First Time Contractor - good source of "what do I do" information needed!

**cojak** · 3 July 2012, 07:19

Welcome to CUK Pangdene.

Take a look at the thread on the top of this board (Welcome/FAQs), they will help you to search for your questions.

Please also read the Nettiquette thread, this will help to avoid abuse from the regulars on the rest of the board

On the right border you will find the First Timer's Guide, that will provide answers to your questions.

Good Luck!

**ThomserveBAS** · 3 July 2012, 07:20

Before the regulars turn up and rip you to bits, have a look at the links down the right hand side of this site. It has everything you need to get going! As a newbie myself, I recommend you do a bit of reading before you post your next quetion

EDIT: Beaten to it

**cojak** · 3 July 2012, 07:25

No one is allow to rip newbies to shreds in this forum Thomas.

Even suspect posters will be treated with respect.

**Diver** · 3 July 2012, 07:27

Originally posted by Pangdene View Post

Hi,

Any help appreciated!

Thanks
Mark

And you will get plenty of help on here

Welcome and just to kick start your cuk'manship
this is all make believe so take nothing personal as the rabble on here will bait you mercilessly.
It is a cuk hazing tradition

Good luck and look forward to more posts

**ThomserveBAS** · 3 July 2012, 07:48

Originally posted by cojak View Post

No one is allow to rip newbies to shreds in this forum Thomas.

Even suspect posters will be treated with respect.

It was meant tongue-in-cheek and there wasn't a suitable smiley but there are plenty examples of newbies posting questions only for some of the more senior members to wade in and slap them down, especially with open-ended questions like "where can I get more information" when most of it is in front of them

Anyway here's a bit of lovin' for a rainy Tuesday morning

**malvolio** · 3 July 2012, 07:59

OK, so in the spirit of being helpful....

Go to this link - Document Download | PCG - and download the Guide. Between that one and the CUK one, you should have everything covered.

**chef** · 3 July 2012, 08:05

Howdy,

Just a few quick questions to get you thinking about things:

1) why do you want to go contracting? is it because you like the idea of running your own company and taking control of your destiny (well, as much as can be expected) or is it simply that you want to earn more money?

2) Do you have a good grasp of finances? by that I mean are you the sort of person who see's a figure in a bank account and thinks that's what I can spend? or are you the sort that can budget, financial plan, invest in a rainy day, save etc.?

3) What skills do you have? one of the main reasons contractors are employed is because they are easily hired/fired stop gap solutions to install/build/manage/fix a problem the company has, to be able to do this you either need a good wealth of background knowledge and/or the latest skillset in your field of expertise. If you don't have this it's no the end of the world but you should seriously consider paying for some training courses to improve your chances of being desirable from a companies point of view and therefore find work.

4) You have control over certain aspects of what you do, where you do them but ultimately you can't cherry pick your work until you have funds in the bank that allow you to take time off and wait for the perfect contract to come along. Therefore, are you prepared to work away from home mon-fri, live in hotels and not know where you will be in 3/6/9 months time? having a personal life with a non-understanding wife, new born children or any other sort of "baggage" does not mean you're not cut out for contracting but should atleast be considered before taking the plunge.

Oh and Welcome

**northernladuk** · 3 July 2012, 09:45

Like a lamb to the slaughter........

**cojak** · 3 July 2012, 09:52

Originally posted by ThomserveBAS View Post

It was meant tongue-in-cheek and there wasn't a suitable smiley but there are plenty examples of newbies posting questions only for some of the more senior members to wade in and slap them down, especially with open-ended questions like "where can I get more information" when most of it is in front of them

Anyway here's a bit of lovin' for a rainy Tuesday morning

That post wasn't really for you Thomas, it was meant for the newbies who might be thinking of posting in the future. The world doesn't revolve around you, you know

First Time Contractor - good source of "what do I do" information needed!