Reply to: Working a full-time contract on the side while permie

[Paralytic]

No need for common sense and good advice..

Maybe that's why he asked here?

[northernladuk]

He's got the post he wants and has made his mind up. No need for common sense and good advice..

[LondonManc]

That's pretty much the idea. Were it not for Covid, I'd have quit this job already. If they drop me because they found out about my side-gig, I won't lose any more than 10 seconds of sleep over it. The second gig, I found out is an eight-week-rolling contract so it may or may not last long anyway. The good news is that it turns out I have to work with their US office - Chicago time zone. So nobody is going to be ready for any meetings before 4 or 5 pm here anyway. So I'm not even worried about it anymore. Hell, I can barely find 3 hours of work to do for my current employer and the one .. we'll see.

Thanks for all the pros and cons, everyone. It was all helpful.

I think you've got to look at just more than pros and cons.

The main part is the legal side before you look at the pros and cons. Is the perm contracted worded in any way that will prevent you doing the other role, be it directly or via a conflict of interests type clause?

The new information that changes things in the pros and cons in that it's working with a Chicago client. You'll essentially be working 9am to midnight (ish) five days a week and if you think you can handle that, go for it.

The downside is cocking around with the tax calculations of working the two types of job.

The only part that I'd say you'd have to manage is isolating the two from each other. Personally, I'd get a separate PC for the other gig so that you can be working both at the same time, if need be, more easily. For the sake of £500, it saves making any mistakes and keeps the two pieces of work separate from each other - you can offer the kit up for inspection independently of each other if they get fussy then.

[simes]

That's pretty much the idea. Were it not for Covid, I'd have quit this job already. If they drop me because they found out about my side-gig, I won't lose any more than 10 seconds of sleep over it. The second gig, I found out is an eight-week-rolling contract so it may or may not last long anyway. The good news is that it turns out I have to work with their US office - Chicago time zone. So nobody is going to be ready for any meetings before 4 or 5 pm here anyway. So I'm not even worried about it anymore. Hell, I can barely find 3 hours of work to do for my current employer and the one .. we'll see.

Thanks for all the pros and cons, everyone. It was all helpful.

Good luck.

Have fun with it.

Let us know how you get on.

[simes]

Yep.. about par for the course with these questions...

Oh scrumblenumpkin, stop being so bloody dreary!

[northernladuk]

More like I'm not hearing any compelling reasons not to.

Yep.. about par for the course with these questions...

[eek]

See? Now you get it.

That was my first post on this topic as I always had an answer - I know people who have pulled it off (it's achievable if you know the technology better than the clients so can make 1 hours solid work look like 1/2 to a full day).

But it's probably far harder to pull it off in a full development role rather than a low code-ish consulting role.

Personally I don't sell time I sell SoW and delivery - where it's far easier to hide productivity gains.

[Katalyst]

More like you can't see any downside so ignore the antis.

It may work, it may not - there is only 1 way to find out...

See? Now you get it.

[eek]

More like I'm not hearing any compelling reasons not to.

More like you can't see any downside so ignore the antis.

It may work, it may not - there is only 1 way to find out...

[Katalyst]

So, as with nearly all these types of questions, you've picked the one post you really wanted to hear and you are good to go?

Good luck.

More like I'm not hearing any compelling reasons not to.

[northernladuk]

That's pretty much the idea. Were it not for Covid, I'd have quit this job already. If they drop me because they found out about my side-gig, I won't lose any more than 10 seconds of sleep over it. The second gig, I found out is an eight-week-rolling contract so it may or may not last long anyway. The good news is that it turns out I have to work with their US office - Chicago time zone. So nobody is going to be ready for any meetings before 4 or 5 pm here anyway. So I'm not even worried about it anymore. Hell, I can barely find 3 hours of work to do for my current employer and the one .. we'll see.

Thanks for all the pros and cons, everyone. It was all helpful.

So, as with nearly all these types of questions, you've picked the one post you really wanted to hear and you are good to go?

Good luck.

[Katalyst]

I think people are thinking too much into it.

Take both roles and, Make It Work.

And if it doesn't, drop one.

OP, good luck.

That's pretty much the idea. Were it not for Covid, I'd have quit this job already. If they drop me because they found out about my side-gig, I won't lose any more than 10 seconds of sleep over it. The second gig, I found out is an eight-week-rolling contract so it may or may not last long anyway. The good news is that it turns out I have to work with their US office - Chicago time zone. So nobody is going to be ready for any meetings before 4 or 5 pm here anyway. So I'm not even worried about it anymore. Hell, I can barely find 3 hours of work to do for my current employer and the one .. we'll see.

Thanks for all the pros and cons, everyone. It was all helpful.

[jayn200]

I am 50+ but have a different approach that I don't recommend. Those that know this already do it.

Work 4 hours each day on each client. And bill both of them for 8 hours.
You've got to be good to do that. It's not gong to work for a bum on seat programmer. But doing designs, for both clients where the projects are similar can work quite well.

I was just joking around with the 50+ comment but yeah that's good you have been able to make it work with 2 clients. I have only had overlap one time for a month. I just think now is an extraordinary time and we can't do anything with our down time now anyway so may as well get paid.

[Lance]

I guess if thats all you got in you, some of us aren't 50+ though and can handle it.

I am 50+ but have a different approach that I don't recommend. Those that know this already do it.

Work 4 hours each day on each client. And bill both of them for 8 hours.
You've got to be good to do that. It's not gong to work for a bum on seat programmer. But doing designs, for both clients where the projects are similar can work quite well.

[jayn200]

I'm not 50+ and when I was 30+ I often did 2 contracts - one FT and one PT. Was tulip not having time to do nothing.

Please tell me what we can do right now that would be missing out on?