Are you looking for a guide that can help you to learn about how to become an IT contractor in the UK? We understand that it is challenging to decide whether the career option you are thinking to choose will turn out to be beneficial for you or not. However, it seems quite intimidating to be your own boss, isn’t it? There are several points that are considered to be beneficial when you opt for becoming a contractor, which include factors like job autonomy, flexible working hours, increased earning potential etc.

Further in this blog, you will find the help to have a grip on becoming an IT contractor. This will let you know how you can prepare yourself for the future steps. The details of how you can check the scope of the contractors in the market are explained below.

How To Become An IT Contractor In The UK

By now you must have made up your mind about becoming an IT contractor. You might not be quite sure about how to begin the process. Find your answers in the details below that covers everything that you might need to know about becoming a contractor.

Check the Scope of the Market

Before you decide to quit your job and become an IT contractor, you must check what is the scope of your skill in the market. In the case of IT contractors, the demand is quite less for the generalised skills in comparison to specialisations. The more years of experience you will add to your profile, the more your rates will be in the industry.

In the case that you have spent a short time span in the industry as a contractor and you are not offered enough for your skills, you must be patient with spending more years in the industry. This way you will make your mark in the market and the experience will give you the opportunity of further fine skills as well.

To pursue your dream, you should get more professional in your skill and work.

We will love to provide the best possible solutions and guidance to let you move ahead in your business plans. Call us on 02086868876 or email us today.

Reach out To Recruitment Agencies

The role of recruitment agencies is very vital in the market as they offer good packages to the skilled contractors swiftly and efficiently. Therefore, it is recommended to get yourself registered with several recruitment agencies to increase your opportunities. This is important to know here that the recruitment agencies are also specialised in certain sectors. So, it is better to get in touch with the one that is specialised in your field.

This way you can find your first contract role swiftly. Moreover, job boards can also help you find good options in contractor roles. In the beginning, this might sound challenging because of the small circle and sources in the industry but once you make your name, it will be easy to find job roles.

Other ways to grow your circle include the following:

• Be active in your colleague’s circle
• Be active on contractor job sites and update your CV there.
• Learn to reflect on your career aspiration
• Manage your Linkedin profile well

Quit On Your Permanent Role

It is not recommended that you go totally unemployed while you plan to work for your first role as a contractor. However, in a majority of the cases, the employer would want to interview and hire you immediately. You can expect the job role within weeks. Therefore you should consider taking out fair time to do your job role well. So that you can serve the notice period with your current employer and leave on a good note.

This will further help you to take a good start with your new client. In case you are already a specialised contractor, the clients might try to get you trapped while you are negotiating terms and conditions. You should maintain focus to get yourself paid right as you deserve. In this industry, the fast-paced people win most of the time as it is competitive by nature. If you are aware of some good opportunities, grab them quickly before someone else gets them.

Decide Whether You Choose Umbrella Company or Limited Company

The contractors are paid in two ways normally. Either via an umbrella company or the limited company. The contractors who tend to work for the short term opt for the umbrella company mostly. This is because they do not want the involvement of paperwork and administration.

On the other hand, the option of getting paid via the limited company is beneficial because the chances of higher take-home pay are involved.

The Bottom Line

Now that you have gathered enough information about how to become an IT contractor in the UK, we can bring the discussion towards wrapping up. To sum up we can say that several contractors try to avoid the hassle of paperwork. This is why they opt for getting the pay via an umbrella company. However, there are multiple options in the UK that offer help to manage limited company administration. This way it becomes easy to run a contractor business in a hassle-free manner.

Moreover, before you decide on your payroll option you must consider the status of IR35 as well. We hope these few minutes of reading will help you to make a good name in the industry as a contractor.

Disclaimer: The information about how to become an IT contractor in the UK provided in this blog including text and graphics is general in nature. It does not intend to disregard any of the professional advice.