Getting into Engineering/Design contracting

[witko999]

Hello.

I've lately been considering getting into Engineering contracting. I've never worked as a contractor before, only as a permanent employee. I have been reading about the requirements of contractors ie. setting up a Ltd company, IR35 etc., and have a basic understanding of what is required.

My background/progression has been:

Turbo test engineer > Design Engineer > Applications Engineer > Development Engineer

I've used various CAD programs along the way, namely ProE and Inventor, as well as others programs such as ANSYS and Pulse.

The reason for this thread is that I'd like to know if it's feasible for me to get work as a contractor, mainly because my last Engineering role (development) ended in May 2015, and I haven't worked in the field since (spent time overseas).

I expect as a contractor I'd be expected to 'hit the ground running', but I'm a bit rusty having not used any of these programs for over 2 years. I don't have any home copies of the programs to get back up to speed. I have no problems getting interviews for permanent roles, but have never looked at contracting before.

Any advice, even if it's 'don't waste your time' would be appreciated. My reason for wanting to be a contractor is mainly lifestyle (I like to go to other countries here and there for a few months) and also money.