Why do permies assume we are poor?

[jonson]

This is a bit of a rant so I apologize in advance...I've just been benched although I have a decent amount saved up...probably good for 2 months..However I decided to plan ahead so I was just throwing out some emails today, you know looking to line up some work for the future.

Just some of the responses you get are so patronising, albeit unintentional. 'Good luck with your job search, the climate is very tough' 'You don't have enough experience' etc etc..Sometimes I feel like screaming 'listen up permie I make double your salary' but of course then I would sound like an asshole

I noticed aswell when I freelance with companies, they seem to assume freelancers are charity cases, they work now and then for scraps..I got offered a job for 30k a year by a very good design agency, which I politely turned down but was laughing at the salary in my head (what's that 1.5k after tax a month?)..

Do these people not realise we are on pretty high day rates and most of us actually work at least 6 months of the year..me personally I aim for 8 minimum

I just don't understand this freelancer stigma, I'm sorry but there are no 9-5 success stories in this life, every millionaire is a limited company CEO (most of them at least I would imagine)

I guess there are lots of crap freelancers out there too, but I am quite proud of my work ethnic and yes, how much I earn while having a huge degree of freedom over all aspects of my business

[Sockpuppet]

every millionaire is a limited company CEO (most of them at least I would imagine)

You've not met many people in banking have you.

Personally I've never had this. Then again I tend to keep my finances pretty close to my chest.

[Malcolm Buggeridge]

I guess there are lots of crap freelancers out there too, but I am quite proud of my work ethnic and yes, how much I earn while having a huge degree of freedom over all aspects of my business

I used to have one of those when I was working in Singapore. Fine fellow, used to bring tea and cakes on a trolley into the server room every afternoon.

[jonson]

I used to have one of those when I was working in Singapore. Fine fellow, used to bring tea and cakes on a trolley into the server room every afternoon.

loool..sorry..I have a serious problem with typing and make mistakes like this all the time....my brain thinks one thing and hand types another word

[jonson]

You've not met many people in banking have you.

Personally I've never had this. Then again I tend to keep my finances pretty close to my chest.

Yeah might be the sector...I work in advertising/marketing/design.....everytime a recruiter phones it's like 'hows that working out?'...pretty good actually thanks, probably better than you

[northernladuk]

I feel like screaming 'listen up permie I make double your salary' but of course then I would sound like an asshole

Not when you are on the bench with only a 2 month war chest you don't. HTH

The fact you even worry about this is a fail and I certainly don't find this. Our place has three Aston Martins, more BMW M3's than I can count and a crap load of 5 year old family cars. Not one person, permie or contractor is under any doubt who owns what.

[MarillionFan]

Not when you are on the bench with only a 2 month war chest you don't. HTH

The fact you even worry about this is a fail and I certainly don't find this. Our place has three Aston Martins, more BMW M3's than I can count and a crap load of 5 year old family cars. Not one person, permie or contractor is under any doubt who owns what.

I swear I'm going to **** the next sockie up with a pool cue.

[Gentile]

This is a bit of a rant so I apologize in advance...I've just been benched although I have a decent amount saved up...probably good for 2 months..However I decided to plan ahead so I was just throwing out some emails today, you know looking to line up some work for the future.

Just some of the responses you get are so patronising, albeit unintentional. 'Good luck with your job search, the climate is very tough' 'You don't have enough experience' etc etc..Sometimes I feel like screaming 'listen up permie I make double your salary' but of course then I would sound like an asshole

I noticed aswell when I freelance with companies, they seem to assume freelancers are charity cases, they work now and then for scraps..I got offered a job for 30k a year by a very good design agency, which I politely turned down but was laughing at the salary in my head (what's that 1.5k after tax a month?)..

Do these people not realise we are on pretty high day rates and most of us actually work at least 6 months of the year..me personally I aim for 8 minimum

I just don't understand this freelancer stigma, I'm sorry but there are no 9-5 success stories in this life, every millionaire is a limited company CEO (most of them at least I would imagine)

I guess there are lots of crap freelancers out there too, but I am quite proud of my work ethnic and yes, how much I earn while having a huge degree of freedom over all aspects of my business

I can't say as I get many permies at ClientCos mentioning finances to me at all, let alone directing inappropriate sympathy my way at the end of a gig. It's uncouth to mention your day rate to permies, so most contractors generally never do it, and most permies just assume contractors must be doing it because it pays well enough.

The most common unthinking question I get from permies at ClientCos, generally on the last day of a contract, is "have you got another contract lined up yet?". Although you might feel like saying "Yeah, I interviewed for it last week, whilst I was here working with you all day", after the 100th time you get asked that same question in the same day by a series of permies, each of whom naively imagines themselves to be the first to think of making such an original enquiry. In reality, you just bite your tongue and treat it as one of those unthinking questions that the uninitiated are prone to ask because they don't really understand the mechanics of contracting. They don't mean anything by it any more than people who make small talk about the weather are actually asking you to provide them with a forecast: it's just small talk.

One thing does confuse me about your post, though........why on earth are you writing e-mails to permies to ask about contracts? It's no surprise they're responding in the way you describe, if you're directly asking them to keep you in mind for future work. What else were you expecting in response?

[Old Hack]

I swear I'm going to **** the next sockie up with a pool cue.

I hope you clean it first

[doodab]

Permies think I am poor because they assume I must have spent all my money on expensive computers. I don't like to explain to them that the computers pay for themselves 100 times over or more.