This is a common question for individuals who are looking for a job and come across the title, “contractor”. Many people who are self-employed are contractors and many contractors hire sub-contractors to work for them. Now, you are probably still wondering what exactly a contractor is. Well, contractors are essentially anyone who makes a living by working with or on contracts with people. Instead of working for a company, the contractor writes up and both parties sign a contract to so the customer can have work done and when it is finished, pays the contractor. Contractors come in nearly all industries and are a lot more prevalent than you think.

Some contractors work in the repair industry doing things such as deck, flooring, drywall and siding repair. Other types of contractors will work with homeowners who are looking to renovate their home and come up with a contract complete with a time frame and price for the contractors to work with. Other forms of contracting are writers who write web content, books, blog articles, etc. in exchange for a set price. Other parts of the contract will probably include signing over the rights to the purchaser after the original author is finished writing. This prevents the writer from suing the customer if the content or book the writer was paid for, becomes worth a significant amount of money due to popularity.

The reason contractors are called “contractors” and not “construction workers” or “employees” is because they aren’t either of those things – they are themselves. They are using themselves and their skills as a business that they are selling to others in exchange for money. Contracts are involved because if someone is paid to do work that wasn’t done correctly or wasn’t done at all, the contract is a legal, binding agreement verifying that both parties know what is expected of them, what needs to be done, what happens when it isn’t done, and fees included. The contract is a guideline and a safe house for both contractor and homeowner.

Contracting can be hard work and is often done by people with a strong drive to be self-employed. They say it is easy to work for someone else and incredibly hard to work for yourself; mainly because you have to have a great deal of discipline if you expect to turn a regular profit. Contracting is a great way to enjoy the freedom of self-employment and use your skills and knowledge for profit.