Contracting.. Does it give you more time off?

It can but not in the current market.
Knew someone who would work 6 months then 6 months abroad, equivalent of a full time salary. But not possible in the current economic climate.
 
It's doable, two people who used to work for me in a similar field to you became contractors and did a lot of travelling between contracts, albeit I think the market has got more competitive of late.

I think basically contractors tend to fall into two camps, those that do it to maximise income and take relatively few days off, and those who do it for flexibility who tend to float around quite a bit and take advantage of any gaps they have between contracts. When I was a contractor I earned more in 9.5 months than I have in any 12 months of employment.
 
You could try a zero hour contract in retail but the income would be in a different scale if you currently in a professional role.
 
Thanks everyone. Lot to consider. It's been a dramatic week. So I may well be asking more on this topic very soon!
 
I find myself in a similar position. I resigned in Dec as a Head of IT as I just needed a break. There’s talk of my old work place taking me on as a consultant, but we’ll see.

I’ve paid off the mortgage and have 6 figure savings, no other debt and I’m contemplating my next move. Just feel burnt out.
 
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To answer the question; 'it depends how good you are.'

More to the point, it depends whether your skills and experience are in demand and your work ethic and personality are valued.

I've been a contractor for the majority of my professional career, I've never been busier and I don't really have to tout my wares, network or take on work under a certain rate.
 
413x said:
My main aim is to have more time off work. Even at sacrifice of salary. And I don't know the best way to go about it.

Basically I'm sick of having just 26 days holiday + bank holidays.

I would stay at my job if I could buy holiday. I would absolutely buy it.


But with the state of the economy.. Does that lend to there being more or less contract jobs?


I would only get day rates 1.5x ish my current salary by the looks of it. Which isn't great. But I can't see any other way to get more time back. Unless I can find a unicorn job with loads of days off. Or buy and sell.


In these conditions, would it be crazy to make the jump?

FYI. I have no like or dislike of my job. It's just a job to me.
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If you work remotely you can have lots of unofficial days off, in theory.
 
Participant said:
If you work remotely you can have lots of unofficial days off, in theory.
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In theory, I think working from home the main benefit isnt unofficial days off, it's just the slow periods. It helps to reduce fatigue I find. I do the same amount of work in the office because unofficial co worker chats coffees etc.
 
Ive been contracting for nearly 15 years now and I guess Im different to your typical contractor in that the money isnt the be all and end all. I enjoy the flexibility, the non involvement of company politics etc. Im an RF and microwave design engineer so I work from scoping out the requirements for a product all the way through to design proving / validation so the whole product design cycle and a result there is a "plan" with deliverables and so long as I meet those milestones I can pretty much do what I like in terms of time off and generally take 8 to 10 weeks off. I appreciate that not all contracting roles will work in the same way, so that kind of working may not be available in your particular sector
 
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