Weird contracts?

Just curious if anyone else on here has had any odd experiences doing short contract jobs?

Just curious because I have been doing a few contracts here and there for a company that I was contacted by through email a while ago. When I first started doing them I was happy to get any experience at all so I agree to them, but the whole process had me very weirded out in the beginning. Basically it went like this, I got an email asking if I wanted to do the jobs, replied that I would be interested, got the details and contract through email, faxed signed contract back to them. Showed up at the job site, did the job, emailed my hours in at the end of the week and got a check in the mail. Not once have I been contacted by phone or talked to any of these people in person or on the phone. In fact they are based two states away from me and where I am doing this work.

I was sorta worried that after the first job that I wouldn't be paid but I have always received my check on time for the right amount.

Another thing that I think is weird is that the places I am actually doing the work for are contracting with one company that is contracting with another that is contracting with the company that I hear from who is contracting with me... Anyone else ever hear about anything like this?

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Comments

astorrs

I've never done contracts without speaking to someone over the phone before and I can imagine that would be weird. As for the sub-contracting for a sub-contractor of the contractor that's more common than most consulting companies would like to admit. I usually have to sign NDAs where I am not allowed to reveal the fact that I worked for the end client (I list the client as "Confidential" on my resume) and am not allowed to work directly for the client without going through the agencies for a period of time (usually 6-12 months).

undomiel

When I was starting out I did a number of short contracts exactly like that. I was worried at first too but they always paid so it was all good. I think I may have spoken to a guy over the phone once when there was some sort of mix-up but that's it.

scheistermeister

astorrs wrote:

I've never done contracts without speaking to someone over the phone before and I can imagine that would be weird. As for the sub-contracting for a sub-contractor of the contractor that's more common than most consulting companies would like to admit. I usually have to sign NDAs where I am not allowed to reveal the fact that I worked for the end client (I list the client as "Confidential" on my resume) and am not allowed to work directly for the client without going through the agencies for a period of time (usually 6-12 months).

Mine are similar but do not state that I can not say who I am working for. Regardless I would not tell a client who I really got that contract through and just say that I am with the main company that should be doing the job.

On my resume I have just put that I have done contracts for the company that I get them from and list the different types of contracts I do.

dynamik

scheistermeister wrote:

Another thing that I think is weird is that the places I am actually doing the work for are contracting with one company that is contracting with another that is contracting with the company that I hear from who is contracting with me... Anyone else ever hear about anything like this?

The sign industry is kind of like that, at least in this area. I used to work at a place that did wholesale work, and by the time we'd get the job, it would often have gone through 3-5 other companies. I thought it was pretty funny. None of those places had any manufacturing capabilities and were essentially just sales offices. The work just kept getting passed along until it went to someone who could do it.