Below you can find some of the frequently asked questions we receive.

Q: I've never contracted before, how does it work and how do you make your money?

Q: What does the PS in PS Computer stand for...?

Q: Who are your clients, are they just local to the South or are they more widespread?

Q: Where can I find a copy of the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and Regulations? / What legal standards apply to employment agencies?

Q: What are the benefits of contracting and how do I arrange my contracting financial affairs?

A:In simple terms you will either register your CV with PS Computer Services and indicate the type of role you are looking for, or you will have responded to one of our advertisements on the internet job sites. Either way, your CV will be presented to our client only after we have received your full written permission to do so. If our client considers your experience matches the profile of the job specification you will be asked to take part in an initial telephone interview and/or a face to face interview. If this is successful, a position may be offered.

P.S. Computer Services will pay you (the contractor) an agreed hourly, daily or weekly rate and charge the end user (the client) a slightly higher hourly, daily or weekly rate. This is our profit margin which is fully transparent and always disclosed if requested ensuring a sense of trust between all parties.

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Q: What does the PS in PS Computer stand for...?

A: The PS is made up of the initial letter of the surnames of the two company founders, Tony Parker and Christopher Shaw.

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Q: Who are your clients, are they just local to the South or are they more widespread?

A: Our clients are both national and international although there is a higher concentration of vacancies available in the South East area of the United Kingdom.

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Q: Where can I find a copy of the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and Regulations? / What legal standards apply to employment agencies?

A: BERR (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) have a useful page on 'Employment Agency Standards' http://www.berr.gov.uk/employment/employment-agencies/index.html

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Q:What are the benefits of contracting and how do I arrange my contracting financial affairs?

A: Contracting differs from permanent work in that it is of course less "stable" in that it is assignment based, but this is balanced by generally being more lucrative from a financial perspective. The work can also be a lot more varied allowing you to enhance your skills and possibly develop new abilities, often avoiding the politics associated with some permanent employment.

With the issue of tax, contractors have to use either their own Limited Company (which they will set up themselves, often using an accountant) or go through an Umbrella Company (payroll company). A limited company is your own personal company, which would involve handling all the tax, national insurance and VAT issues etc yourself. Utilising one of the numerous Umbrella companies ensures this is all done for you, but obviously with a cost associated. Many contractors, especially first time, will find that using an Umbrella company to begin with is a great help, although in the long term may wish to run their own Ltd Company when they understand more about how everything works. We can of course help you select an umbrella company if required. We make no commission or referral fee whatsoever from doing this, and will only ever mention companies we know have consistently, over many years, offered a great service to people we have introduced to them. It goes without saying that you should conduct your own independent enquires to ensure you are getting best value.

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