Reply to: Help For Newbie

[Lucifer Box]

This included weekly budgeting (given a pound how much eggs, fish, bread you could buy) when there use to be 240p in a pound

There used to be 240d in the pound (a hang over from Roman times, d = denarius). P's are one of these annoying Johnny come lately currencies, a bit like Euros.

Lucifer in "annoying pedantic git so no change there" mode

[partimer]

old school

NC,

We're showing our age here...
Back when majority of kids use to leave school at 16 (and not go on to A-levels), they were ill prepared for the real world. I don't know about your school but the one I went to had everything about looking after your home into a subject called home economics.

This included weekly budgeting (given a pound how much eggs, fish, bread you could buy) when there use to be 240p in a pound (let's not talk about the Shilling). Learning about how much interest you would get on your bank account. Where I learnt the difference between simple and compound interest. Yes cooking (nutrition) was also lumped into that subject but you get the drift of what schools were trying to teach.

I guess these topics no longer need to be taught since nobody has saving with free credit cards. No need to know about nutrition since we pop everything into a microwave. Etc. etc.

Don't get me started because I'll go on about slide rulers, log tables and protractors

[Numptycorner]

I worry at what schools teach these days. Home economics anywhere ?
.

I thought Home Economics was cooking?

[Lucifer Box]

When an agent call's to offer a job with a set daily rate, is this figure usually negotiable?

Yes. If you are the right person for the job and the client wants you, they will negotiate (and at £60/day, I should think so too). The agent will tell you the client is not prepared to negotiate, but they are, naturally enough, trying to protect their commission and avoid the hassle. You have to be pushy and be prepared to tell the agent you're walking if you don't get the rate you're asking for.

Top tip: get the client site interviewer's details at the interview. If you get nowhere with the agent, you can phone the client direct and say you'd love to work for them but the agent is being obstructive. The agent will hate you, but who cares, it's the client that wants you. Beware also of dirty agent tricks such as telling the client you're no longer interested in the position.

[Shuttle]

I worry at what schools teach these days. Home economics anywhere ?
Anyway, I have no idea what scheme the guy has signed up to but:

a) Expenses are financially neutral. You spend it, keep the reciepts and get reimbursed (ok bit more to it like mileage allowance, etc. but let's keep it simple)
b) Assuming he's an employee of the brolly
22 percent tax band up to 31,400 (his rates not brilliant)
11 percent employee NI

so roughly his take home is
Gross - (33 percent)
+ expenses
- Brolly monthly charge

This is a rough guess. He could be getting stiffed for employer NI as well ...
Best bet, move to another Brolly and tell your agent you're not happy with the current Brolly.

Some good advice from you guys.

When an agent call's to offer a job with a set daily rate, is this figure usually negotiable?

[partimer]

rough guess

I worry at what schools teach these days. Home economics anywhere ?
Anyway, I have no idea what scheme the guy has signed up to but:

a) Expenses are financially neutral. You spend it, keep the reciepts and get reimbursed (ok bit more to it like mileage allowance, etc. but let's keep it simple)
b) Assuming he's an employee of the brolly
22 percent tax band up to 31,400 (his rates not brilliant)
11 percent employee NI

so roughly his take home is
Gross - (33 percent)
+ expenses
- Brolly monthly charge

This is a rough guess. He could be getting stiffed for employer NI as well ...
Best bet, move to another Brolly and tell your agent you're not happy with the current Brolly.

[malvolio]

£61.89 a day to him, so at well under £10 an hour you can bet the agency is adding at least 30%, probably more - my guess is the client is paying the agency around £100 a day for him (is it a him BTW?)Anyway, no matter, if we don't know who anybody is, we can't easily tell which one is taking the michael out of someone who really doesn't know what they're doing. But to my mind, the umbrella is the prime suspect if they can't/won't explain to their client (note their client, they're the parasitic service provider in this equation) how they work their charges.

[planetit]

we need to know your daily rate ...

His daily rate is £61.89. He already said that.

Talk to another umbrella company. Say "If I signed up with you on a daily rate of £61.89, what would I take home?"

Problem solved.

[cojak]

ahem...

no-one will take the piss

[Underscore2]

£60 a day?

Can you look after kids? I'd pay you that to be my housekeeper. Free digs. WHat is it that you do - I got more than than 15 years ago as a data input clerk!

[cojak]

Stay with us shuttle - we turn up with the goods eventually.

But for the moment we need context:

As the lads have said:

we need to know your daily rate and what the agency agreed with you at the beginning of your contract.

No-one will take the piss, not even Malvolio (it just sounds like he does, he calls a spade a spade...).

[scotspine]

damned if we do ...

anyway, your wish ...

[xoggoth]

Ignore them. I on the other hand always take everything seriously.

Not sure what the bit about keeping your expense allowances for tax reasons is about. Expenses should reduce the amount you pay tax/NI on pound for pound. If the umbrella only allows you a round sum allowance it does not mean you cannot claim any additional expenses form the tax man. If you give us some figure for your gross we might be able to tell you what you should be getting. Moving this to accountancy wouild be good idea. It will disappear from here quite quickly.

[milanbenes]

send me that private message I'll get you 85 pounds a day, you'll be a rich contractor before you know it !

and I guarantee to get you a 12 month contract

success starts here

Milan.

[WageSlave]

I don't see why I would have the "piss" taken out of me for simply stating all the issues which are concerning me in this contracting world.

Ah, you are obviously new Don't worry, your illusions will soon be shattered. Then you will be left a broken, one-handed surfer like me

But seriously, for the rate you are on you really need to ask whether it's worth going down the contract route. By the time you've deducted tax, NIC and brolly fees, you're left with nothing. You would be better off as a temp; you'd save £25 p/w and employer's NIC - not to mention a less stressful time.

HTH (God, I'm turning into Threaded - now where is that spare Lambo?)