Reply to: Change of career to contractor - advice needed (Virgin Media)

[luellin]

virgin installer

Thank you everyone for your input.

Apologies if I am using the term 'contractor' incorrectly. This role I may be taking was explained to me as contract work and that I would be a contractor! I ended up here during my search for information but it sounds like I may be in the wrong place.

I am currently working a 9-5 office job and that is all I've ever done. The role I have applied for is for a company called McNicholas who supply Virgin Media with installers. It would be a big career change as I mentioned but installs/cabling is a hobby of mine. I was excited by the prospect of doing it as a job. McNicholas will pay me an hourly rate and also extra for each job I complete. There has been no talk of contract length so really the job will just be for however long the demand is there.

Having done plenty of reading I am certainly having second thoughts about taking up the role.

i currently work ion the installs for virgin media with a company called avonline and will in the next few weeks be taken over by mcnicholas. No idea how they pay but if you're worried about any
time there being no work and you not being in work, don't. I have been doing this for 5 -6 years and never had 1 day there was no work. pay is not amazing but as you get better at the job it goes up.

As for late nights sadly when you start you will work late to complete the work but i am usually done and home by 4pm most days. The working days are usually Tuesday to sat with most mondays as overtime. The job is pretty easy and not stressful and as long as you're in with a good bunch of guys, they usually help out if you struggle in the day. the appointments are from 8am-1pm and 1pm -6pm. we do not install in the evenings due to noise level laws - cant drill a hole in a wall at 8-9pm, people get upset. .

As for mcnicholas and pay, cant say what they pay. Not with them yet but will be by the end of this month and have an idea what they pay installers then decide whether i keep my contract or change to
theirs.

[fullyautomatix]

What are your skills ? What new skills will you acquire in this work ? There are plenty of variables in the decision making tree.

[escapeUK]

Another use of the word contractor, is in the manual labour trade.

It just means he's self employed I think.

OP, you are on the wrong forum for advice on stuff like that.

Yes, this is the forum for the contractors who are reassuringly expensive.

[rsingh]

Don't do it. The hours will be very anti-social. A lot of people can't wait during the day for an installer, so there will be a lot of evening and weekend work. Also, take note of what Sue Ellen said in terms of your hourly rate. Are you paid 9-5 and then extra for the jobs you complete? I think its more likely you will be paid hourly while you are doing the jobs, and even then capped at x hours per job.

[SueEllen]

Thank you everyone for your input.

Apologies if I am using the term 'contractor' incorrectly. This role I may be taking was explained to me as contract work and that I would be a contractor! I ended up here during my search for information but it sounds like I may be in the wrong place.

Everyone who works in some way in the UK has a contract. It can be verbal or written.

The company has purposely misrepresent to you what a contractor is simply because if you worked out what the role actually is you would run a mile.

I am currently working a 9-5 office job and that is all I've ever done. The role I have applied for is for a company called McNicholas who supply Virgin Media with installers. It would be a big career change as I mentioned but installs/cabling is a hobby of mine. I was excited by the prospect of doing it as a job. McNicholas will pay me an hourly rate and also extra for each job I complete. There has been no talk of contract length so really the job will just be for however long the demand is there.

Having done plenty of reading I am certainly having second thoughts about taking up the role.

In your case you as Fred Bloggs said you would be exploited if you took the job.

You will probably find if you read the contract you have no hours guaranteed or a "zero hour" contract. This means if the company doesn't have any work that week you get nothing - no pay. This is a horrendous way that many agencies and companies now have of employing temporary and casual staff.

And the worse thing is that signing on for benefits (you have a family so need money) takes weeks by which time you will be in financial trouble.

[Fred Bloggs]

Sad to say, there are a LOT of very exploited people in this economy. Fair play to the bloke, he's trying to better himself, at least he isn't on benefits. Good luck mate, I say.

[2BIT]

Thank you everyone for your input.

Apologies if I am using the term 'contractor' incorrectly. This role I may be taking was explained to me as contract work and that I would be a contractor! I ended up here during my search for information but it sounds like I may be in the wrong place.

I am currently working a 9-5 office job and that is all I've ever done. The role I have applied for is for a company called McNicholas who supply Virgin Media with installers. It would be a big career change as I mentioned but installs/cabling is a hobby of mine. I was excited by the prospect of doing it as a job. McNicholas will pay me an hourly rate and also extra for each job I complete. There has been no talk of contract length so really the job will just be for however long the demand is there.

