Just when the contracting sector needs it most, a comprehensive resource to enhance the career of every contractor has been published by leading UK website for contractors and freelancers, ContractorCalculator.co.uk
“There is always opportunity in adversity,” says author and ContractorCalculator.co.uk CEO Dave Chaplin, “and canny contractors have the opportunity to do very well out of what is forecast to be one of the toughest economic downturns for a generation. The Contractors’ Handbook provides contractors with all the tools they require to not just survive but thrive in the coming year.”
Chaplin explains why contractors facing difficult trading conditions will find the book particularly useful: “In past downturns the contractors who secured the best contracts (or any contract for that matter!) weren’t always the ones that were most qualified for those contracts. The people who secured them were those who knew best about how to secure a contract. And that vital skill is a key focus on the Contractors’ Handbook.”
Despite what remains a desperate shortage of contractors across every sector, many highly skilled workers in permanent employment wrongly assume they don’t have what it takes to make the move into contracting. At the same time, experienced contractors are working in ways that make them miss out on the best contracts, leave them vulnerable to prosecution by the taxman, and cause them to earn much less than they should.
With nearly 500 pages packed full of practical and easy to follow advice, the Contractors’ Handbook is essential for successful, enjoyable and profitable contracting. “I’ve included every winning strategy I developed during my successful career as a contractor,” explains Chaplin, “plus added the wealth of unique reference material and FAQs from ContractorCalculator.co.uk.”
New contractors who have been casualties of the corporate bloodletting and have chosen to take charge of their careers following redundancy will find the Contractors’ Handbook covers everything they need to know to assist them with their first steps as a contractor.
And for all contractors whatever their level, the Contractors’ Handbook provides clear coverage of the IR35 tax legislation, identifying what contractors need to know, how to beat it and when to ask for expert help.
“For experienced contractors who want to raise their game I have added advanced sections on marketing, sales and negotiation techniques,” continues Chaplin, “plus answers to all those questions that seem simple, but often aren’t, that people who have been contracting for a while are sometimes unsure about.”
Notes for editors
Contractors’ Handbook: the expert guide for UK contractors and freelancers
482pp, paperback
ISBN 9780956074508
Published by ContractorCalculator.co.uk
Review copies available to request from www.contractorshandbook.co.uk.
Who We Are
ContractorCalculator is a leading independent website for the UK contracting industry – most of whom are highly skilled workers in information technology, engineering, electronics, and construction. Independently audited by ABCe, its last audit, in September 2008 showed the site was visited by 113,159 unique users/browsers.
There are 1.4 million such workers in the UK today who prefer to run their own businesses and work under contract rather than become employees of specific companies. Their contribution to the economy is crucial to keeping UK businesses competitive.
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