Agent Took Me for a Ride
A recruiter made me look a bit foolish and my agent took me for a ride. This story is from Ged.
My agent recently took me out for a drink after work. I work in London, just outside the city. Well, I do quite well with the women and, at the end of the night, we ended back at my place.
So, I was feeling rather pleased with myself till I saw an invoice on my boss‘s desk, a few days later. It shows that the agent was taking 30% agency commission for me. I don‘t mean adding 30%. I mean taking 30%, which means it leaves me with just 70% and I do all the work.
As my firm pays pretty much the same for contractors, it means that I am on the lowest pay of any contractor at the place.
So, I feel as if I have been done.
Don‘t you think, therefore, it was taking a bit of liberty sleeping with me, knowing how much she was getting out of me? So, don’t you think the agent took me for a bit of a fool?
Dr. McLaughlin’s IT Surgery
Do you feel a bit used Ged?
What are you thinking of doing, blackmailing her to get your rate increased?
Give me a break.
Wait until your next renewal.
Find out from your boss first of all, if he or she wants you to stay on. Tell your boss to ignore anything coming from the agency about you not renewing, and then tell the agency that you are not renewing unless you get a big pay rise.
Negotiating a Contract Rate Rise
During this negotiation, your boss is likely to come to you to say that the agency has called to say that you are not renewing unless they, the company, give you a big rise.
Tell your boss that everything is fine, that you will be staying on, and it is just a negotiating ploy with the agency.
The agency, therefore, will back down, as they don‘t like to throw money away.
So, this is a home banker.
It works every time.
So, next time, you could perhaps afford to take your agent out for a drink. Then there will be no need to say that your ‘agent took me for a ride’.
Ad – Contractor Services
If you do need an umbrella company you could try one of the following:-
Public Sector Umbrella Company
Or would you prefer to get expert advice about which umbrella company is right for your specific needs? If so fill in the form below and they will be in touch.
For all necessary business insurance, including IR35, try Business Insurance for Contractors
