Contractors, Self Employed nice cars? You earn far too much!
Discussion
Back in 2006/2007 I was on a large IT project where contractors were naming their rates.... 800 - 900 a day for doing fek all.
The place was dominated by contractors and Friday was 'flash car day' when the car park was full of their pride and joys. several dozen very high end cars would be in the car park....
As the recession bit, the wiser contractors kept their heads down by not bringing in the bright red contractor chariots on a Friday, instead switching to daily dull stuff. The clever ones lasted longer...
The place was dominated by contractors and Friday was 'flash car day' when the car park was full of their pride and joys. several dozen very high end cars would be in the car park....
As the recession bit, the wiser contractors kept their heads down by not bringing in the bright red contractor chariots on a Friday, instead switching to daily dull stuff. The clever ones lasted longer...
George111 said:
Harji said:
rek said:
"Contract Scum"
He he, long time since I heard that, once a contractor myself . I spent my money on a 320d, I did it wrong didn't I.Yeah I have to agree with that.
Also as for the costs of being a contractor - IME if you are single and young and free then its a good way to make a bit more cash short term.
However in the long run pensions and things like long term sick pay etc can start to outweigh the risk - esp as you get older.
I was contract scum (tm) from 03 to 07 and IME it was "worth" an extra £30k PA to contract. Projects were easy to find and generally 12mth+ so it was a good time.
Not so sure I would have fancied it during the recession.
Also as for the costs of being a contractor - IME if you are single and young and free then its a good way to make a bit more cash short term.
However in the long run pensions and things like long term sick pay etc can start to outweigh the risk - esp as you get older.
I was contract scum (tm) from 03 to 07 and IME it was "worth" an extra £30k PA to contract. Projects were easy to find and generally 12mth+ so it was a good time.
Not so sure I would have fancied it during the recession.
i think a lot of people read far too much into a few comments
occasional comment to say things like you paid to much because you have a sports car is just small talk, means nothing except that person wants to start a conversation.
But as for being told by an actual decision maker you need to change your car, or they're cutting your hours, when it's not a genuine customer perception issue it usually has f
k all to do with the car, that's just the trigger, has everything to do with the fact that people hate you, probably because you are a tt.
When it comes to giving the wrong image to prospective customers, no doubt there can be occasions when the wrong car has blown a deal or at least had a negative impact, but it's only really going come into play when it's really on the edge anyway, and i suspect it's far more common to lose a deal by projecting an imagine of lack of success, than too much.
occasional comment to say things like you paid to much because you have a sports car is just small talk, means nothing except that person wants to start a conversation.
But as for being told by an actual decision maker you need to change your car, or they're cutting your hours, when it's not a genuine customer perception issue it usually has f
k all to do with the car, that's just the trigger, has everything to do with the fact that people hate you, probably because you are a tt.When it comes to giving the wrong image to prospective customers, no doubt there can be occasions when the wrong car has blown a deal or at least had a negative impact, but it's only really going come into play when it's really on the edge anyway, and i suspect it's far more common to lose a deal by projecting an imagine of lack of success, than too much.
9mm said:
So are those of you 'playing the game' extending that to wearing an Asda suit., cheap shoes and watch and telling everyone you live in a one bed flat in an average part of town together with holidays in Scarborough?
I learnt 5 contractor 'rules' very early on which have served me well :1. Never discuss money/rates with anyone, ever. f
k this one up and you're toast.2. Never discuss family/personal life stuff with anyone.
3. Never add anyone you work with to Facebook if you use it and ensure you can't be found by an internet search.
4. Never ever get involved in the permies work disputes or their grievances with other work colleagues. If you're seen to be "taking sides" it won't end well for you.
5. Make sure you never f
k up and always cover your arse!A lot of jealous, envious, back-stabbing, two-faced people out there who would love nothing better than to see you ousted out for doing the same job as them for several times their rate. They will try to use whatever you tell them against you so you tell them nothing. Go in, do your job, come home, don't get involved with them. Obviously over time you suss out who the decent folks are but in general if you keep your gob shut you won't go far wrong.
All that jazz said:
I learnt 5 contractor 'rules' very early on which have served me well :
1. Never discuss money/rates with anyone, ever. fk this one up and you're toast.
2. Never discuss family/personal life stuff with anyone.
3. Neveradd anyone you work with to use Facebook if you use it and ensure you can't be found by an internet search.
4. Never ever get involved in the permies work disputes or their grievances with other work colleagues. If you're seen to be "taking sides" it won't end well for you.
5. Do a good jobMake sure you never fk up and always cover your arse! be honest
A lot of jealous, envious, back-stabbing, two-faced people out there who would love nothing better than to see you ousted out for doing the same job as them for several times their rate. They will try to use whatever you tell them against you so you tell them nothing. Go in, do your job, come home, don't get involved with them. Obviously over time you suss out who the decent folks are but in general if you keep your gob shut you won't go far wrong.
EFA1. Never discuss money/rates with anyone, ever. f
k this one up and you're toast.2. Never discuss family/personal life stuff with anyone.
3. Never
4. Never ever get involved in the permies work disputes or their grievances with other work colleagues. If you're seen to be "taking sides" it won't end well for you.
5. Do a good job
k upA lot of jealous, envious, back-stabbing, two-faced people out there who would love nothing better than to see you ousted out for doing the same job as them for several times their rate. They will try to use whatever you tell them against you so you tell them nothing. Go in, do your job, come home, don't get involved with them. Obviously over time you suss out who the decent folks are but in general if you keep your gob shut you won't go far wrong.
