More workers than ever before are choosing to work for themselves on a contractual basis. Self-employment in the UK is at an all-time high of 14 million. Contractors in particular are the happiest in the UK job market. A study into independent work by the McKinsey Global Institute found that contractors reported higher job satisfaction than their traditionally employed counterparts in 12 out of 14 measured areas of work.…
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Giving notice to your employer is the moment when you fire the starting gun on your contracting career. So it’s important to consider both your preparation to become a contractor and when the best contract opportunities will come up.
Preparation means exploring the market, assessing your skills and marketability, and polishing your offering until you have the best chance of success on your own.…
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During the EU referendum campaign, some small business representatives argued that by leaving the European Union they would be able to disentangle themselves from Brussels’ red tape.
So after the vote to leave the EU, what sort of business de-regulation might happen, and how could it affect contractors?…
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Creating an invoice for any work you’ve done as a business is key to making sure you get paid fairly and promptly for your work. It is also a legal obligation if the transaction in question is a business to business transaction.…
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The 2016 Budget delivered by George Osborne in March may seem a long time ago but there were several important changes that the former Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that will affect contractors. While it’s easy to forget about tax and political budgets until it’s time to file your tax return, there are often many opportunities for tax planning that will help you maximise your income as a contractor.…
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More and more companies are turning to finance contractors rather than permanent staff and the trend looks set to continue. With firms looking for contractors at both executive and non-managerial levels, there’s plenty of finance positions for contractors to find.
One of the main reasons behind the drive towards temporary resources is that contractors can provide skills that are not available in-house – it’s the third most popular reason that HR directors give for hiring contractors, behind cost-effectiveness and flexibility.…
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In an ideal world, contracts would be unnecessary. Your client would tell you what work needed to be done, and once it was complete they’d pay you in full.
Contracts exist because, of course, we don’t live in an ideal world.…
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Although the new tax changes to dividends and travel expenses have been seen by self-employed contractors as a bad thing, not everyone was unhappy to see the April tax change come into effect.
Reaction to recent press coverage has varied depending on whether those losing out are only marginally affected to those whose income relies heavily on dividends.…
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