Having done plenty of reading I am certainly having second thoughts about taking up the role.

it sounds very likely that you could be worse off but if it's something you would enjoy you need to consider it, i'd happily accept a massive pay cut if I was allowed to write music all day so if you'd be a lot happier day to day then do it but to me it doesn't sound great

[PinkPoshRat]

Another consideration for you is whether they supply a vehicle for you to use. If they don't then you'll need your own van plus the additional insurance on that van.

I think £6.41 p/h is shocking tbh - I expect you have to take off your tax and NI (if you want a rough idea of how much you'll end up with after deductions, the general rule of thumb is that it's you hourly rate divided by 3, times 2, = roughly £4.27ph in your case)

I'd stay put, and when the economy picks up you can follow your dream then!

[Simbo]

Thank you everyone for your input.

Apologies if I am using the term 'contractor' incorrectly. This role I may be taking was explained to me as contract work and that I would be a contractor! I ended up here during my search for information but it sounds like I may be in the wrong place.

I am currently working a 9-5 office job and that is all I've ever done. The role I have applied for is for a company called McNicholas who supply Virgin Media with installers. It would be a big career change as I mentioned but installs/cabling is a hobby of mine. I was excited by the prospect of doing it as a job. McNicholas will pay me an hourly rate and also extra for each job I complete. There has been no talk of contract length so really the job will just be for however long the demand is there.

Having done plenty of reading I am certainly having second thoughts about taking up the role.

[northernladuk]

I think you need to have think hard here and I also think you need to understand properly the concepts you are talking about.

pmeswani is right about the gossip. Even I have heard that Virgin Media isn't nice to work for and there have been comments on here. Thing is I cannot afford to care. If they offer me a contract at a reasonable rate I will be there like a shot. No way would I turn one down because I hear it isn't nice so forget that. Take the bull by the horns and go for it. If you go in worried it won't get any better.

You say you have had a career change? So you have never done installations before? Well done on getting a contract with no prior experience but it would also explain your low rate. You are obviously worried about how safe you are, this isn't gauranteed even in permie land but contracting in something you have no skills in could a problem. You install stuff for 6 months and come out with what? It certainly isn't a career. Career's tend to be made in permie land not contracting land. Yes you can do it but you need to be pretty brave and lucky. No disrespect but if you are worried about this job and family etc you are not starting on the right foot.

Is there not an option to go full time somewhere where you can actually start on a career ladder? Having a 6 month contract is not the start of a career ladder by any means.

What other options do you have? You said decisions decisions? Have I even got the right end of the stick. This is a temporary piece of work or a contract?

[jmo21]

Another use of the word contractor, is in the manual labour trade.

It just means he's self employed I think.

OP, you are on the wrong forum for advice on stuff like that.

[2BIT]

That's not a contractor role mate, it's slave labour - as a contractor you are running your own business. Forget pay-packet, think profit and dividend.

Contractors don't get paid holidays, I really cannot see how you can call this 'contracting' - it isn't.

it's not contracting and if the best you can do is get 20k by working long hours I'm not sure its worth it - if you take home a grand a month you'll only take home 1500 getting 25K so for 20K i reckon you'll take home around 1250, would the extra 250 a month be worth it if you were under more stress working long hours and not seeing your family? plus if its a role based on market forces you may not find you have the work to earn that extra cash - I'd stay put the job doesn't sound good in the context of your aspirations

[SueEllen]

Yes I'm serious!

That's why Im looking for a career change. Like I mentioned I know I would love doing the installations for Virgin but I'm concerned about what I've heard about working ridiculously long hours and not really seeing the benefits of it in the pay packet.

That's why I'm after as much feedback as possible before I make my final decision.

As said this isn't contracting. It's purely temp work.

I would stay where you are and either get more skills in the role you currently are in, or look for another permanent job.

[stek]

Yes I'm serious!

That's why Im looking for a career change. Like I mentioned I know I would love doing the installations for Virgin but I'm concerned about what I've heard about working ridiculously long hours and not really seeing the benefits of it in the pay packet.

That's why I'm after as much feedback as possible before I make my final decision.

That's not a contractor role mate, it's slave labour - as a contractor you are running your own business. Forget pay-packet, think profit and dividend.

Contractors don't get paid holidays, I really cannot see how you can call this 'contracting' - it isn't.

[Simbo]

Yes I'm serious!

That's why Im looking for a career change. Like I mentioned I know I would love doing the installations for Virgin but I'm concerned about what I've heard about working ridiculously long hours and not really seeing the benefits of it in the pay packet.

That's why I'm after as much feedback as possible before I make my final decision.