There are two main ways to work as a contractor, directly with a client or through an agency.<\/p>\n
They both have their pros and cons, which we\u2019ll lay out so you can make a decision.<\/p>\n
Finding contractor work through an agency<\/strong><\/p>\n Finding contractor work through an agency can make things easy.<\/p>\n You just give them a copy of your CV, and they\u2019ll notify you of job openings, negotiate rates for you, settle contract terms, and connect you with clients.<\/p>\n Another big positive is that an agency can act as a safety net for late payments by clients.<\/p>\n Since it\u2019s the agency that will pay you, you won\u2019t be affected if the client pays late, or not at all.<\/p>\n What\u2019s not so great is that you\u2019ll likely earn less money through an agency than if you negotiated directly with the client, since the client has to pay the agency a fee, often up to 20% of the cost.<\/p>\n However, you might be happy with this when you consider that doing your own negotiations will take more time and effort.<\/p>\n Finding contractor work with a client directly<\/strong><\/p>\n You\u2019ll have to do more work to find work directly with clients.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll have to spend time marketing your services and building relationships.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll also have to consider the risk of a client paying you late, or even refusing to pay you at all.<\/p>\n But the flipside to all of this extra work and stress is that with no agency fees, you\u2019ll see more of the money after successful negotiations.<\/p>\n Working directly with clients also gives you the opportunity to build closer and longer-lasting relationships with them, meaning you\u2019ll get more contractor work with them.<\/p>\n