Posted By JWG I have an interview for a consultant post in two weeks. With my current position I do not have a company car or any perks with the job and I'm based at one site only. There is only a £2,000 gain in the consultant post from my own and do not want to be financially worse off. So I can way up the benefits/costs of the job I'm going for, can you please provide advice on the following: •The typical additional amount of increased income tax paid for having a company car? •Does the typical consultants day start when they arrive at the destination or when they hit the road? •Does the typical employee consultant work beyond contracted hours? Is there anything else that may be relevant that I should consider? Many thanks for your comments…

Posted By Thomas Kennedy Re advice about working hours as a consultant. I had a spell as a consultant and it could be tough work at times. One problem was the fact the area I covered was bigger than everyone else and the HQ was also far way too. I probably did around the same working hours as everyone else but it did not include travel to and from location. Usually a minimum of 15 and sometimes up to 30 hours a week. Another issue was when the consultancy went quiet. You start helping out other areas of the business and taking on work further a field. Would I do the same again? You get good exposure and it will be a great learning opportunity for you. I used the year as a stepping stone to move from environment to safety work fields and it has paid the dividend. Overall I would enjoy working for a consultancy again if I did not need the money to pay the essential bills and I could work part-time. Perhaps I'll be lucky when I'm almost retired. Thomas