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Working by contract via a company - is it good or bad?
Someone with experience?
I'm not questioning your powers of observation; I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is. (V)
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Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote: is it good or bad?
Yes. 
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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Now you trapped yourself!  You have to list all the good and all the bad factors...
I'm not questioning your powers of observation; I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is. (V)
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It can be - there is often good money and freedom from company politics but there is an overhead in managing your own taxes and complying with company law.
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Do you mean if I work for a company of which my work is on a contract? If so, if the contract goes south for the winter, and they have no other contract to stick you on, then you could get laid-off. Of which, I have experience.
So, yes it can be bad. However, while it is not bad, it can be good.
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Worked at a site as a contractor for 7 years, then switched to employee. Stayed there another 5 years.
Now a contractor again (for almost 3 years) at a different site.
My experience has been positive.
When I left the previous position, it was to take the position I'm in now, and that is a position I wanted 20 years ago, but the opportunity never materialized. I didn't want to wait another 20 years to see what happens.
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It mostly depend on the company you want to work for and you should be careful what contract do you sign. Especially if it is long term contract. For example make sure there are any (paid) vacations for you because if contract doesn't say anything there won't be any 
--
"My software never has bugs. It just develops random features."
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 +1 one on this. Depending on what your looking for as a contractor and how willing you are to stay on top of your affairs, it can be rewarding thing. However, be prepared to go over the fine print of the contract.
I was on a "contract-to-hire" project not too long ago and it was funny how all the little fine print stuff popped up after I signed. Vacation & holidays clause.. Basically said "your contract scum you don't work, you don't get paid" Fine print that I failed to comprehend. This also means when the department (not company) is closed for holidays or some event, you don't come to work either. If you do, that's generous as they are not paid hours. So regardless you don't get paid. This burned me big time as 7 of the 10 corporate holidays/service events fell within my contract period.
There were other things in the contract that weren't really in my favor, at that time in my life, the money was pretty good for what they had me doing. But my circumstances required more stability than figuring out what's next every 6-12 months.
My wife did the contractor thing thru an agency that managed everything. She did that for 4 or 5 years.. The company however didn't want to bring her over as a full time hire so she left. She does the same as I do now. Work a full time job to further her career and skills and freelance on the side.
A valuable live and learn experience though. Think of yourself as being a business.. You are your product..
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It is impossible to say, I have had good and bad experiences, but I've had the same as an employee. All you can do is try it and see whether it suits you.
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Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote: Working by contract via a company
Are you talking about taking on a job as a professional hitman, and how to get clients?
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If yes, I might take one out on Pete if I can work out how to get his guitars .... =]
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
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 I'll not tell the wife. She'd probably help if she thought it would clear up the place. It's not as though I have that many guitars - at the last count, I only have 22.
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Watcha got Pete?
I'm not quite as crazy as you. Technically we have 6 (plus a viola and a cello - my wife's), but only 3 of them are quality, playable instruments:
A Taylor GA sapele 12 string
A L'Arivee L-03 mahogany/spruce 6 string
A fairly old Squier Strat (30+ years) with a tiger maple neck
My old Harptone Lark mahogany 12 string (a beautiful instrument in its day, but the neck has twisted - who ever heard of mahogany twisting? [very bad luck]) - very rare
An old beater 6 string that my SIL gave me when I started playing again after many years (I plan to put nylon on this as it has a wide neck and would make a reasonable classical guitar)
My granddaughter's 3/4-size cheapy 6 string for her to strum tunelessly on to play along with granddad
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
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Oh, the usual. A few Ibanez (mainly from the Jem 777 range, plus Ultimate, Radius, Prestige and a couple of RGs), a couple of signature editions that I picked up, including the Tony Iommi signature SG that I got for £100. Some PRS, a Jackson Dinky; a Martin acoustic, Takamine. A couple of strats, and a Les Paul. A Cort, some Peavey's and I'm waiting on getting a custom Vigier. Then there's the Patrick Eggle and the ESP Ltd. Not many really.
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Nice - re: The contract - what was your wife's contact info again? 
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
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Errm, I'll not pass on her details if you don't mind. I'm rather fond of my life.
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Darn!
BTW, almost certainly no connection, but I went to school with a Gareth O'Hanlon?
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
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I don't think he's a relation.
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Hmmm, you are in Israel by your profile, so I don't know how the tax laws work there. In the US, you have to be careful about being classified as a W2 employee. This has big tax implications. There is the perception that contracting is riskier. Over my 30+ years of development, I've seen employees let go before many contractors. Sometimes I know why, sometimes I don't. In many cases, the contractors, especially if they've been doing it a while, understand that there is no free lunch.
The positive aspects? Your management is very flat. It's just you. You make the decisions about when you want / need new equipment etc.
The negative side? Because you are usually paid for the time you work, you might find yourself working hours much longer than the employees. Don't fall into the trap of feeling guilty for that - you're not likely to get paid vacation and holidays and sick leave.
Another negative? It's just you.
Charlie Gilley
<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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Charlie, that depends on the contract. Most of my agency work was on client sites, often with other programmers. I made some good friends on some of those jobs.
You do, of course, have to be aware of labour laws. We have similar laws in Canada, but you can get around these if you incorporate or ensure that you avoid getting in situations that trigger those laws (e.g., multiple contracts on different projects for the same client.) I was always able to show earnings from multiple sources that kept me out of the Labour Board clutches!
... and I had to manage my own sales tax etc..!
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
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Absolutely agree, and I have the same experience. What I mean by "It's just you..." - I guess it depends on how you want to be a "contractor". You can go through an agency, in which case they may offer insurance benefits, handle taxes, etc. You might go 1099 (US tax term, sole proprietor), or you can be your own corporation. When you are a sole prop or corp, everything lands on your shoulders - insurance, taxes, budgets, liability, etc.
Having said that, there are two observations I have had over the years working for myself. First, I don't think the same way when making money. I am always scheming, looking for different projects, side projects, etc. I became and am more entrepreneurial. Second, I have a hard time with stupid and am very conscious of things that will reduce my income. If I decide I need 3 monitors, I get three monitors. If I'm on business travel, I have no problem eating a sandwich for lunch (I know the boss, he doesn't like big expenses  ).
I would have a very hard time going back to being an employee.
Charlie Gilley
<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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I "came in from the cold" 12 years ago. There was a bit of a lull and the best contracts were all in Toronto (a commute) and I wanted to move further out too. I found a reasonably well paid job, doing meaningful work (a Conservation Authority) and moved to less than 10 minutes from work. It was a bit of a culture shock at first, but 12 years says something!
I can't say I don't miss the freedom, but it's very varied here and, within reason, I have a great deal of freedom about the projects I take on and how I do things. If I'd wanted to stay in the Greater Toronto area, I'd probably still be mixing between direct contracting and agencies.
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
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I worked under Ward (became Ajilon) for years. It was great. They gave me a choice of projects, got me good rates and I didn't have to worry about payment collection, bounced cheques etc.. My contact understood me, my skills and the technologies. I was never put up for a mismatching project.
I did some work for another agency and they weren't bad, but I did have some issues with them strong-arming me into becoming incorporated.
Neither agency insisted on exclusivity, just for me to see my contracts out and keep them informed. I switched between them and did some direct work too. Switching was never an issue, but I always played fair and told them my requirements for accepting contracts.
My guess is that the experience is going to depend on the agency and your contacts. Generally, if you do a good professional job for them, they look after you.
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
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Better than working for them without contract...
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I compare contract work to prostitution
the company is the mark.
your agent is the pimp.
and you are just a whore.
being taken advantaged of by all.
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