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If I have the option of being a remote employee or a remote contractor, which should I take?


by @panoramica 8yr  | 6 comments

Iโ€™m a New Zealander just starting to do some remote contracting.

The nature of the work will be a more specialised version of my previous full time job. Initially, my goal is to rapidly up-skill and learn best practice by working for an industry leader. I also intend to build a business locally with a slightly different angle. Iโ€™ve just come back from 9 months travelling, so Iโ€™m not in a massive rush to hit the road again, but long term I want to have the option to consult abroad.

I am in discussion with a Canadian company who is hiring. Their job advertisement states that they offer freelancer/contractor work at 20-40 hours a week, and full-time employees 40 hours a week.

If I have the option between these two, which should I choose?

Some things going around in my head:

  • employees have more protection if the client sues (and this North America)
  • i want to work on my own business in my spare time
  • i want to work for other clients and do different types of work
  • if I contract for 40 hours a week, then I have as little time for my own work as if I was a full-time employee

Note that I donโ€™t have the offer yet, but given my experience to date I think have good potential.

Thanks,
Dan

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Hi Panoramica,

Itโ€™s a real apples and pears question.
If your looking to get a mortgage take the full time contract, although knowing Canadian immigration law (Iโ€™m a recruiter and lived there so have a loose understanding) it might be difficult for them to offer you the full time job offer as they will have to give you working rights for Canada. Where as a contract / remote will be simpler.

Also if your domiciled (living in Chiang Mai etc) you can get away without paying income tax. So take the contract and if itโ€™s amazing and you want to get more involved you can always go full time @ a later date. Where as it very hard to move from an employee contract to a contractor.

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Hi @charlotte1, thanks for your reply. Both roles are remote, so are working rights for Canada still applicable? I have a sister in Canada which makes residency appealing, but I did ask them about that straight up and they just dodged the question (or didnโ€™t read my email properly). Their ad definitely says Remote though.

I am living in my home country and also want to get a consulting business going here, so from that point of view contracting offers a flexibility that being an employee doesnโ€™t. But if residency was an option, I might have to think twice.

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@kathrynoh 8yr

I did IT contracting for many years. One of the BIG advantages of contracting is that, all things being equal, youโ€™ll earn much more contracting. Most IT companies expect unpaid overtime as par for the course with full time employees. When youโ€™re a contractor, you get paid for every hour (if itโ€™s an hourly rate, check on that for sure).

If the 20-40 hours a week a fixed number or does it mean you might work 20 hours one week, 40 the next, 35 the next etc? Having fluctuating working hours like that would mess with working on other projects because you donโ€™t know how much time you can commit in advance.

Another advantage of contracting is that you can get out of all that BS that goes with working in a corporate environment. Team building and corporate policy stuff etc. Unless you like that kind of thing! I hate it.

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Hi @kathrynoh, thanks for your feedback. Yes I did a fair bit of overtime as a full-time employee, but I left out of a need to follow my own vision rather than theirs.

Yes I think the 20-40 hours is a range, and I agree that that would make planning difficult. I would prefer to stay at the low end, otherwise I would feel resentful because I wouldnโ€™t have time to follow my vision.

I donโ€™t mind team building if it really does build the team and helps you achieve more, but not for the sake of it. This place is quite small though, as was the place where I last worked. Theyโ€™re certainly not big corporates, just good at what they do.

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@opt 8yr

One thing Iโ€™d recommend, is to find out what theyโ€™re offering between the two options, because sometimes companies can be unrealistic and/or you may find either the salary or the hourly rate to your advantage. (Similar to evaluating whether itโ€™s better to rent or buy in a particular housing market. Sometimes inequalities favor one option.)

Typically they wonโ€™t want to tell you, so youโ€™ll have to play the game the best you know how. Itโ€™s a business negotiation, so you should be able to deflect politely and within reason.

It can also be an apples-to-oranges comparison in some ways, because as a contractor you are essentially a business, and should need to charge more.

