I've contracted, apart from fishing trips by agents but they're quickly dismissed when you ignore the bulltulip about needing references up front.

However, working direct, even for blue chips, can have its share of problems: once it took 7 months for a large milestone payment to appear - almost ran out of cash.

Also cancelling projects at the last moment can play havoc with the cash flow too.

Hassle free contracting life?