What would it get you to quit the contracting lifestyle and back into employment? A new survey found that an offer of at least £67,000 a year would do it.
For many people though, not even an offer of two or three times that amount would get them to give up on being their own boss and going to work for someone else.
When you consider that the average salary in the UK is £27,000, it just goes to show you that contractors really enjoy what they do, and it isn’t just about the money.
There are many contracting professionals that earn more than £67k a year of course, such as the ex Google employee who gave up a cushy 6 figure salary to start working for himself…and now he makes more and has more free time.
I think that is what it all comes down to at the end of the day…having more free time and doing what you want and when you want.
People that are employed and working in an office all day can’t do that, but when your office is your kitchen table and you don’t have to get out of bed until 9am, then for most self employed people even £67,000 wouldn’t be enough to get them to start commuting to work again every day.
It’s what I keep telling people all the time…most contractors really value their time and doing the things they enjoy like going to the being with family, gym, sports, travel, and hobbies. When you are self employed then you set your work around these kind of activities, rather than the other way round.
In a different survey where employed people were surveyed, 42% said they would like to start their own business or become a contracting professional within the next 5 years. This doesn’t surprise me at all, and it just goes to show how the dream of becoming your own boss is now becoming a reality for millions of UK residents.
Some experts are even saying that 50% of the UK workforce will be self employed within 10 years. You know, I think that is a bit optimistic, but the fact is that more people than ever before are deciding to go it alone…whether it be as a contractor, freelancer, gig worker or by starting a business, so I could certainly imagine a time where half of the workers are self employed.
For now though, to those of you who are self employed enjoy your more free time and less hours working, but if you did receive an offer for £67,000 tomorrow then it would certainly be a nice choice to have, although for the majority of you I think I know what the answer would be.
