Jim wrote:
> MonkeyBoy wrote:
> >
> > My question to you guys is, any advice on who I can consult in terms of
> > taxes and such?  I'm looking for the names of actual people/companies
> > (bilingual preferrably).   Offhand, before I proceed even considering
> > this seriously, how much, percentage-wise, should I factor into paying
> > into taxes, unemployment, healthcare, etc.?  (Just in general figures).
> >  I'd appreciate any advice/comments from people that are currently
> > working freelance here.
>
> I've been working freelance for about 8 years... if you include downtime
> between jobs as well as unpaid vacation... about double the salary
> (including bonus) a full-time employee would make seems to be about the
> price I can charge comfortably (if I'm doing the contract... I get less
> if I have to go through an agency for the job).
>
> Double is undoubtably a bit high, but that offsets a bit of risk I'm
> taking (all contracts I've signed allow me or the other side to cancel
> at any time for any reason).  Also, long-term, you'll find that
> traditional companies may not want to hire you full-time after you've
> been free-lancing for several years, and someone's got to pay for that
> downside.
>
> -Jim

Thanks for the info Tim.

Yeah, that's about what I figured.  I was contracting in the States for
over 10 years prior to coming here and used the same rule of thumb,
though, like you said it really depends a great deal on how much time
you take between jobs.

What do you do for health insurance, and do you use someone to do your
taxes (if you don't mind my asking)?

Regards,

MB