On the flip side as a contractor don't expect any kind of loyalty when you have chosen to be transient. I have worked with some really good guys and have also seen the lazy 'just about qualified to the job but will blag it to earn a buck' before a trip to Ibiza
If you are good, it can be a fantastic way to work without the politics that goes with being permanent staff.
I went from being a contractor to a permie, at the same company. As a contractor I drove an XJS, mainly got compliments on good car choice but there were a few comments about how on earth I could afford such a vehicle, being so young. It seems that certain cars are deemed "acceptable". I could have bought an old wobbly boxster for similar money and I suspect I would have got a different reaction.
Anyways, a quick trip to the autotrader website satisfied most people, maybe I'm just lucky that I don't work with a bunch of idiots and they could digest concepts like total cost of ownership and compare to the nearly new cars that most people drive.
Now I'm permanent I have a kit cobra, hardly anyone has any idea at all what it's worth and I prefer it that way. when I say "kit car" some just say "ahh right that explains it", they probably think it cost about 2k and the build process resembled an episode of scrapheap challenge. A couple of guys have researched replica cobra values and know full well what it cost but I mainly work with a small group of well paid engineers so most of our discussion is them getting misty eyed talking about carburettors rather than something as boring as how much it costs.
Anyways, a quick trip to the autotrader website satisfied most people, maybe I'm just lucky that I don't work with a bunch of idiots and they could digest concepts like total cost of ownership and compare to the nearly new cars that most people drive.
Now I'm permanent I have a kit cobra, hardly anyone has any idea at all what it's worth and I prefer it that way. when I say "kit car" some just say "ahh right that explains it", they probably think it cost about 2k and the build process resembled an episode of scrapheap challenge. A couple of guys have researched replica cobra values and know full well what it cost but I mainly work with a small group of well paid engineers so most of our discussion is them getting misty eyed talking about carburettors rather than something as boring as how much it costs.
This thread is getting very interesting - thanks for those who responded! It seems as though this is common in the UK then? I have friends who contract out in the USA and they tell me they have never faced this type of comment from anyone at work - so is this a very British thing then? Negativity towards others doing well for themselves..........hmm 
Didn't all this "Contractors get paid loads" stuff get knocked on the head when the AWR came in and we all got a 20% pay-rise?
Anecdotal and probably industry-specific but it worked here.
Or is it just because I drive a pair of ten year-old Peugeots? Sometimes, both are on the road.
Cheers, Jim
Anecdotal and probably industry-specific but it worked here.
Or is it just because I drive a pair of ten year-old Peugeots? Sometimes, both are on the road.
Cheers, Jim
W4NTED said:
This thread is getting very interesting - thanks for those who responded! It seems as though this is common in the UK then? I have friends who contract out in the USA and they tell me they have never faced this type of comment from anyone at work - so is this a very British thing then? Negativity towards others doing well for themselves..........hmm
The tax system in the US is very different and the disparity will be far less.Dapster said:
One of my contractors was telling me that he had to see a osteopath for an ongoing and very painful back and leg problem which turned out to be sciatica. The doc advised him to thin out his wallet as it was causing him to sit and walk awkwardly. You can imagine our totally sympathetic reaction to this - the contractor's wallet is so full of wads of cash that it's actually causing a medical condition. Of course he lived that down and we never remind him of it, ever.....
As an ex contractor I suspect it's actually because his wallet is too full of receipts he hasn't claimed yet rather than cash 
RizzoTheRat said:
As an ex contractor I suspect it's actually because his wallet is too full of receipts he hasn't claimed yet rather than cash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoPf98i8A0gI started contracting 3 years ago and have similar experiences to folk here. In my line of work I just tell them to do the same (contract) and often get the reply 'it's too risky for me'. Then quite frankly stop making such silly comments about my watches and cars. I made a decision based on risk and reward and am reaping the rewards at the moment. If you don't have the gumption to do the same then lets not have this discussion.
Also, as others have said the people complaining often drive HP 25k+ cars and more! I just do what makes me happy and offer advice to those looking to follow in my shoes.
Life is too short to sweat this sort of stuff too much.
Stu
Also, as others have said the people complaining often drive HP 25k+ cars and more! I just do what makes me happy and offer advice to those looking to follow in my shoes.
Life is too short to sweat this sort of stuff too much.
Stu
Ace thread, some entertaining stories...
I've never experienced this as I've always driven stty old nails, even when on some of my better contracts. Even had the reverse comments of surely you can afford something better than that!
Currently drive a 16 year old battered and matt painted Merc 7 seater estate (albeit with a 5.4 v8). I bloody love that car! Very few folk at work know that it goes reasonably well.
Big 4-0 coming up at the end of this year. Gulp. The current plan is to treat myself to a late noughties e63 estate, but I wonder now if that will be seen as too flash?... I suppose to most, it's just another family wagon. Be interesting to see if I get any comments.
I've never experienced this as I've always driven s
tty old nails, even when on some of my better contracts. Even had the reverse comments of surely you can afford something better than that!Currently drive a 16 year old battered and matt painted Merc 7 seater estate (albeit with a 5.4 v8). I bloody love that car! Very few folk at work know that it goes reasonably well.
Big 4-0 coming up at the end of this year. Gulp. The current plan is to treat myself to a late noughties e63 estate, but I wonder now if that will be seen as too flash?... I suppose to most, it's just another family wagon. Be interesting to see if I get any comments.
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