Why work as a contractor?

Earn awesome money

Ok, let’s not kid ourselves. The best thing about contracting is the money I earn. Personally, I’m earning more than double what I could get as a perm.

Approve your own holidays

There is a lot of freedom when becoming a contractor. I can work when I like, for as long as I like and I can take long holidays.

I work for 12 months and then usually take a 1-month break in-between contracts.

Even when I’m in the middle of a contract I sometimes take long breaks. I simply tell the client that I’m going for a few weeks and I can’t provide services during that time.

I don’t have a boss, therefore I don’t request permission (it’s a good idea to give them a decent amount of notice though).

You don’t get involved in office politics

I don’t get involved in office politics. I do my job and stay out of these matters. This includes declining meetings that don’t involve my tasks.

You can leave when you want

When I want to leave a client in the middle of a contract I usually give around a couple of weeks notice.

Sometimes I just know the time is right, other times I’ve been offered a better opportunity elsewhere (either more money or better skills or both).

I’ve worked alongside full-time employees with 3 month notice periods.

You will learn

This is a very under-rated part of contracting, but something that is extremely important to me.

I love learning new skills and I believe it is a huge part of contracting.

Every contract I take needs to be a step up and providing new skills. Most of the skills I use were gained during a contract.

Learning new skills on a contract can be challenging, but it is also very rewarding.

You won’t be bored

I will work on a contract for between 6 of 12 months. I have been contracting for 7 years. Now imagine all the different experiences I have gained. The colleagues I’ve worked with, the sectors

I’ve worked in, the various sizes of companies. Let’s just say they were interesting and I have lots of stories. I’ve not been bored.

You’ll be in demand

People often worry about getting another contract – I don’t. Now I might be lucky because I work in IT but during my 7 years contracting in London, I’ve never had trouble landing a new contract in London. I’m not amazing at what I do, but I am good.

You’ll gain lots of confidence

You don’t need confidence to contract, but you will gain it from contracting. This comes from all the learning, experiences and freedom.