If you are a Digital expert, especially a Digital Creative, why not consider a contracting career?  

Alternatives pioneered an ‘alternative’ way to access great marketing talent when we were founded in 2000.  This extended to digital talent some years ago and our flexible solutions for interim, contracting and consulting work (alongside our permanent recruitment solutions) make us the experts to turn to when either looking for contracting talent or considering a career as a contractor.

Deciding to undertake contract work can be beneficial for a number of reasons.  In-demand niche digital and creative skills can be harnessed to gain experience, offering flexible working arrangements, hours, days, per day rate pay and exposure to multiple projects providing the contractor with exposure to a diverse range of sectors and projects.  This in turn benefits our clients since our contractors have wide ranging experience to draw from.

Alternatives recognise that working as a contractor is very different from being employed and our goal is offer unparalleled contractor care to our panel and help each individual succeed in their careers.  More and more of our clients are responding to current evolving market conditions by putting in place a flexible workforce that can be adapted to changes in short term business requirements and contracting is no longer considered just a stop gap between permanent jobs.

I believe there are 4 key advantages to becoming a Contractor.

1. Skills – the opportunity to broaden your skills in across a wide variety of roles, working across multiple industry sectors giving you exposure to many different working cultures and projects.

1. Financial – Contractors are often paid premium daily rates due to the nature of the contract or project – complexity and length.

1. Flexibility – Contracting offers greater flexibility in your working arrangements and lifestyle offering you freedom to choose the types of work and projects you want to be involved in.

1. Different payment & tax structures

a. Limited Company – Setting yourself up as a Director of a Limited Company essentially means that you are running your own business, responsible for the affairs of the Company, including all finances and tax affairs. This option is commonly used by long term contractors who feel their status is suited to this option.

Alternatives can assist you with recommendations for independent financial advice whether from a tax advisor or qualified accountant to help you gain a better understanding of whether this would suit your circumstances. 

b. PAYE – PAYE is often considered the simplest approach to contracting, working as a PAYE (pay as you earn) contractor means that Alternatives will represent you, manage your payroll and deduct all relevant levels of tax. This simple process is managed by timesheets signed and agreed by clients and contractors on a monthly basis. 

c. Umbrella Company – Choosing to work with an umbrella company is quite similar to operation on a PAYE basis. With this option you are paid directly by the umbrella company and may be able to claim some business related expenses. In this instance the umbrella company becomes responsible for your tax affairs. There are a number of providers in the market, offering ranges of various packages and benefits.

If you’re a client wondering what the gig economy is all about, please feel free to reach out to us and we’ll talk you through the different options available.  In essence, our Contractor and Consultant Panels gives you immediate access to the best marketing, digital and creative talent on an accessible daily rate.

We use our 16 years’ experience to rigorously screen contractors and consultants to assess their abilities, experience and track record and only the best get invited to join our panels. These panels are constantly refreshed to match the ever changing needs of our clients and the evolving contingent workforce.

Contractor and Consultant Panel

We have 300+ digital and creative contractors across full stack digital and creative skills including SEO, content management, social media, UX/UI, web design, graphic design, online acquisition, PPC and ecommerce management.  All of our contractors are available for immediate projects.

We have marketing contractors with experience in PR, events, marcomms, channel marketing, also available on demand on a daily rate, short term basis, to develop and activate your urgent marketing projects.