agents

[singhr]

Agents rock! They find me work, pay me before the client pays them, take me out for slap up lunches, invite me to sports events they sponsor and haggle rate increases if I feel like renewing - what's not to like?

[eek]

So why do you keep paying a commission to your agent until the end of your contract for work done almost (potentially) 2 years ago?

Why don't I just pay the agent £20K up front?

Because the law says agents can't charge contractors a fee. Also it is the nature of the marketplace and ongoing royalties are fairly standard on sales deals.

Finally personally I don't want to take risks. so I'll happily accept paying an agency a higher fee for payment on results (i.e. while the client is happy with me, I'm happy with the agency being paid).

The issue with the way you are thinking is that its your money but its not. Its the clients money and he can spend it however he wants. If that means there is an agency in the middle and he wants an agency fair enough. If the agency introduces me to the client and offers to act as a factoring service I'm not going to object to the rate he is charging provided

1) I'm happy with my rate
2) he isn't taking the total mickey with the difference between my rate and what the end client is paying.

[Taita]

Why do contractors need agents

Whilst agents may be required to connect contractor with client what I find baffling is why the contract should be three way client -> agent -> contractor. What does the client get out of it ?

The Client gets a legal employment barrier between him and the contractor until the Agency Worker Regulations are implemented in October then the picture becomes confused and we will probably need agents to explain it to us/circumvent disadvantageous conditions.

[Cliphead]

Maybe I just got lucky over the years but the only payment issues I had were with agencies and not with the client directly.

I do choose clients carefully though and several times back to the same client as required, often the first contract was through an agency then direct after that which suited both parties.

I've posted about this before but back in the day when there were more contracts than contractors agents were more interested in keeping the people they had and we were really looked after. Different days now which is sad, a real lack of personal contact, interest, an agent really looking out for your needs which suited both of us. It seems nowadays it's just a CV sorting exercise and that done badly.

[DodgyAgent]

Maybe I just got lucky over the years but the only payment issues I had were with agencies and not with the client directly.

I do choose clients carefully though and several times back to the same client as required, often the first contract was through an agency then direct after that which suited both parties.

I've posted about this before but back in the day when there were more contracts than contractors agents were more interested in keeping the people they had and we were really looked after. Different days now which is sad, a real lack of personal contact, interest, an agent really looking out for your needs which suited both of us. It seems nowadays it's just a CV sorting exercise and that done badly.

I will add that there is no longer any money in it and the whole industry has become a process that no longer requires personal contact.

[scooterscot]

I will add that there is no longer any money in it and the whole industry has become a process that no longer requires personal contact.

Throntons, HabiTat, Agents... Has Christmas come early?