coodem

It won't be long before I finish my FI(r) rating and am due to start working shortly after. I won't be earning much to start, so thinking of doing it as a contractor.

Now in the past I used an umbrella company, I have contacted them, but they charge a fixed rate, and as won't be earning a great deal, there would be no real benefit

Are there any othe FI contractors out there who use umbrella companies, can anyone recomend any

Any other ideas

TheOddOne

As you say, umbrella companies have considerable costs of their own which they have to recover, as well as trying to make a profit. You could set yourself up as a sole trader or alternatively create a Ltd company. Either way, you'll be responsible for your own tax and National Insurance arrangements, so you'll probably want to employ an accountant to sort it all out for you - more expense.

Why not become an employee and let someone else worry about it all? I started as a contractor but was only working for one school; eventually they said to me that that didn't want to be exposed to a possible difficulty from HMRC and took me on as a salaried instructor. The major benefit to being a contractor is that you can claim travel to/from work but if you only work for one school at a time, HMRC might catch up with you. Do a search on PPRuNe and find plenty on the subject!

TheOddOne

coodem

As I will have to travel 55 miles round trip each day, I think it will be worth my while, I believe I can claim travel to a fixed base for the first year.
Just need to weigh it all up, was just hoping someone knew of some cheap umbrella companies out there