Working as a contractor can bring a lot of benefits. Within reason, you can set your own hours, be your own boss and the financial gain can be much higher than in a permanent role. However, there are some things you need to know before you consider becoming a contractor for the first time.
While there are some clear perks and some notable risks to becoming a contractor, there are also a lot of myths floating around for those who mainly have experience working permanent contracts. I spoke to RECRUITERS’ contract division manager Sarah Pope to find out the biggest myths about working as a contractor in order to shed some light on the reality.
For years it has been engrained into us that permanent, pensionable work is the safest bet and that we should fear the temporary contract. This means that permanent employees often look at contract work and assume they will be out of a job in six months. However, with the current job market, Pope said there’s never been a better time to be a contractor.
“There’s no longer a need to stay in a job just because it’s permanent and pensionable,” she said. “There are so many job opportunities out there right now and how much more engaged would you be in your job if you’re loving going in every day and learning something new as opposed to going in and doing the same thing for 10 years?”
While permanent employees should reject the idea that contractors are out of work more often than they’re in work, it’s important to remember that at the beginning of your contracting career you will still need to build up your experience, even if you already have plenty of experience in a permanent role.
“People think that it’s just a straightforward move, that they have the experience and skills required to be in demand for the next five years, but they have to build it up,” said Pope. “You do have to develop a reputation and almost build a separate CV as a contractor than as a permanent employee because you want to show the diversity and the variation in your ability to really step in and hit the ground running.”
A huge amount of the jobs available at the big multinational companies are actually contracts. Therefore, if you ever want to work there, it’s more likely that you will get work as a contractor than as a permanent employee. However, Pope said a common misconception is that a contract role in a company will lead to a permanent opportunity in the same place. “That’s absolutely not a guarantee,” she said. “If you’re thinking about contracting you should be thinking about career contracting.”
If you build up a career of contracting work at various companies (not just the one you’re hoping to work for), you could, in time, increase your chances of landing a permanent contract if a role were to come up. Indeed, one of the benefits of contracting can sometimes be getting to see internal opportunities. However, it’s worth remembering that the goal of embarking on a contracting career shouldn’t be simply to get another permanent role, it should be considered a new, exciting, lucrative way of life.
Interested in learning more about becoming a contractor? Contact Sarah Pope, contract division manager at RECRUITERS by email at sarah.pope@recruiters.ie or on the phone at +353 1 632 5045.
Feeling confused about your career? We’ve got everything you need to know about progression, new jobs and happiness in your career right here.
By Gerard Doyle
Gerard Doyle is the Managing Director at RECRUITERS
Photo by Corinne Kutz on Unsplash
