Have you ever worked a 12+ hour day to make sure your project kept on schedule? Or wanted a few days off after handing over a job… but were needed on another project straight away?
Have you ever craved diversity in the projects you’re jumping on? Or wanted to ‘try out’ something in a smaller or larger tiered builder?
At Fetch, in Construction, we have over 50 white-collar contract workers on the books in various roles such as Foremen, Contract Administrators, Project Engineers, Project Managers, Services Managers and many more.
In my experience with these contractors, they choose contract over permanent work because of these benefits:
Paid by the Hour
Everyone knows that construction is a demanding industry with long working days, and often long working weeks. However, when you’re working on a contract you get paid for every single hour you work. This frequently results in 20% – 30% more pay than your co-workers who are there full-time and permanently.
Diversity Within Projects and Builders
Several different builders hire contractors via Fetch weekly for different projects including but not limited to:
-Hospitals
-Apartments
-Community Centres
-Prisons
-High-end Houses
-Student Accommodations
-Townhouses
-Office Buildings
-Defence Bases
Any of these could be on a billion-dollar job working with a Tier 1 Builder or working with a Tier 3 Builder on a 200k fit-out.
Networking
Building an extensive network is made possible by working with a larger pool of professionals, which in turn can lead to greater opportunities in future.
Flexibility Between Contracts
Want to work 8 months a year then go on an extended holiday for the other 4?
Well, contracting gives you the flexibility to do so. You can take up a contract that sees you working throughout Melbourne’s winter and finish as the warmer months begin - fly up to the sunny coast for the next few months, spend some time on the beach and come back and start your next contract. The choice is yours.
Gaining an Agile Skillset
Working on various projects with various builders can give contractors a vast skillset -with the ability to hit the ground running in the different environments they’re put in.
Some examples can be learning and using different software (on-site or financial systems), a Foreman understanding the different areas of project (structure, services, finishes) or understanding different structured companies and how to work well within each.
Easier Step into Higher (and Lower) Tier Companies
Have you been working for a builder and wondered if the grass is greener on the other side? Working on contract can weaken a barrier you may have faced previously: getting into another tiered builder.
Using Tier 1 as an example: Tier 1 builders are generally quite picky with what experience they will look at in a permanent role, but in a contract capacity someone who has similar but not the exact experience in a different tier will often get the job.
‘Try before you buy’
Starting with a builder on contract gives you the opportunity to try them out before you commit to them fulltime – This can work for both the candidate and the company. We see it happen frequently when a candidate is out of work they’ll often take the first job opportunity that pops up. So, when starting on contract it can give the candidate the opportunity ‘test out’ the builder, without the commitment of a permanent contract.
These are some of the overall benefits I have seen in the contract construction world. They will differ between builders, experience levels, market, available roles and industries of course– but overall, it can be a flexible alternative to working somewhere permanently.
If you’re someone who hasn’t worked contract before and has questions, feel free to reach out to the Fetch team as we’re here to help.
Ryan Wakelin is a Senior Contract Consultant within the Commercial Construction space. You can connect to him on LinkedIn here.
