Reply to: First timer advice pls...

[Ollie]

I disagree....when I dance I can see people thinking "Has he got headphones on?"

At Glastonbury this year they had a "Silent Disco" where you got given some wireless headphones. Was crazy when you took them off and saw everyone singing and dancing to no music!

[Let-Me-In]

Rubbish, everybody can dance, even us white men!! (We just need 10 pints of lager and/or equivanlent alchohol dosage in sprits inside us first to let our rythem loose)

I disagree....when I dance I can see people thinking "Has he got headphones on?"

[kramer]

another variable to throw in the pot is "industry" ... some financial sectors pay more than others.... web factories and media usually pay poorly ...etc...

[Ollie]

Personally, I wouldn't take it, and I'm surprised that your employer wants to go this route.

If everyone else that you are working with knows that you are a contractor, what's to stop them doing the same thing? They will know what kind of increase in salary you are getting as well, which does not encourage team building / spirit.

BUT, it's an easy way in - you know what you are getting into, know what the work involves, and have the opportunity to build up some savings before moving into a "real" contract.

If you can negotiate a good enough increase, then it's probably worth taking - they must really want you to stay if that's the case. If they are that willing, have you thought this move through properly - they may be happy to give you a much better salary / package rather than leave to go contracting.

Thanks again for the reply.

There are many reasons why they wouldn't want to offer me a better salary package, especially now they know I want to go. My motives for leaving are not solely wedge related. The company have always seemed to be happy to offer good money to contractors over permies. I would be there to finish a project and nothing else. Also I may be happy to contract for 3 or 4 months but do not want to stay permie.

It would be a London gig, working on C#, ASP.NET, SQL etc. What kind of rate would you see as being reasonable? I was thinking no less than £400 per day.

[TheFaQQer]

With all this in mind do you think I might be a good opportunity to get my first contract?

Also, I think I could negotiate a good enough rate to ensure I would still be up £££ while inside IR35.

What do you think?

Personally, I wouldn't take it, and I'm surprised that your employer wants to go this route.

If everyone else that you are working with knows that you are a contractor, what's to stop them doing the same thing? They will know what kind of increase in salary you are getting as well, which does not encourage team building / spirit.

BUT, it's an easy way in - you know what you are getting into, know what the work involves, and have the opportunity to build up some savings before moving into a "real" contract.

If you can negotiate a good enough increase, then it's probably worth taking - they must really want you to stay if that's the case. If they are that willing, have you thought this move through properly - they may be happy to give you a much better salary / package rather than leave to go contracting.

[Ollie]

With all this in mind do you think I might be a good opportunity to get my first contract?

Also, I think I could negotiate a good enough rate to ensure I would still be up £££ while inside IR35.

What do you think?

[TheFaQQer]

Thanks for the reply.

Do you think there is any way I could get outside IR35?? Any loopholes?

Seems unlikely to me (no doubt Pickle will tell you that IR35 is dead (FACT!) and it's a voluntary tax etc. etc.).

Talk to someone like B&C / Qdos / Lawspeed etc. and see if they can see any way to get out of it.

[Ollie]

Thanks for the reply.

Do you think there is any way I could get outside IR35?? Any loopholes?

[XperTest]

You should look out for IR35. Taking your first contract with your current employer doing the same type of work will essentially mean you will be inside IR35, hence paying more taxes.

[Ollie]

Ok, I handed in my resignation the other day and my employer has offered to contract me to work on phase 2 of a project I have managed over the past year.

What should I do and what should I look out for???

[Ollie]

Try a search on joberve here is 1 linky I did earlier for you, rates seem to vary quite a lot.
dont expect to get advertised rates but you should get close

Thanks for the linky. Did you post earlier??? I don't see it!!

Cheers anyway.

[MrsGoof]

Try a search on joberve here is 1 linky I did earlier for you, rates seem to vary quite a lot.
dont expect to get advertised rates but you should get close

[Ollie]

Wales is a large area too... there's still almost feck all here...

Thanks for pointing that out



EternalOptimist, What happened to the other 10% ???

[MrsGoof]

or pay peanuts for a monkey

You'd be surprised how good we can be !
Bananas are acceptable currency as well

but you are not a monkey, you have no tail

[Ollie]

If you think you can pick and choose where you work, you have a rude shock coming. Similar skills here and I do 80% London, 9.9 % Scotland, Manchester, Leeds
.1 % Singapore. which was nice.

You have to follow the work my friend

I understand that. But for my first contract I would like to stay close to home while I get myself into a routine.

Midlands = Birmingham, Coventry, Warwick, Milton Keynes, Derby, Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Banbury.

Quite a large area really.