Wibble_oz

What are the pros n cons of working as an Independent Contractor against a staff role ?

Ta

JAJ

with respect, have you thought of searching, there is plenty of information out there.

dogscogs

As a contractor who was once a permie, I'd say the grass is always greener on the other side.

You don't quite realise how much things like holiday and sick leave are worth until you need them, financially I think it balances out once leave / super / insurances etc are all taken into account so I don't think I am better off contracting, actually I am a shade better off. but only because the last holiday I took was christmas, when they closed the office and kicked me out the door.

On a personal level I thought it would be great to try out lots of different work environments and then realised I hate the insecurity of always looking for another contract.

One plus for me is that I do my work, I go home. Period. Joe Bloggs & Co get what they pay for out of me and nothing more. No on call, no out of hours work (unless they want to pay me double time :-D

big_matt

I totally agree with this. I've done both, and while I earned slightly more as a contractor I think I'd rather be a perm. Especially in the current environment I've seen plenty projects scrapped overnight and contractors terminated on minimum notice.

There is also more of a 'contractor culture' here than the UK and I have been on large project where there are more than 50 contractors (often all independent). This creates a competetive environment and means everyone is watching their backs etc.