Two jobs - Freelance/contracting

stphnstevey

I work from home mainly and I am out travelling around the UK for about 2 days per week. I am currently contracted for five days a week to one company. I work on a daily rate (ie xyz amount per day, rather than xyz hours) I am very experienced (10yrs+) and can get my work done efficiently and possibly in half the time of someone less experienced.

I find my self with time to spare and have picked up some extra work from another company that takes up about 3 days a month. On the days I work for the other company I also charge the original company for a full days work.

On the days I work for two companies on the same days, I still monitor emails and try to deal with issues as best I can.

The work gets done for both companies and they seem happy. Effectively I am just working more hours, but not techinically the amount of hours I am charging the two companies. But I am very efficient in what I do.

I have been considering taking on even more work, effectively TWO fulltime five days a week jobs.

There are obvious financial rewards - I could pay off my mortgage in half the time for instance. Make haywhile the sun is shining before I get too old for this. However I am also aware of some pittfalls.

I was wondering if anyone else works extreme hours or has tried a similiar thing?

gb12345

In effect you are committing fraud - your timesheets/invoices are charging them for hours that you have not worked.

Even though you are paid on a daily rate it does not mean that you can work for them for 2 hours and expect to be paid for the full day - I am sure that they would expect you to put down that you worked for 1/4 of a day and to charge them pro-rata.

I do often work for multiple clients at the same time, but I account for and charge for my hours accurately - in much the same way as any professional (such as an accountant or solicitor) would do. If both companies want stuff done then I will work extra hours, so I might be working a 12 hour day charging one company for a full day and the other for 1/2 a day.

Ultimately, it comes down to your morals and conscience. I can sleep easy at night knowing that I won't be woken in the early hours of the morning by the police investigating a fraud case - can you?

BitterAndTwisted

Police investigating fraud? That's total nonsense.

A freelancer working from home could be charging two separate companies a daily rate and be giving a 100% quality service to both. Who's to know that said freelancer isn't working sixteen hour days five days a week? As long as the two companies aren't aware of each other hiring the OP and compare notes, there's no danger.

gb12345

The definition of fraud is

wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain

He is billing the company for time that he has not actually worked for them and is therefore making financial gain from his deception.

He might get away it, but as I said

Ultimately, it comes down to your morals and conscience.

tyllwyd

If the jobs were invoiced on a flat fee per job (rather than hours worked or daily rate) the double-working issue wouldn't come up.

stphnstevey

gb12345 wrote: »

In effect you are committing fraud - your timesheets/invoices are charging them for hours that you have not worked.

Even though you are paid on a daily rate it does not mean that you can work for them for 2 hours and expect to be paid for the full day - I am sure that they would expect you to put down that you worked for 1/4 of a day and to charge them pro-rata.

I do often work for multiple clients at the same time, but I account for and charge for my hours accurately - in much the same way as any professional (such as an accountant or solicitor) would do. If both companies want stuff done then I will work extra hours, so I might be working a 12 hour day charging one company for a full day and the other for 1/2 a day.

Ultimately, it comes down to your morals and conscience. I can sleep easy at night knowing that I won't be woken in the early hours of the morning by the police investigating a fraud case - can you?

I'm getting the same work done in half the time someone less experienced would - why should I be penalised by being paid half that of someone who is less experienced and takes longer to get something done?

Anyway, I'm happy with the morals - I posted to see if anyone else is working long hours and how they are managing this

gb12345

stphnstevey wrote: »

I'm getting the same work done in half the time someone less experienced would - why should I be penalised by being paid half that of someone who is less experienced and takes longer to get something done?

Perhaps you should consider charging an hourly rather than daily rate then. You could base your rate on the fact that you are so much more experienced than other people and then you would be getting a fair pay for the work you are doing.

stphnstevey

gb12345 wrote: »

Perhaps you should consider charging an hourly rather than daily rate then. You could base your rate on the fact that you are so much more experienced than other people and then you would be getting a fair pay for the work you are doing.

I wasn't concerned about the 'morals'- I was comfortable with it

I was just wondering how others might juggle lots of work and several clients

DKLS

stphnstevey wrote: »

I wasn't concerned about the 'morals'- I was comfortable with it

I was just wondering how others might juggle lots of work and several clients

I have a day job (paye) and as I am 300 miles away from home during the week, I fill my evenings via my Ltd Co and currently I have 4 other projects I am working on, 3 I bill for monthly and he other is a risk as my work is being classed as sweat equity it may or not pay off, but the learning curve I have battled this year is leading to more work.

I have a meeting this week to discuss managing a web platform, from experience it will take me 4 hrs a week to manage, yet I would be billing for a monthly fee.

As long as the work gets done to an accepted standard no one has a have a problem.

scheming_gypsy

gb12345 wrote: »

In effect you are committing fraud - your timesheets/invoices are charging them for hours that you have not worked.

Even though you are paid on a daily rate it does not mean that you can work for them for 2 hours and expect to be paid for the full day - I am sure that they would expect you to put down that you worked for 1/4 of a day and to charge them pro-rata.

I do often work for multiple clients at the same time, but I account for and charge for my hours accurately - in much the same way as any professional (such as an accountant or solicitor) would do. If both companies want stuff done then I will work extra hours, so I might be working a 12 hour day charging one company for a full day and the other for 1/2 a day.

Ultimately, it comes down to your morals and conscience. I can sleep easy at night knowing that I won't be woken in the early hours of the morning by the police investigating a fraud case - can you?

so what you're saying is; is that they shouldn't be charging a full day rate now either and that the police will come knocking on their door investigating a fraud case? because they're still not working a full day but charging for it.



although to the OP, the one problem that I could see, is if one does start to get busy. Although you're doing it in half the time now, if the work load comes in you could end up with too much work and not enough time.

stphnstevey

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

so what you're saying is; is that they shouldn't be charging a full day rate now either and that the police will come knocking on their door investigating a fraud case? because they're still not working a full day but charging for it.



although to the OP, the one problem that I could see, is if one does start to get busy. Although you're doing it in half the time now, if the work load comes in you could end up with too much work and not enough time.

Yes, there is that. I have a one month notice period, so as long as I could survive a month of it, I could always get rid of some work