full time work v/s freelancing/consulting

[Margie Monforton <MONFORTO -at- EMUVAX -dot- EMICH -dot- EDU>]

In response to Melanie's question about working as an
independent contractor...
I took an option that falls between full-time work and
self-employment last year when I took a short-term contract
job.  Contract employers hire technical writers to work
with specific clients for a prespecified period of time
(usually 3 months to a couple of years).  Usually a contract
company will have a longstanding relationship with one or
more established companies.  These established companies,
rather than hiring their own technical writers, simply go
through the contract companies.

This approach worked well for me last year when I was
looking to broaden my experience and test the waters
in a new type of writing.  If you choose a good contract
company, you can often obtain steady work and even
benefits.  Also, if the company you write for likes you,
they could hire you on or just keep requesting your
services through the contractor.

The only problems I saw with this set-up were (1) that
I could have made more money if I had merely contracted
myself and (2) if you work at a company through a contract
firm, then it may be difficult if not impossible to
get them to hire you as a freelancer later.  BUT, many
of the larger companies hire exclusively through contract
companies, so you might not be able to get in without
going through one.