How do I become a contractor? (engineer/technician)

How do I become a contractor? (engineer/technician)

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TheRingDing

Original Poster:

91 posts

103 months

Sunday 13th November 2022
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The initial message was deleted from this topic on 14 November 2022 at 00:01

Zero Fuchs

1,529 posts

25 months

Sunday 13th November 2022
quotequote all
The boat has sailed to some extent unfortunately.

Yes the hourly rate is attractive but the difference will need to cover sick, holiday, pension, healthcare where applicable and any other benefits. It'll also cover periods of unemployment and you'll have to pay an accountant, depending on whether the contract is inside or outside of IR35. I stand corrected but I'm not sure the difference is that much nowadays (for inside roles) unless you're foregoing your pension or something else.

I enjoyed being a contractor for the variety, flexibility and lack of politics but I did mine when the aero industry was super busy and we were in demand. Some areas are still busy but most contracts are now inside IR35, which doesn't appeal to me at all.

You can find contract jobs on job sites, LinkedIn and agencies. I got a lot of mine through Matchtech but there are many others.