
Why work as a contractor?
10 reasons why you should 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.