What do you do?
- Thread starter Alkorin
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Palum
what Suineg set it to
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This but also whether it is 'sanctioned' or acceptable. If your workplace is literally 'project XYZ is due at Friday at 11AM I don't care how' and you deliver it at 9AM completed by working on a train and putting 30 hours in without negatively affecting the team, then great. But I suspect you'd find a similar issue at any place with the 'unlimited vacation just work it out with your team' scam where the benchmarks or team atmosphere relies on everyone seeing your ass at the office any time they need you 100% of the time or else you are a traitor and you slowly start getting pushed out and given others' trash to do.
Noodleface
A Mod Real Quick
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Yeah coincidentally we have unlimited vacation as well. Everyone just works whatever hours, coming in at random times. In my head I have to work 40 hours or I feel like I'm cheating.
Cad
scientia potentia est
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So the issue is, as long as you get your stuff done, you're there for critical meetings, you're not "always unavailable" type of guy, then yes absolutely do this and don't give it a second thought.
As soon as you start delivering shit late, fuck stuff up, or whatever, then any non-conventional setup you have will get criticized. Just keep it in mind. As long as you are delivering nobody will care though so absolutely go for it.
2nd day at the government. I'm already tired of everyone telling me how slow and shitty everything is.
I am hooked on looking up everyones salary that I meet though..and I'm pretty much locked in for 5 years here, employer match is like 2.2 dollars per dollar with a 5 year vesting.
I am hooked on looking up everyones salary that I meet though..and I'm pretty much locked in for 5 years here, employer match is like 2.2 dollars per dollar with a 5 year vesting.
Heylel
Trakanon Raider
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So one of my freelance gigs just offered me a part-time contract as a W-2 employee for the year. Anyone have strong opinions one way or another? It would be a yearly contract for X discrete tasks (in this case, page audits for a website), and some quarterly testing. Nothing I can't easily do.
I'm trying to weigh out the pros and cons. It feels like it could work out fine provided that it is treated like a retainer and I get a minimum monthly income. The next question is what to charge. I know what my client charges *their* client, and it's roughly double what they pay me. I'm not sure what the standard markup is, but that seems a little high.
I'm trying to weigh out the pros and cons. It feels like it could work out fine provided that it is treated like a retainer and I get a minimum monthly income. The next question is what to charge. I know what my client charges *their* client, and it's roughly double what they pay me. I'm not sure what the standard markup is, but that seems a little high.
Heylel
Trakanon Raider
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UX research specializing in accessibility, WCAG and 508 compliance.
They bill the client ~7500 for what we're discussing as monthly work. It would be maybe 4-5 hours a week for me, plus a full day in person quarterly doing some usability work. Easy money, provided a reasonable portion of their fee passes through to me.
Heylel
Trakanon Raider
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It's not peanuts. When I 1099'd for them I charged $100 an hour and we both made money. I paid taxes out of that myself, though, so a W-2 rate it going to be lower. Since they have a fixed bid contract with the client, there's an upper threshold to what they can pass through to me, and my concern is if the hours balloon out of control. I have a full time day job, and while I love the opportunity to make money on the side I can't afford for it to negatively impact my primary employer. Before I sign an annual contract I want to know exactly what i'm getting into and how much flexibility I have. Right now I can always turn down work, or bill extra hours if their client comes back with revisions or decides to change directions mid-project.
Lendarios
Trump's Staff
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$50 an hour. A developer can charge up to $100, maybe $60, depending who pays taxes.
Heylel
Trakanon Raider
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That's less than I currently charge freelance, even factoring out self-employment taxes. If they want it done at $60 they shouldn't have told me the fixed bid. I'm not taking 20% when it's all profit for them.
Khane
Got something right about marriage
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I think you're better off charging a fixed rate. $800 for 4 hours of work on a $7500/mo contract is nothing considering you'd be doing all the work. You would be doing all the work on the project right? Unless the scope of work can change drastically (maintenance type administration or something)
Heylel
Trakanon Raider
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It can potentially change a little bit. Right now there's a set amount of work paid per month, basically like a retainer. If the client needs more done, there's a fixed rate per additional item. It comes out roughly to $300 per task item on 25 guaranteed, then $250 per additional within a single month. That's what *my* client is making off the contract. I don't mind being on a W-2, but it can't be "oh I work X hours" and piddle around until a month is slammed and I suddenly have two full time jobs. I want a reasonable % of the fixed rate, since all my client is doing is basically passing through work to me.
The only reason a W-2 came up is because the contract includes language forbidding the use of sub-contracted work without approval. It's a bunch of red tape, and they're willing to deal with it if it doesn't make sense on my end. If I were a shark I'd just go straight to their client myself and underbid them, but these guys throw me a lot of easy work and I value that relationship. It has seriously made me consider striking out on my own with an LLC down the road, though. The kind of fees that companies are willing to pay for 508 compliance to avoid getting sued are pretty insane.
I would do it if I were you.
I really explored this a lot about 5 years ago when I want to do .gov contracting. I had a partner and we were looking into doing subcontract work for ATT doing devops. We were going to do .gov work which I would get defaulted on a lot of those contracts as a SDVOSB (Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business). Then I was diagnosed with cancer and that was all put on hold.
I want to get back into the concept again.
Crone
Bronze Baronet of the Realm
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So back at it this week. Have a technical phone interview on Wednesday. I feel confident after the ringer I already went through that this will be much easier.
But it's a never ending contract and I've never done contract work before. So no cushy benefits, no PTO, unless you take an hourly pay cut and work it into your contract, and can be lrt go at anytime and the staffing agency will just get another body.
Pros and cons of contract work? I mean I'll take this position either way because I need to get the professional experience started, but its a little daunting.
But it's a never ending contract and I've never done contract work before. So no cushy benefits, no PTO, unless you take an hourly pay cut and work it into your contract, and can be lrt go at anytime and the staffing agency will just get another body.
Pros and cons of contract work? I mean I'll take this position either way because I need to get the professional experience started, but its a little daunting.
Khane
Got something right about marriage
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What's the hourly rate vs expected salary? What's expected PTO? Contract work and being paid hourly is almost always the better choice.
I make almost twice as much as an hourly contractor than I did as a salaried employee. I pay $250 more a month for healthcare (would be more for you since I'm single and you have a family). Even if I paid $600 more a month for comparable benefits I'm still coming out way, way ahead.
I lose about $7k/yr in 401k matching
I lose about $3k/yr in health insurance subsidies
I lose about $18k/yr in paid PTO (I had 39 days of PTO at my last salaried job)
I make far more than I lose and that's with not even accounting for that sweet, sweet OT time and a half pay. It's great actually wanting to work nights and weekends when they want me to because I'm actually getting paid for it.
Do the math on the benefits, don't be one of those people who just says "Oh but there's no benefits. Benefits are what I need!"
I make almost twice as much as an hourly contractor than I did as a salaried employee. I pay $250 more a month for healthcare (would be more for you since I'm single and you have a family). Even if I paid $600 more a month for comparable benefits I'm still coming out way, way ahead.
I lose about $7k/yr in 401k matching
I lose about $3k/yr in health insurance subsidies
I lose about $18k/yr in paid PTO (I had 39 days of PTO at my last salaried job)
I make far more than I lose and that's with not even accounting for that sweet, sweet OT time and a half pay. It's great actually wanting to work nights and weekends when they want me to because I'm actually getting paid for it.
Do the math on the benefits, don't be one of those people who just says "Oh but there's no benefits. Benefits are what I need!"