If you were an American and this was a US company, for example, youโ€™d be on the hook for self-employment tax (if 1099 status; W-2 and theyโ€™d cover that).

This discussion prioritizes money, of course, and you also mention specific business goals that may dictate one option over the other without regard to financial considerations.

No answer hereโ€“thatโ€™s your call, just hoping to help with the thought process.

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Thanks @opt for your thoughts. So far Iโ€™ve only asked whether there is a difference in the way that the workers are treated, in terms of team integration, education and support - and they said it was the same. Now that a trial contract has arrived (to see if Iโ€™m right for the job), Iโ€™m forced to think about my future decisions a bit more pragmatically and a bit less idealistically :wink:

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Read and participate in 14,117 discussions on Nomad List

Suggested topics

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What features would you like to see on Nomad List?


by @levelsio 3yr 3 years ago  | 3 comments

Hi everyone,

I would love to hear what you'd like me to build next on Nomad List, or any other product/feature feedback ideas you have.

It's been 6+ years now but I'm in this for the long term and with the boost remote work got last year it's even more exciting to work on Nomad List than ever.

Current roadmap is here: twitter.com/levelsio/status/1363204985488572417?s=20 and pbs.twimg.com/media/EusS9PKXEAUR8xp?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

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Thanks a lot!

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What are the best places right now in the Caribbean/LatAM? (Also cheapest flights/accommodation?)


by @orangutan3 3yr 3 years ago  | 1 comment

What are the best places right now in the Caribbean/LatAM? (Also cheapest flights/accommodation?) Asking from the US.

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List of Visa/Residency Information in Table/Spreadsheet format?


by @innovatelife 3yr 3 years ago  | 2 comments

As part of signing up for this website I was hoping I would come across a list of Visa and/or Residency requirements by country ideally in a table format to assist with decision making. Does anybody recommend any other websites that might present the information in this format (or Google Spreadsheet)?

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Most Walkable Neighborhood / City In The World ?


by @dannybooboo 3yr 3 years ago  | 1 comment

I love living in walkable areas of town. I can always find them. But now I'm wondering where in the world are the most walkable places? I'm imagining walk streets (no cars), zoning allowing both business and residential, parks or beaches ,etc.

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Any nomads in Arizona, US?


in Netherlands by @info132 3yr 3 years ago  | 4 comments

Hi guys,

After the Netherlands, the Bay Area, Colorado and being on the van life for 8 months, I am now in Sedona, AZ with a few other digital nomads. We are sharing a home here and are wondering if there are more like minded people in the area.

We do a bunch of hikes and campouts in the northern of Arizona. If you would like to connect with us, please do so :)

Val

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International number & internet?


by @leobassam 3yr 3 years ago  | 1 comment

Has anyone figured out a way to get setup with a virtual number and internet connection anywhere you go?

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Are there any tax issues I have to be aware of?


in Germany by @clara 3yr 3 years ago  | 0 comments

Hi everybody. I live and work in Germany and want to go to Canary Islands for 6 months to work from there. I'm going to keep my current job, just change the "home" in the home office part of things. Are there any tax issues I have to be aware of? I was reading about becoming a residence after 183 days, thus having to pay taxes there plus my employer having to register there. Does anybody know how it works exactly? Thanks a lot!

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Chiang Mai accommodation


in Chiang Mai , Thailand by @bertieb 3yr 3 years ago  | 0 comments

Can anyone recommend a good accommodation website for Chiang Mai?

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Is anyone travelling right now?


by @viktor 3yr 3 years ago  | 3 comments

Winter is coming and Iโ€™m feeling the ache of travelling after being stuck in the same place since the Pandemic started. Wondering if anyone is travelling right now? If so, where are you currently located and how is the situation where you are?

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Anyone up to explore some city which is kinda virus safe?


in Bangkok , Thailand by @germanrobert 3yr 3 years ago  | 2 comments

Hello World!

I'm an experienced Digital Nomad and after being in Lockdown in Bangkok and Germany for one year I would like to team up with someone to visit a new place. Or just doing some exchange about what destinations would be interesting currently.

