Awful Job

Jobber200

Hello,

I'm looking for some advice about my job situation. We all know the UK economy is in the doldrums so I've taken on a low paid position at an IT company paying just £13k (and I live in expensive London) to keep me occupied.

To save his own tax my 'employer' pays gross so on paper I'm self-employed although the working relationship is clearly employer / employee. I work (officially) a 40 hour week putting my salary just above minimum wage. In practice I sometimes work up to 1 hour more each day, but if I'm late in the morning by even 15minutes the boss will throw a tantrum and start raising his voice.

There's no pensions scheme, no paid leave, no healthcare scheme, no nothing. Sometimes the workload is so high I go without lunch. In addition the company has a very unprofessional habit of selling used / returned equipment 'as new' to clients (most other firms I've worked for either discard these or give them to employees!).

I'm thinking of leaving as I don't really need the money urgently (I have savings and investments) and the wage doesn't even cover my living costs in London. The working conditions are terrible too. On the other hand it's still a job and I'm concerned it would look bad on my CV if I left so soon.

What do you think ?

Sambucus_Nigra

I think you have a choice. You would be better off finding a job and then leaving, if you haven't got enough money coming in to sustain you in the meantime.

Are you registered as self employed? If you are being paid gross and no Tax/NI then you need to register asap. And hold back tax to pay after you have completed a self assessment.

[Deleted User]

Can you not keep applying elsewhere and hand your notice in when something more appealing comes along?

Jobber200

I'm already registered as self-employed. I have savings & investments to cover over 2 years of sustaining myself if I were to be unemployed, so I'm not at all concerned on that front.

There's no 'notice' period and no employment contract - all 'employees' are either paid cash or on a self-employed basis. I'm looking for alternatives.

an9i77

Sounds like you have already made your mind up to leave. If you can cope with a period of uncertainty, and there's no notice period (serves your boss right for not making you an employee) then I'd just go. Although may be worth staying on the right side of him, and perhaps offering a week's notice, to get a good reference.

If you have good IT skills and are immediately available you may be able to enter the contractor market. Sounds like you're at or near the bottom rung right now but if you develop your skill set in the years to come this can become a lucrative place to be.

Best of luck

Sambucus_Nigra

Jobber200 wrote: »

I'm already registered as self-employed. I have savings & investments to cover over 2 years of sustaining myself if I were to be unemployed, so I'm not at all concerned on that front.

There's no 'notice' period and no employment contract - all 'employees' are either paid cash or on a self-employed basis. I'm looking for alternatives.

Well, leave then.

Why not start up on your own?

Jobber200

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

Well, leave then.

Why not start up on your own?

That's a good idea

gibson123

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

Well, leave then.

Why not start up on your own?

That's what i was going to say, you obviously have Capital to invest. Get yourself along to a few free business start up workshops and explore the potential fully. I sometimes think if you have a plan B that you are working on (i.e an escape route) you can more easily tolerate the means to an end (the crappy job)

getmore4less

Start by looking at all the rules for self employed.

Start working to those and invoicing for the actual hours worked



Another option is a quiet word with HMRC for evasion of employers NI.

Jobber200

I announced my departure yesterday

As if out of spite I received an underpayment for the last 'payday' but I really don't have the energy to spend my precious time fighting for it.

Slinky

Oh well, leave it a month until they forget about you, then dob them in to HMRC