Freelance
Guide
The
construction industry has always had a fluctuating workforce, due to the
fact that workloads vary according to the amount and nature of the contracts a
company undertakes. Companies
have traditionally maintained a core nucleus of staff and  supplemented
this during busy times with sub contractor
freelance staff. This working model is becoming more prevalent with the advent
of modern construction agencies and the general trend in the UK to employ a more
flexible workforce. It is now commonplace for the workforce on a project to be
made up of both permanent members of staff and freelance staff. Deciding whether
you want to go freelance or permanent is a decision that should be given careful
consideration. Freelance
- the benefits 1.
MONEY! Freelancers will generally have a disposable income which is anywhere
between 20% - 80% higher than their permanent colleagues. You will get paid a
higher hourly rate as you are expected to make provisions for your own holiday
pay, sick pay, travel and other benefits that your permanent colleagues enjoy.
If you are getting paid standard market rates and you are working on a project
which involves working 45 hours a week or more, then you will almost certainly
have more money in your pocket, even once you have made provisions for the benefits
mentioned. 2.
VARIETY If you work for the same company, then your experience will generally
be limited to a certain size and type of contract. When you are freelance however,
you can experience different sectors of the construction industry ranging from
highways, structures, land reclamation, WWTW, high rise office blocks, industrial
units to refurbishment's and housing - the list goes on! A lot of people find
this very attractive, as the environment and their skills are constantly changing.
This alleviates a lot of the boredom that a lot of people feel when they stick
with the same company for a long time, and also gives you the opportunity to work
on some of the more prestigious projects in the area. 3.
LOCATION Normally, if you want to work on larger projects, with a financially
stable company, then you have to work for one of the national contractors. The
problem with this, is that they can't guarantee to keep you in work close to home.
With contracts being won all over the UK, you could be in the situation where
the only work they have for you is 100 miles or more from home. When you are freelance,
this is much less of a problem. A lot of people prefer to work freelance, because
they can dictate which geographical area they will work in. As long as you are
living in a relatively urbanized area, then your agency shouldn't have much problem
finding you work within around a 30 minute traveling distance from home, although
you should be prepared to travel up to 1 hour during quiet times. 4.
FLEXIBILITY Freelancers are their own boss. The only people who dictate to
you when you work is you and your bank manager. This flexibility can be beneficial
if you have interests outside of your chosen career field, such as your own business,
family commitments etc. If you develop a good relationship with your agency, then
they will quite happily accommodate you if you need to take a few months off to
pursue your own interests, whereas you will seldom find this if you are working
permanently for a company. Freelance
- the drawbacks 1.
JOB SECURITY
Although here at Rockall, we find it very easy to give our
best freelancers continuity of work, year in year out, we still can't give any
guarantees. There may be occasions when the market is slightly depressed in your
area and you could find yourself out of work for a few weeks. This period should
never be longer than 3 weeks even at the quietest of times, (apart from the Christmas
shutdown, when the construction industry effectively slows then grinds to a halt
for around 4 weeks). However, this is no longer of such concern to many people,
because the concept of a job for life is rapidly disappearing as many companies
now shed their permanent staff when times are hard. 2.
FINANCIAL PLANNING Freelancing is not as bad as some people think. All agencies
can pay their workers on a PAYE basis, which means that they take care of all
of your tax and national insurance contributions, and the money that gets paid
into your bank account is yours to keep. What you will find though, is that your
income will fluctuate during the year. During the summertime, or if you are working
on a fast track project, you could be working long hours and thus have a very
high income, whereas in winter time these hours may well be shorter. These financial
irregularities can be planned for. The best way to budget, is to work out the
average hours and wages for a week and to multiply this by 44 weeks, to give you
your predicted annual income. Divide this then by 52 to give you your average
weekly wage. Any money which you receive over and above this figure should then
be banked for sickness, holidays and quiet periods. You will also need to make
provision for a pension and health insurance (if required). 3.
CAREER PROGRESSION If you want the traditional career path, with a structured
approach to training courses and promotions, then freelancing may not be for you.
Broadly speaking, freelancers fill an intermediate skills gap in a construction
team. They occupy temporary positions where they are required to 'hit the ground
running. For this reason, employers would expect to give little training and to
freelance staff. Freelance staff are also very rarely appointed to positions of
responsibility. Employers are always keen to employ their management team on a
permanent basis, so that there is continuity in the style of management within
the company. However, having said that, there are still occasions when companies
win more contracts than they have managers for, so there are still some opportunities
for freelance managers and consultants. |