I take the virus seriously and still I think we can still be able to take our life in our own hands. So I'm aiming for cities/countries which are not in full lockdown, are not too complicated about immigration (I'm looking at you Thailand, your state quarantine costs like 1k USD and is basically a prison) and is also rather safe regarding the virus. I tend to stick for rather big cities and like culture. I'm not a beach or nature person. I'm pretty flexible about the money topic.

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Holร  ! What's the internet / wifi situation in Sayulita ?


in Puerto Escondido , Mexico by @ambroisedebret 3yr 3 years ago  | 0 comments

After being told it's unworkable in Puerto Escondido, looking for alternatives :)

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How to find accomodation in Las Palmas, Canary Islands


in , Spain by @philippg 3yr 3 years ago  | 2 comments

Hi, we are trying to find a house to rent for 2-3 persons near Las Palmas for 4-5 months at the moment and it seems to be almost impossible except through Airbnb which is super expensive. Any advises or local contacts?

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If you're American but live in Guatemala, do you still count as American for travel purposes?


in Guatemala by @chasindreams 3yr 3 years ago  | 0 comments

What I mean is, for example, since most of the EU has banned Americans, if I live in Guatemala and will be traveling FROM Guatemala to the EU, could I get in? Or does the ban count for all Americans regardless of where they live?

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Ukraine Residency


in Ukraine by @reticle 3yr 3 years ago  | 1 comment

I have a slightly above average US income which I can work remotely from paired with a $1000 a month income stream and more than enough to purchase a middle end Flat in Ukraine. Does anyone with knowledge of this process have any advice to acquire a reliable way to stay in the country?

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Are co-working spaces a good way to meet people in a new city?


by @donaldbough 3yr 3 years ago  | 1 comment

My fiancรฉe and I are most likely moving to NYC (maybe DC) in August, and as a technical startup co-founder I'd love to meet new people that are also into startups. Would joining a co-working space be worth the money to do this?

I work for a big tech company that has an office in NYC, but it's mainly sales so I wouldn't be able to meet others that are related to any of my 9-5 work or likely into tech.

If co-working spaces, post covid of course, aren't a good way to meet business starting people in a new city, what is?

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Are there any digital nomads in the Islands e.g Bermuda, Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis?


in Antigua , Guatemala by @momo11 3yr 3 years ago  | 3 comments

Does anyone ever travel to any Islands like Bermuda, Barbados, Barbuda and St. Kitts & Nevis?

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Is La Gomera a nice place to stay?


in Norway by @kvarsten 3yr 3 years ago  | 1 comment

Hi, my name is Eric and I am a remote worker from Norway. Me and a friend is flying into Gran Canaria on Friday and spending two weeks in San Agustin on the south side of the Island.

After that we are pondering about staying in La Gomera. Does anyone of you have an experience staying there or are there anyone of you staying there now? :)

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Is there a map of countries open for travel now?


in Russia by @vernon99 3yr 3 years ago  | 8 comments

I have two passports from different countries and am trying to understand where can I travel now. Is there a publicly available map of countries open for visitors by passport country that I can use to see what are my options? I was pretty sure such a thing should exist, but cannot easily find any.

Maybe at least there're maps for specific passports? Mine are Russian and American.

If there's no such thing, I'd be down to build one, let me know if interested to collaborate :)

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Any good coliving or other monthly rentals in Seville?


in Seville , Spain by @antoine_th 3yr 3 years ago  | 0 comments

Hello Everyone

I'm planning to stay in Seville for 6 weeks for mid January - end of February. Do you any recommandations for a coliving or a place to live in?

Thanks ๐Ÿ™

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Are restaurants, cafes and malls working in Mexico City taking into account COVID situation?


in Mexico by @thateverdmitriy 3yr 3 years ago  | 1 comment

I am planning to travel to Mexico City next weekend and stay for 7-10 days there. I wonder if cafes, stores and other places like these work? And if cafes work, do they work as usual or only for take away&delivery? Will be very thankful if someone can help here.

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