For some women, they are able to return back to work full time whilst grandparents take care of the baby with no cost incurred. For others though, they have to look for childcare in the form of a registered childminder, or nursery and this cost has to be balanced out with what they would bring home monthly by returning to work.

Many women, especially those on low to middle incomes, stop work after having children because of the high cost of childcare in the UK. A couple who are both earning average wages spend 27% of their income on childcare.

In light of this, would contracting be an option? Contracting offers a flexible alternative and some may even be able to work from home. By choosing to contract, they can choose what work they take on and can choose to have time off at certain times in the year.

Are you a working mother who found contracting the best option for you? We would love to know why you chose to contract and if you would recommend it to other mums that are deciding whether to return to work.

Although adverts for contract roles had increased, annually, Inner London added the most new IT contracts but the rise has not been widespread. In this last year the North West has seen IT contractor job adverts fall by 13%.

Reported on Contractor UK, IT candidates looking for public sector work on a contract basis saw relevant ads decline by almost 40%. Financial services added more IT contracts than a year ago, as did software houses.

Jobadswatch reported on its findings and believed that the upturn was on course to continue. They explained that contractors are usually the first in the door once end-users perceive hiring conditions to have improved.

These findings tally with the latest comments from the REC which outlined feedback from recruiters who placed staff in temporary posts in October and spoke of an “improvement in employers’ optimism about their future hiring intentions”.

An interesting case for contractors is Tilson vs Alstom, which last week reached a final conclusion. The case was a dispute between contractor Andrew Tilson and the company Alstom Transport.

Tilson joined Alstom in 2004 as a technical engineer and worked for the company for 2 years until he was dismissed, which he claimed was unfair. Throughout his time there Tilson worked as a contractor, and despite enjoying normal employee rights, he turned down the chance to sign a permanent contract.

He originally claimed that he was dismissed unfairly, which was accepted by the Employment Appeals Tribunal in March 2009 as they found him to be an employee of the company, despite always working as an independent contractor. However, after an appeal from Alstom this decision was overturned in November 2009.

This led to Tilson taking the decision to the Court of Appeal, who found that although he worked as an employee, there was no contractual agreement between the two parties. So because he worked as an independent contractor he could not benefit from employee’s rights, including claiming for unfair dismissal.

This case has highlighted the importance for contractors to be clear about the details of contracts that they undertake. In this case Mr Tilson assumed there to be a contract in place due to his working conditions, when he had never agreed one and actually turned down opportunities to sign permanently. Lord Justice Elias summarised it saying, “This argument repeats the error of asserting that because someone looks and acts like an employee, it follows that in law he must be an employee.”

ICS work with a team of experts in employment and tax law to ensure our services are fully compliant with existing IR35 legislation and the latest government regulations. You can contact us now for a tailored proposal based on your individual circumstances as a contractor.

Research has shown that interim managers working within the retail sector have seen their daily rates fall by up to 26%, from £952 before the credit crunch started (Q2 2007) to £706 now (Q2 2010). Ref: Ipsos MORI.

Weak consumer spending lead to retailers putting planned projects on hold leading to reduced demand for interim managers. There are a number of highly skilled interim managers fighting for a small number of contract roles and this has resulted in contract rates being squeezed.

Simon Gough, director of retail and consumer at Interim Partners, speaking on Recruiter added;

“While other sectors have been kick-starting stalled management projects as the economy has recovered, on the whole it is only projects that deliver savings or that could not be put off any longer have been implemented in the retail sector.”

The latest Construction Trade Survey published 9th August 2010 has shown a reduction in work for civil and building contractors during the first six months of the year. This, combined with public sector spending cuts has signified a further reduction in available contracts this year.

Noble Francis, economics director of the Construction Products Association said:

“Over the next few years, construction is braced for a fall in public sector investment and will increasingly need to look to the private sector for growth.”

Those contractors luckily enough to secure a contract may find that the contract is shorter than it once would have been and rates are likely to have been reduced.

This made us here at Independent Contractor Services (ICS) ask the question; do clients expect you, as a contractor, to work longer hours than a permanent employee?

The contractor asked for help via the Shout 99 forum and already other contractors have responded with their experiences. One contractor commented that with one client, he felt the permanent employees and managers expected him to work longer hours because he was earning “mega bucks”.

Contractors often work more hours than expected to meet the project deadlines without any overtime or enhanced rates. However choosing to work more hours and being expected to work more hours are two different things.

If you are a contractor working via an umbrella company and you haven’t opted out of the Working Time Directive, as an ‘employed’ worker you are lawfully only permitted to work a maximum 48 hour week however if you are a contractor working via your own limited company, you may be expected to work extra hours to get the project finished.

What are your experiences? Are you expected to work more hours as a contractor than a permanent employee would?

It is not uncommon for contractors to or freelancers to draw up their own contract when working directly with the client and it is imperative that a contract is drawn up before you commence the project. Roger Sinclair, a Legal Consultant at self-employment contract service Egos said it might be a good idea for contractors to arrange their own terms before waiting to hear what a client proposes.

When drawing up your contract it should include a description of the work you will be doing and what hours or days you are expected to work. It is also important to include what the client will be doing including your rate of pay. The PCG have a number of templates available on their website which will be useful if you are drawing up your own contract. They can be viewed here.

To ensure the contract you are drawing up is for services and not for employment, clauses such as Holidays, Automatic Renewal Clauses and Ongoing Contracts should be avoided as these may point towards employment.

Visit the PCG ‘s website for more information with regards to contracts. They are there to support all those working within the freelance and contracting marketplace.

Around 43% of clients said what they had seen on social networking sites had caused them not to hire the candidate or contractor. It is important on your profile reflects the truth and so does your CV. The survey reveals the top reason why a contractor has not been hired was because by viewing their profile, they uncovered lies that were on their CV.  Bad-mouthing your previous employer, colleagues or clients is also not advised as 9% of those surveyed stated this as a reason why they chose not to hire a candidate.

Do not be afraid of having a profile on a social networking site though. 50% of clients said they had found content on contractors or clients profile that persuaded them to hire the contractor. It is important to remember that people can view your profile and it therefore important to give off a professional image, clearly demonstrating good communication skills. You should always list any awards or accolades you have. If you use Linked In, connect with past clients or employees and ask them to recommend your work.

It is important to use social networking to your advantage and let it be the reason a client hires you, don’t let your profile lose you your next contract.