A short audio-visual summary of what we'll cover, and what you'll learn in Section 2.

The process of looking for contract roles is a lot more fast-paced than that of looking for permanent jobs. As such, contractors need to be aware of, and respond to, contract role advertisements as soon as they arise. In this lecture you'll learn the three main methods that most contractors use for sourcing contracts in preperation for Lecture 13 - The Jobserve mini-deep dive.

Here, we take an in-depth look at one of the leading IT contractor job boards - Jobserve. I'll take you through setting up your profile, searching for contract jobs, setting upjob alerts and saving your searches for future use.
Upon completing this lecture, who will know everything you need to know to begin searching for, and applying for real contract jobs.

The remaining lectures in this section will be primarlily short audio lectures, anchored around a roadmap which illustrates where they fit into your journey to getting your first contract.

We'll begin by looking at agents - are they the spawn of the devil or the contractor's best friend? By the end of this lecture you'll have an opinion one way or the other!

Negotiating a daily rate is one of the most important aspects of your dealings with agents. Contract negotiation skills are often not given the attention they deserve by contractors. In this lecture, you'll learn the importance of honing your negotiation skills long before you need them, and get tips on dealing with some of the most common techniques that agents use during rate negotiation.

By the end of this short lecture, you'll appreciate some of the key things that differeniate a contractor's CV from that of a permanent candidate, and what to expect with regard to interviews, and when you should hear back from agents. 

Background checks can often take up to six weeks to complete. If you have secured a role involving background checks, you need to factor this into your timescales.

A short audio-visual summary of what was covered, and what you learned in Section 2.

A short audio-visual summary of what we'll cover, and what you'll learn in Section 3.

This lecture is a preparation for the rest of the section. Operating through a limited company is the preferred method of contracting for the majority of contractors, so it is important that you understand how this fits into the business-to-business engagement that contractors have with their clients.

Setting up and operating company is straightforward, but there are many things that you need to be aware of, and they need to be done in a particular order. By the end of this lecture, you will know how to set up, incorporate and run a limited company, and have an awareness of thekey legislation that affects all contractors who do so.

The title of this lecture says it all - contractors who are fans of IR35 are as rare as hens' elbows. At the end of this lecture, you will have as much hatred for the legislation as the rest of the contracting community.

What the chancellor taketh away with one hand, he or she sometimes giveth back with the other - albeit in relatively small amounts. The VAT Flat Rate Scheme is one of those rare things that actually works to contractors' advantage. You'll learn the rules for joining, operating and leaving the scheme, as well as see a worked example of how it works, and what you stand to gain from it.

A short audio-visual summary of what was covered, and what you learned in Section 3.

A short audio-visual summary of what we'll cover, and what you'll learn in Section 4.

As the name suggests, contract extensions are a seamless extension to your existing contract. By the end of this lecture you will have learned what's involved in securing a contract extension, and how to give yourself the best possible chance of getting an accompanying rate rise.

Sometimes agents will promise the moon and the stars when you are negotiating the terms of a contract , but not for the current contractb but rather when you get a contract extension. Given that extensions are by no means a given, you should never accept a contract on the basis of deals that will only materialise at 'extension time'.' Nevertheless, even the most experienced contractors can be seduced  by the 'jam tomorrow' promise, and by the end of this lecture you'll know what to do if you fall into this trap.

Automatic rate rises, although once quite common, are now very much a thing of the past. Rate rises are still possible, however, and there you'll find out exactly how you need to go about preparing to ask for one at contract extension time.

As you approach your contract end, you need to ensure that you keep your options open as much as possible. You are under no obligation to accept an extension, and you should compare any offer of an extension with what is availible in the marketplace.

A short audio-visual summary of what was covered, and what you learned in Section 4.

A short audio-visual summary of what we'll cover, and what you'll learn in Section 5.

This is a helicopter view of managing your financial arrangements as a contractor - you'll learn the value in keeping a prudent reserve and managing holidays and training effectively; a good accountant, however, is always the best source of detailed financial advice.

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Your reputation as a contractor is one of your most valuable assets. In this lecture, we look at some key areas which you should keep an eye on to ensure that your reputation remains first-rate.

Contracting provides much more opportunity for role variety and gaining new skills than permanent roles. By the end of this lecture, you'll have an appreciation of how carefully chosen contracts, coupled with targeted training can advance you rapidly along your chosen career path.

The contractor mindset is fundamentally different to that of a permanent employee, and by the end of this lecture you'll have an appreciation ofexactly what the key personal qualities and attitudes are that you'll need to develop in order to make a success of contracting.

A short audio-visual summary of what was covered, and what you learned in Section 5.

Lecture 37 provides a summary of everything that we have covered in this course. Please do take the time to have a look at it - as with the summary lectures at the end of each section, it is designed to help you commit to memory what you have learned.

Lecture 38 is in the form of a downloadable PDF. This document contains links to all the resources mentioned in the lectures throughout the course, as well as a few others that you may find useful.