Hello, Are there many people in here that are UK based, and thinking about contracting/freelancing? I am looking to talk to IT professionals about your IT journey, how the contracting thoughts started, and what do you need to make the decision / leap?

I have been both a contractor and perm. I would be happy to chat if that’s helpful, Neil.

Its been 10 years since I've been a contractor the ir35 rules in the UK largely changed appetite of both company and employees

Thanks @David Sandilands, IR35 was a big scare, and I suppose it still it to a point. It is a bit more understood. Thank you for that feed back

When they changed the interpretation burden to be on the employer rather than contractor to make sure IR35 contracts were compliant most companies I worked with or for just decided to reduce contract work drastically and insist all remaining contracts were treated as in scope of IR35

Yes, the standard lawyer protective response.

IR35 is one part of the risk to consider for both contractor and employee, Risk used to be all on the contractor, There is now risk on both sides. Seeking good legal advice is a strong recommend from me. Not just for IR35 reasons, but also the help work through the legal contracts etc.

when I did it https://www.contractoruk.com/ was vital for information and https://www.ipse.co.uk/ provided good membership benefits and representation

Yes, ipse provide a great service to all the contractor community