Posted By Ian G Hutchings Richard It sounds like you would fit the bill. I have always found that since working in consultancy I have worked much much harder than before. My clients would joke about this but it is true. What are you like at; being a sales person? working to strict deadlines? producing very high quality reports/documents? influencing hard nosed people? nights away from home and working on your own? not helping people unless you have a contract and get paid (I found this hard at first)? You can still get the politics if you work in a company. It can be lonely at times and you will usually be held very accountable for the quality of your work. Sounds interesting - go for it! All the best Ian

Posted By AHS Richard Make no mistake its hard building up clients there is a lot of competition out there and frankly lady luck also plays a hand. All the best. AHS

Posted By TONY Richard I was H&S manager for a blue chip company before taking redundancy, I went straight into Consultancy and had a great time i had work coming out of my ears and was raking it in. Then i went through a quite patch and had to watch my spending during this time i was head hunted by a Construction company with an offer i could not refuse. This is what i learnt and the pros and cons: When times are good put money away to cover the quite periods, make sure your Clients settle invoices promptly you only need a few months delay and thats the difference between sinking or swimming, know your limitations i'm Chartered and i don't for one minute say i know it all when your not sure seek guidance from a specialist ie Asbestos etc. The best part of Consultancy is that if you advise! if the Client decides not to action your recommendations thats up to him you can only advise. The other thing is no matter how crap a project is theres always a light at the end of the tunnel saying not much longer here. Employed Regular pay no chasing invoices from Clients, paid holidays, paid sickness, (in some cases healthcare and travel paid) The biggest negative GETTING THEM TO DO WHAT YOU WANT AND STICKING TO IT. I'm in the latter at the moment and seriously thinking about going back into Consultantcy again i've missed it a lot. Feel free to email me with your number if you want my advice. Tony

Posted By Bob Youel Whilst I am now in a 'permanent' position I have worked as a consultant for many years and still undertake out-side work comissions, so;- On many occasuions over the last 10 years whilst I have been permanent there have been many occasions where people have approached me to get them / give them consultancy work and I have tried to put work out to other people and in almost every case the people who have always had permanent jobs have failed to perform What I am saying is that whilst it is a very good way to go it has lots more liabilities and responsibilities than a PAYE position has so you have to be prepared for it - additionally your marketing and sales skills must be as good as your H&S skills along with being a good accountant and contract negotiator, and you need to spend a very large amount of time looking for work as against doing it in the first few years You will never know it till you try it so have a go - and get a good accountant ASAP

Posted By Jonathan Breeze Richard, If you go to "update my details" and make an e-mail address viewable to others, you may increase your chances of off forum feedback. Hope this helps

Posted By Elizabeth Reeves Are you considering working for a company as a consultant, or setting up on your own? I would suggest that you try it first working for a health and safety consultancy company, that way you can maintain the regular pay and comforts of full time employment.

Posted By Rasput Richard, I'm not sure if I qualify as a consultant (maybe it's just the title) but I made the leap to self employment and rather than seeking 'bits and pieces' I am currently working on a 12-18 month construction contract. This has helped reduce the risks and will allow me to build up enough cash reserves to bridge the gap (if needed) at the end of this contract. To be honest with you, I love it. If you can deal with living away from home and working anywhere in the country, I would recommend it. I work 11 days on, 3 days off. The hardest thing for me is not seeing my 6 month old girl for 11 days but the day rate justfies the reason I am happy to live away (to provide for my family). If you want to discuss anything, feel free to contact me. Best regards R