Contracting Agencies (tax) advice?

[BD-100]

Is there anyone out there willing to share their experience flying (business jets) on contract through agencies like ContractAir , Wynnwith , Parc , Zenon , Rishworth and the like.

Which ones are the good ones ?

Any pitfalls to look out for?

What is the best way to set yourself up flying on contract . Offshore company or otherwise? ( Mainland Europe Based pilot from a high tax country)

Thanks for your advice
BD-100

[DA50driver]

I was approached by Betts Recruitment a few years ago. They were good to work with. Fair and honest. Of course they got a cut, but that's life. I don't know how much corporate they do anymore.

There is another one that starts with ac and ends with ass that I won't comment on. Of course my mother always said: "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all".

[skylog]

The best way to put your mind at rest when it comes to tax is to consult with a Tax Lawyer &/or Tax Consultant...it may cost you a couple of hundred euros but it will be money well spent.

[flyver]

Stay clear of Contractair and Wynnwith.
PARC and Rishworth are top proff.
They work for you.
I know a few who work for Directpersonnel. They seem to be onest. But they pay a little less.

[tonylollo]

BD 100

Parc, DP, Sigmar Contractair all fine,,,,, the rest rubbish ignore flyver he has had a bad day :ugh:

[David_Lid Air]

I have been in contact with Wynnwith regarding a Saab 340 job in Romania.

But the experience is far from good. It seems that they cant even read a resumé properly:eek:.

First when sending the resumé they say that everyting looks good and that I have been shortlisted for the position.. Then they call me and asks for information regarding flight hours and if the rating is valid, I mean wtf they have everything in the resumé that I sent them:ugh:? and in the end they tell me that I dont have the necessary experience for the job:confused:.

Couldnt they just told me directly when they got my papers?


Very unprofessional from my point of view.

[73pilot50]

Contr:=ct:=ir, stay away, I am very, very disappointed.

[silverware]

My experience with Wynnwith is that they are an unprofessional bunch of :mad:!
(from a cabin crew recruting point of view at least)
Bett's seem to be sincere from what i've heard and experienced myself.
Guess contract agencies are a necessary evil but there have to be good ones around...

[Bona Fide]

Contr:=ct:=ir, stay away, I am very, very disappointed.

73pilot50 have you got anything more useful to say, for example...why?

I have considered work with them previously but comments like that are about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike when trying to asses which agencies to approach.

[Belgium Legacy]

Had a good experience with Contract, no problems what so ever.

[Paul Wilson]

I work in recruitment in a different but highly paying field.
A few words about the industry in general that may or may not apply to your industry.

Nail down everything before you start, there is a reason for the this, when a contract is signed by the client, the margin is worked out for the length of contract and booked as new business. If the candidate(you) wants more of anything (money/accommodation/dry cleaning/smarties) after that is agreed, and signed, the "loss" is then worked out for the remainder of the contract and booked as a negative.

2 scenarios

Consultant A books a guy into a job for 6 months with a margin of £200/week and books £5200. Great


Consultant B books a guy into a job for 6 months with a margin of £300/week and books £7800. Genius. Then the candidate want more mileage 4 weeks in £50/week 21 weeks = -£1100, then he's not happy with his accommodation so at 15 weeks another £100/week = -£1500.

Net result is exactly the same £5200 profit for the company, but for the consultant in the first case, he's great!, in the second he goes from hero to zero.

More to the point in the first case if the contract is extended the comapny is making £200/week in the second £150/week. If the demands (wants/desires whatever you want) are known at the start they can be factored into the contract with the Client, if they occur after the start of the contract, the agency generally picks up the bill, they do not like that.

So to get the best out of your chosen agency.

Have a decent CV - most are terrible, and I deal with people with a lot more education than the average pilot!

If they ask you for something, they generally need it, or will do soon. We deal with many people who will say things like "I'll send you everything you need when you come to me with a decent job" unfortunatley a lot of these people get ignored, because guess what, when we need it we need it NOW. We're trying to get your CV in before the next guy, with everything the Client wants in terms of documentation, phoning you up and finding out you're in Kazakstan and not able to email it over for 48hours is not helping.

Be clear about what you want, but do not be overly restrictive. We like people who have some restrictions, but not too many. This may sound strange, but it can be very hard to find a position for someone who says "I'll do anything anywhere" jack of all trades - master of none. We like to look for something.

Most industries have 3 job variables - Location - Position - sub specialty

in your case - Where in the world - Capt or F/O - equipment
for restaurants - How near home - waiter/KP/busboy - fastfood/silver service

If someone says Anywhere - any seat - any plane

I have absolutly no idea what they really want, and every expectation that if they find something better they will cut short their contract.

On the other hand if they say - Asia - Capt - 747

I know exactly what they want, I have a stiff challenge ahead, but I have a chance of success, and so do you.

On the third??? hand if they say - Asia - Capt - any equipment - I have a lot better chance and so do you.

running out of hands, but if you say I don't care where I go or where I sit, but I want to fly 747's then I know EXACTLY what you want. You are a "commited candidate"

Personally if I was on the other side of my desk I'd go for 3 or 4, give me everything I ask for (in terms of documentation/contact details etc), and then call me every week or so for a chat (let me call you back, call statistics count in recruitment) . You will be so far at the top of my list it's unreal.

My last point is do ALL your negotiation at the start. You're happy, as you've got what you wanted, I'm happy as I know what I'm making, the client is happy as they know what they are paying.

last last point, if you want more of anything when it comes time to renew, let me know ahead of time please, then I can factor it in to the negotiations.

Here ends my musings on the interesting industry I have the pleasure to work in, but also perhaps an insight into the guys on the other end of the phone.

[protogenio]

Good thread Paul,can you tell me if all this is worth negotiating at the contract stage,as it appears most agencies hide or omit these details from thier contracts?:ok: