When finishing college or university, one of the first things on a student’s mind is finding employment. However, contracting is being overlooked as a real career prospect for graduates. In fact, only 1% of contractors were told about self-employment at school, while 2% were informed at university.
The lack of knowledge about contracting is preventing young people from learning about the benefits of self-employment as a long term career choice.
Here are four benefits of contracting:
Freedom and Flexibility
The freedom contracting allows is one of the main reasons many people ditch the chains of “permie” work. A recent study by online staffing platform Elance found two thirds of graduates were drawn to contracting because of the flexibility it offers. Interim work allows individuals to plan a balanced work-life schedule that suits them.
Professional development
Contracting has many perks for those who have niche skills in a high demand field. Individuals with specialist expertise may find they secure more assignments as companies struggle to find the right candidate. This opens up more exciting experiences and could help you become a leader in your field.
Greater income
As we’ve previously reported, contractors can obtain a higher income then their “permie” counterparts. It’s therefore unsurprising that over a third of graduates are attracted to contracting because of this.
Variety of work
It’s never exciting doing the same menial tasks day in, day out and that’s probably why a third of graduates said that the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects made contracting appealing. Interim work allows you to pick the assignments that best suit your skills and have a suitable contract length.
The variety of projects you could work on helps keep the contracting lifestyle interesting, far from the daily grind that afflicts permanent workers.
Have your say
Are you a graduate? Have you decided to become a contractor? Why was this? What advice would you give to those thinking about making the leap? Join in the discussion on Twitter, or leave a comment below.
