As you’ll be able to deduce from the title, I’m pretty happy!
Ecstatic in fact!
Today, I got offered a new job – which is a huge relief, with the uncertainty that has been hanging over us lately. I start on Monday, and I can say that I’m really looking forward to it.
My new position is an Application Engineer. I will be designing actuators for the automotive industry, yet another car part! A good thing about his job is that I will also be able to expand my experience with the project management side of projects, which I’m really looking forward to.
So, here’s to a new start.
I went for a job interview today, and I think that it went ok.
After an interview I’m always a little cautious about how it went. All I can do now though is keep my fingers crossed that they invite me back for a 2nd interview.
I’ll keep you posted.
Cars in the Snow
…causes so much chaos!
This morning was the journey from hell to work. Not that I got there!
It all started when we were woken at around 5am by Liam who was asking for a feed. As I got up to see to him, I had a quick look out of the window to see how bad the overnight frost had been. It didn’t seem too bad. I went into Liam’s room and changed his nappy, while Gemma went downstairs to prepare his bottle. Continue reading 'A Little Bit of Snow…'»
Today was my last day as a permanent employee. I have now finished as a Design Engineer, and from Monday I will be a Contract Design Engineer.
Ever since I handed in my notice 5 weeks ago, I’ve been itching to get out of there and into a job where I can actually do some proper designing. For a few months now I have had little to do in the way of designing and so I have been getting extremely bored, so now I am going to have something to get my teeth into. I am really looking forward to that.
I’ll let you know how things go on Monday.
It’s now only one week until I begin my new job as a Contract Design Engineer. I’m really looking forward to it, as it is going to be the start of an exciting new chapter in my life.
When the opportunity came along, trying to decide whether to make the jump seemed to be a scary proposition. A few decisions had to be made.
One of the most important of these was whether to form my own Limited Company, or to join an Umbrella Company.
After a bit of research and weighing up on the pros and cons of both options, (a good source of information can be found at Umbrella Supermarket) I decided that the best option for me was to go for the Umbrella option.
The company that I have gone with is Brookson. They were recommended by another contractor at the company that I’m going to be working for.
I am new to contracting, and I think going for the Umbrella route is the safer option at this stage. Nearly all of the paperwork is taken care of by the umbrella company, and so therefore there should be less chance of me falling foul of too much government red-tape. You don’t have to worry about paying your tax bills on time like you would with forming your own Limited Company, so there is less pressure for the first time contractor. It would also allow me the freedom to get out should I not like the lifestyle of a contractor and go back to a permanent job.
Who knows what the future holds?
Maybe in 6 months time I’ll find that I like the way that it is all working out, and want to have the greater flexibility that the Ltd Company option gives to the contractor. But with greater flexibility comes greater responsibility. Once I have made up my mind that this is how I want to work then I will make the next step and form my Ltd company.
So I’m going to take it one step at a time, and see how things go. The next update will be after a few days of the new job.
Yesterday I handed in my notice at my current employer because I’ve got a new job.
The new job has come out of the blue, I didn’t even go looking for it, it came looking for me. It’s great because in effect, I’ve been head-hunted. That is a really great feeling.
So, I’ve got 5 weeks left here before I start my new job as a Contract Designer. I will still be involved in the automotive industry, but now I will be designing exhaust systems.
It is a little scary as I will be employed as a contractor, rather than a permanent member of staff. It is going to be an exciting time.
There are plenty of things to sort out before I start. There is the contract to sort out, how I’m going to set myself up – whether that is as a Limited Company, or as part of an umbrella company. My initial thoughts are to go with the umbrella company, as it will remove a lot of the initial hassle and paperwork that would come with setting up my Limited Company. If I enjoy the life contracting then it will be something to look at in the future.
The new company is near Preston and so I’ll be commuting. Hopefully this will not be too bad. When I went for the interview it took me about an hour, and this was when the roads are at their busiest. I hope to leave earlier than that when I start so that I can beat the traffic. It should be possible to do in 45 mins.
In the meantime I’ve got a few loose ends to tie up. I need to get the CAD system upgraded before I leave and make sure that everything is in place for the next CAD Engineer coming in. I’ll also need to give a helping hand to finding a replacement.
So a busy few weeks ahead, but it will all be worth it in the end. 
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