I find myself out of contract after a run of 33 months, having always found it easy to get another position this is not yet to much of a worry, having spoken to several agents it looks like there is not much going on at the moment, some have suggested a permanent role could be an option, but this is not one I would consider as I prefer working as a contractor, this is a personal choice, but many think the rewards of a contractor to be a lot higher than a permanent employee

An employer can expect about 220 working days from a possible 260 days from an employee, and a Contractor can expect 170 chargeable days from the 220 so lets look at the rates for a contractor:

http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/contracts/uk/dynamics%20nav.do

The current rate in GBP from ITJobsWatch is reported at 275 GBP a fall from 400 GBP for the same period last year, most companies will want to work through and Agency, this add 50 GPB – 100 GBP a day onto the contractors rate, so lets say currently 325 GPB a day for the 170 Days, and if a contractor worked the 170 days in a year on a contact that is 55,250 GBP, this to anyone working as a permanent worker seem high but you need to look at the full cost of employment

Currently the rates for a Dynamics NAV Employee average at 42K GBP http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/jobs/uk/dynamics%20nav.do

Looking at http://www.techscribe.co.uk/ta/cost-of-employment.htm there is a spreadsheet on this website which is based on a 42K Salary, where the true cost is calculated at 400 GBP per day for an employee so there is not much of a bottom line cost difference

Working as a contractor:

You do not get paid for Holiday, Sickness, Paternity Leave, Expenses etc:, there are no additional benefits, car allowance, training, pension contributions, the employers can terminate the contract by an agreed notice period without reason, so there are no claims of unfair treatment

The employers get a skilled resource that can hit the ground running, which they can drop at any time if the project changes or work runs dry, which is harder if employing just employees, in all my contracts I have passed on skills and added to the team in a positive way and have not had any negative feedback about how employing me as a contractor has changed the dynamic of the existing team.   

If you are an employer thinking about using a contractor for an existing or planned project, feel free to contact me from the About page

David