Reply to: What Are The Risks Of Being A Contractor??

[Alf W]

Then there's the dreaded "we need to know by Friday if you would like to continue to get 80% of your current rate or 0%".

Then there's the fact that accountants view all contractors as unjustifiable expense.

Then there's having to pay accountants to do very little whilst you are earning nothing.

Then there's having to deal with Ag***s (ptooey!)

Then there's that uneasy feeling you get when you push some sort of marginal purchase through the company books.

etc etc.

But, simple things come along now and then that just lighten up your life and make it seem like the choice was right for you. For me, the permies PD Appraisal time is always one of these times.

[DiscoStu]

The biggest risk of being a contractor is the feeling of despair that rises as you read another load of CyberTory drivel.

[AlfredJPruffock]

Aye Mace

Another excellent contribution from Mace - Ive read a few recently by Mace and Ive been very impressed by his posts.

Oh well - as to this whole 'game' of working - as the song said :


Get a job and fight to keep it,
Strike out to reach a mountain.

Be so nice on the outside
But inside keep ambition

Don't cry because you hunt them
Hurt them first they'll love you

There's a millionaire above you
And you're under his suspicion.

Or - as Bob Hope once said to a group of graduates :

'Heres what they didnt tell you at college - its a Jungle out there . My advice ? Don't go ... '

[mace]

I think you will find if Employers want to get rid of you - they will get rid of you.

Its pretty easy.

Or make your life hell so you will leave - Ive seen every triick in the book.

The redundancy you mention is generally peanuts too .

After 2 years, you'll get 1 week redundancy for every year that you've worked, then you'll get Jobseekers allowance for 6 months.

Generally permiedom is safer in the bigger firms in the good times but then you can have entire departments laid off in the bad times. There are many reasons why you can be shown the door as a permie. Not fitting in, your skills no longer required, they've found somebody cheaper etc. In most cases, employers prefer to persuade somebody to leave e.g. overwork them, isolate them rather than lay them off as if they lay you off, other workers will worry that the same will happen to them, whilst if they bully you in to leaving, other workers will generally think up reasons as to why that guy was picked on. If you fit in and obey the rules i.e. don't moan too much, don't appear too ambitious, flatter your boss and put some hours (rather than effort in) then you can climb the greasy pole over a long time. Problems usually occur if your boss moves on and you get a new boss that you don't have such a great relationship with.

As a contractor, clients will have no qualms about giving you the chop whereas as a permie, they'll think a bit harder about it. Most senior roles are held by permies but you can get programme manager, project manager and interim management roles as a contractor.

[AlfredJPruffock]

No it isn't. If a perm has been there long enough to get perm rights (one, two years?), then the employer can't just give notice. There has to be a genuine reason to get rid of someone. If you're going to replace them, they have to have done something worthy of dismissal. If you're not going to replace them, then it must be redundancy.

I think you will find if Employers want to get rid of you - they will get rid of you.

Its pretty easy.

Or make your life hell so you will leave - Ive seen every triick in the book.

The redundancy you mention is generally peanuts too .

[KentPhilip]

If you are LTD not sure you can claim dole.

You can. I claimed 4 weeks contributions-based job seekers allowance a few weeks ago despite running a Ltd company and being over the £16k savings limit. Only £240 but it was something.

[DimPrawn]

No it isn't. If a perm has been there long enough to get perm rights (one, two years?), then the employer can't just give notice. There has to be a genuine reason to get rid of someone. If you're going to replace them, they have to have done something worthy of dismissal. If you're not going to replace them, then it must be redundancy.

WHS.

Also, if it's public sector, it's a job for life with a fat pension at the end.

[Doggy Styles]

The different risks result in different mindsets.

Contractors think more about skills, the client business and value for money.

Permies think more about the greasy pole, lunchtime, and their rights and benefits.

They've just promoted someone in my team. Everybody knows her performance is a long way short of warranting it, but they did it anyway to shut her up about wanting promotion. If I were a permie colleague I'd be p1ssed off, but as a contractor I just carry on doing my stuff.

[NotAllThere]

...A 'perm' job is not permenant - it is a contract with an unspecified duration subject to a notice period from the employer ...

No it isn't. If a perm has been there long enough to get perm rights (one, two years?), then the employer can't just give notice. There has to be a genuine reason to get rid of someone. If you're going to replace them, they have to have done something worthy of dismissal. If you're not going to replace them, then it must be redundancy.

[weemster]

Yeah, but it's the big ginger BF that follows up the paddling with a right good kicking that puts people off ...

Sounds even better

[shaunbhoy]

Occasionally you mistakenly venture into a strange on-line world, populated by an odd assortment of squirrel botherers, Irish dominatrixes and chutney spoon lickers.

It's a terrible fate.

Sounds great...........apart from the squirrel botherers and the chutney spoon lickers.
Where do I sign up?

[snaw]

Irish dominatrixes - sounds fab

Yeah, but it's the big ginger BF that follows up the paddling with a right good kicking that puts people off ...

[weemster]

Occasionally you mistakenly venture into a strange on-line world, populated by an odd assortment of squirrel botherers, Irish dominatrixes and chutney spoon lickers.

It's a terrible fate.

Irish dominatrixes - sounds fab

[weemster]

Plus you have to suffer the tosh that is "development plans" and "appraisals"
-all just an excuse not to give you a bonus.

I remember my last permanent job (many moons ago) and my 'personal
development manager' duing my appraisal starting going off on one
about his personal development and how he was in the wrong role etc Makes
me laugh when I look back, it was one of the things that helped me decide to
go contracting...............now what was the defence company called EDS.......or something......!?!??!

[snaw]

Occasionally you mistakenly venture into a strange on-line world, populated by an odd assortment of squirrel botherers, Irish dominatrixes and chutney spoon lickers.

It's a terrible fate.