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I meant for this to go to the list, not just to Lynn, so I'm forwarding it...
>CLPerry said>As a freelancer, I estimate the number of hours for each job,
but I charge
>>by the hour (and invoice on a per-month basis. My suggestion: do *not* "wait
>>till the end" of a "one-month" project before you submit an invoice. Unless
>>you are a *lot* more financially comfortable than I was, when that
>>"one-month" went to six weeks with no end in sight, I was really starting to
>>hurt. I finally had to submit an invoice for the first month, informing them
>>that my invoices would come monthly from then on -- that was fine with
>>them).
>
> To this I would add that I invoiced every two weeks. That way I knew by
the fourth week at the latest what kind of problem I was going to have
getting paid, if any. This arrangement was always included in the contract.
>
>Lynn also said>"Independent," in my book at least, refers to being my own
boss, paying
>>taxes for myself, having to cost out my own vacations, eating my sick time,
>>and writing my own contracts. "Independent" means I work for myself.
>>Personally, I don't consider contractors who work through agencies to be
>>independent, regardless unless they work *as* an independent contractor,
>>billing the agency instead of the client (that is, 1099 income rather than
>>W2).
>
> I have to disagree strongly with this. I don't think 1099 versus W2
determines whether or not one is an independent. Technically, if you are
W2 to an agency, you are an employee of the agency, but that's where the
resemblance stops, in my experience. Everything that's been said about
eating sick time, paying for your own health insurance, costing out
vacation time, scheduling your own hours, using your own tools, etc.
applies whether you are W2 or 1099, in most cases. I did have one agency
that offered vacation, sick days, health insurance, and 401(k), but they
were the exception, rather than the rule. Also, in the case of that
particular agency, they were located on-site at the company's huge campus,
if that means anything.
>
> My first rule of thumb as a contractor, though, was absolutely do not
take fixed-bid-only jobs. There are usually way too many variables to
predict accurately, and the very fact that the client wanted one usually
either meant they didn't have a clue what it was going to take to do the
job, or they were fairly ignorant of the software development process, or
they wanted to pull a fast one. There's nothing wrong with walking away
from a potential contract if it isn't right for you.
>
>
==========================
Obligatory bad haiku:
Ah, reality
sets in too soon. Alarm rings:
Monday morning! ARGH!
Linda Castellani
Technical Writer
GRIC Communications, Inc.
1421 McCarthy Blvd.
Milpitas, CA 95035
