5 Benefits of working as a Contractor Programmer

Hiring contractors is becoming more and more popular especially in the IT industry. It gives the company a lot of flexibility and shortens the time-to-hire, which is a huge advantage in case of dealing with short-term projects or unpredicted changes. This form of employment, however, is also very advantageous for the employees themselves. Here are the 5 most important benefits of working as a contractor programmer.

1. Money

Contractors are usually hired on an hourly basis. This means that, no matter what are the customs in the company, you will never be asked to stay overtime without being paid extra hours.
For those who value keeping the work-life balance, it is the guarantee of getting back to their families on time, while salaried workers may still be working on an unfinished projects until all hours. For those, on the other hand, who seek increasing their earnings, extra-paid overtime hours can be a huge boost in the income.

2. Shorter recruitment process

Hiring a contractor, instead of full-time employee, is much more flexible for the companies. Lower legal requirements and limited length of service allows for significant shortening of the recruitment process.
This means that, if you are urgently looking for employment, becoming a contractor can be the best solution for you. You can be hired after just a few steps, and within days.

3. Opportunities

As it was mentioned above, getting employed as a contractor is usually way easier than becoming a full-time employee. This may be a priceless opportunity for those, who are struggling to enter the ranks of their dream company.
Even though you’re being employed as a contractor, you are joining the existing team of full-time employees. This is a great chance for networking and getting endorsement from within the firm. Once you get your foot in the door, getting a long-term job couldn’t get any easier.

4. Trial period

When being employed as a contractor, you are going to sign a contract for a limited period of time. Although this means less stability than in case of salary job, it gives you possibility of testing the company before you make any long-term commitments.
Even though the job description may seem perfect, your satisfaction will strongly depend on the working culture of the company. Joining the team for a shorter project, you can make sure that the environment, habits and working atmosphere are suitable for you. This way, you can save the effort of getting a position that wouldn’t fulfill your requirements.

5. Flexibility

Frequent job changes may be a great opportunity to broaden your horizons and try out different positions before you decide what is the best match for you, especially in the early stage of your career development. Unfortunately, being a salary employee usually doesn’t give you this flexibility and you can get stuck in the routine very easily. Simultaneously, adding a different company to your cv every couple of months may seems suspicious for your future employees.
All of these problems, however, can be solved by becoming a contractor. Working on a short-time agreement gives you the flexibility of frequent change of working environment or position, without bearing the consequences of resolving a long-term contract.