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Got offered some tuppence ha'penny work today. Said no thank you.

Brilliantly

Nonstop work across clients with no gaps, work into 2021.
A mortgage holiday for a bit
No travel expenses
Good rates
Not having to sit with difficult clients

2020 has turned out...

There are a couple of items of modus operandi here

Setting a silly timescale - I've seen lawyers tell them "no, we'll reply by X and you'll like it"

Sending people a threatening letter just...

They can ask about personal and company taxation for 2 years after year end and VAT for 6... I'd suggest at least two years.

I speak as someone who got their Christmas card at the end of the 2nd...

Harvey Nash told me "it's alright, it's outside of IR35 as it's less than two years - just opt out of these regulations"

Don't trust Harvey Nash. Or, to be frank, any agency.

We checked this out last time round and doing this was perfectly acceptable in some circumstances, e.g. one where clients no longer engage with contractors and so make a blanket determination. In the...

I had this for my first contract, and it did come through, but it took 2 months.

There are (at least) two valuable lessons here, and I wouldn't blame you for not knowing this

1) Everything...

And that's fine if that's what's happening - it's great to be told you can bill, but it's not mandatory and very much name of the game

My intuition would be

1) if I was in an office everyday, bill regardless of how slow everything's going

2) you're at home, so probably not, but....

3) if agency says you can, and it is they...

This sounds bad, but I find with stuff like this it helps to err more on the side of flexibility in the interview, then state your 'conditions' when you get there and asked to do something specific
...

I always thought this was a roundabout way of an agent working out if you were a 'difficult' candidate and, as with most agent questions, not to be answered in good faith

Seeing loads of activity in the public sector at the moment

Almost as if they're keen to be seen to be using all their budgets incase any are about to be revised downward... :)

It's true, there's not much reason to use the forum when I'm gainfully employed (on a contractual basis). The jobs are out there, and every bit of work you do to put yourself out there brings you...

Back in March this forum would tell you to rip their arm off (and close your Ltd on the way out)

A tie conveys the message "I care a lot about things that don't matter, and probably not enough about things that do"

True confidence is shown by wearing - and doing - what you want.

Going for the miserable 1% here

And long may that continue... stuffy clients that have refused or been difficult about WfH for years suddenly have no problems...

I've not been looking, but I've noticed a drop-off in cold calls

Anyone having issues with CJRS continuing to be paid after you've asked them to stop? May or may not be an issue with a certain large contractor accountancy...

Wouldn't see it an an issue, I have IPSE+, once the first month is down then you'll get paid monthly anyway... have done this before without issue and it all works out the same at the end of the day....

Ask for a bit more than you want and say "and of course I can do deals for the right people" - that gives you room to both come down to the rate you want and allows the agent to feel that they can go...

I can only offer my sympathies. Every interaction thats meant getting a student loan finalised between the SLC and HMRC always makes the individual feel like this is being done for the very first...

In my experience the 'uninteresting' ones can end up being fun, and the 'fun'/big name/tech ones can be awful... go for it then decide :-)

They might've binned the roles when the recession figures were announced at the end of the week. Annoying but nothing untoward.

Don't play hard to get, don't be snotty, always answer what THEY want to hear

"No, you're the first one!"

They want a dead cert candidate, saying anything else harms you.

And don't ever feel...

I'd like to point out that setting up a bank account certainly isn't an hours job - well the initial application maybe, but there'll be proofs and bank checking to go on which usually takes 2 weeks...

Nothing wrong with that if the terms are decent

Don't feel bad - client and agency will have a positive view of you now.

I know positive views don't pay the mortgage, but... your agency may see you as a preferred client for their next enormous...

Don't get into the trap of saying "but you're paying X more than me" - don't bring other people into it. This is between you and the agency.

This method isn't without merit, I've done loads of roles in contexts I've had nothing to do with in the past. Some companies are cool with that. Your ability to change is important.

The Scots and welsh only have to pay about a fiver of stamp duty as it stands - they're pre-discounted!

2 years later when a test case goes to court you mean

Does that include us LTD directors who went on furlough for a bit :)

If the end result works financially then yes

You know that the point is to use QDOS's feedback to get the contract change - which will almost always be agreed to?

It's not like Permie land where you get what you're given, agencies won't say...

You'll get some Bertie big balls in here try to give it the "I insist on being paid weekly" but the reality is you might get that, the norm is to get something around end of month + 14 days, give or...

Already seeing job ads stating "currently work from home. After the coronavirus period, a 5 day week in the office is expected"

:( what a missed opportunity. Yes let's make everyone unhappy again.

You've got 2 years from the end of an accounting period for simple investigations and 6 years for other stuff... I'd keep it going

I worked out in another thread that after Sainsburys and Expedia...

Boomed for the 2nd time since lockdown :banana2:

Good luck everyone, the roles are out there. This is much better than the 'year of furlough pay and mortgage holidays' I was readying myself for...

Some agencies I'm working with have furloughed all but their team leads.

Seeing a very healthy market here too. Less in terms of what's being advertised but direct calls are pretty decent. Survived another 'impending death of contracting', must be my 6th or 7th by now....

2019-20. Rates and non-arsey clients.

Well that's obviously the best decider :D ... still option 1, currently, that has produced that.

Maybe option 2 will after their aptitude exam, who knows..

A tale of two contracts

1) Good rate from the off. One telephone interview, talking about the project. Straightforward exchange of information. Not too bothered about industry experience, variety...

I think I'm about to make the leap but I think you need a good 3 years of 'having an accountant' first to get used to it

It was my 'being asked to leave' that gave me a sizeable lump with which to try contracting. In many ways it's the nicest thing that company did for me, and I've never felt the need to go back to...

You can furlough retrospectively I think? A 3+ week period from March 2nd to today can be designated as furlough if no revenue generating activity (i.e. paid work not answering emails as some...

I'd consider applying for 100 jobs a weeks work sometimes, and I wouldn't expect to get a call back for any of them either! it's a numbers game.

An HR manager who resigns thinking her role was at...

Asking me how the market is going feels like short hand for "I am disingenuous"

Use the contract review time to weigh up your options.

I did this once, I had a contract 'in the bag' which became my Plan B after something more interesting came along. I opened up a 5 day...