basically i have been offered a full time freelance contract, with the possibility of full time employment at a later date. I have never been under one of these.

 

can someone shed any light as what to expect?

 

thanks

Well, it depends entirely on the terms and conditions of the contract, as each one is different.

 

As long as you are happy with what the contract requires of you, and what you get in return, then I shouldn't worry too much.

Hi Mark,

 

A few things to look for:

 

- Length of contract AND cancellation notice (it may be a six month contract but it may also say they can drop you any time)

- Terms of compensation - The who, what, when, and how of rates and payment schedules

- Outside work - Will you be allowed to pursue other freelance opportunities while under contract?

- Other restrictions - Some contracts stipulate that you cannot work in the same industry for xx amount of time (Blockbuster does this, funnily enough - you can't get a job at Hollywood Video immediately after quitting BB)

- Confidentiality/NDA

- Ownership of work - Is this "work for hire" (they own everything), can you put it in your portfolio, etc.? Also, will they require you to relinquish all files, drawings, etc. upon termination of contract?

- Guarantees and offers - Are you guaranteed to get full-time employment if you hit certain targets? What, if any, are the stipulations for full-time employment?

 

In general you should make sure you feel good about the contract and that you understand everything.

Some excellent nuggets of advice there!

some great points there! I appreciate that a lot! thanks!

 

the situation i am in is i have been offered 3 weeks work before i go away for 3 months backpacking.

 

working on a freelance contract, full time in their premises.

 

Then upon my return he will decide if there is a full time position for me within the design team.

Congratulations!

 

In the past I've accepted a few freelance contracts and they've all been different. A couple required me to go in to the office and work the usual 9-5 like anyone else, but I would invoice the client every fortnight or every week for the hours I'd completed at the specified rate we'd agreed. The flipsode to this has been accepting a contract from a client to be one of the people they outsourced work to and always making time in my schedule for the work they would provide, this meant they had to inform me on a weekly basis of work that might be coming in and me informaing them on a weekly basis of my availability. So instead of going into their office, I worked from home.

 

So it all depends on the contract you've signed and the terms that are laid out within it.

 

Make sure there isn't a clause in there about not being able to work for anyone else within the same industry as then you're screwed as that would mean that you would only be aloowed to work for them and not take on any other freelance work.

expat obviously types faster than me as she got in before me, with some really good points!

 

With regards to confidentially etc - there might be a separate agreement that you need to sign for that as it might only be applicable per job or for any work you do for the company.

 

Ownership of work is a very good point. Most of the freelance contracts I've done the work has always been the property of the compnay and I've never been allowed to show the work in my portfolio, but I have always discussed this at the point of signing and had it agreed that I am allowed to show the work I've done to my potential clients and say I was involved in project x or y and the work I did but not actually showcase the stuff in my online portfolio.

 

What I have in place is a hidden portfolio and everytime I do a job that's tied to another company, it gets added to the list within the hidden portfolio. This is on a sudomain of mine and can only be accessed if I provide a username and password - so if I ever need to provide links to specific projects to new potential clients I can and I provide them with login details and they can view the work. No company I've worked for has had a problem with this, so see if you can do something similar as it's annoying if you're doing loads of work and are constantly busy, but none of the work can be added to your portfolio and therfore it looks like your portfolio is gathering dust and you're not actually working.

Congratulations!

 

In the past I've accepted a few freelance contracts and they've all been different. A couple required me to go in to the office and work the usual 9-5 like anyone else, but I would invoice the client every fortnight or every week for the hours I'd completed at the specified rate we'd agreed.

 

this is the agreement with me, there is no rate discussed yet though, im hoping more light will be shed tomorrow.

 

I am also handing in my notice tomorrow, which i am scared about hehe!