Can someone please explain the freelance consulting trend in UAE? A 3rd party recruiter reached out to offer a 6-month contract on a very attractive daily rate. Why would an Roland Berger/ATK equivalent hire a consultant on a short-term basis on a daily rate significantly higher than permanent hires? What potential red flags am I not seeing? Does it make sense to leave a full time strategy consulting gig in UK&I for a (very) lucrative freelance gig in Dubai? Will I be treated like every other consultant (recruiter says yes, but I'm skeptical…)? Will freelancers be eligible for advancement, promotions and bonuses? Do freelancers get time off and sick leave? I assume 401ks and life insurance are out of question…
Anyone that understands this trend, please drop a comment below.
Some info on my background - I'm an senior strategy consultant (I'll make manager in July) at a Big4 in UK & Ireland looking for some excitement in my career and Dubai may be just it. International transfers in my company are overly bureaucratic and I do not have the energy for the political gymnastics.
If I could just expand..really curious about the typical payment cycle expectation for such freelancing projects (vs. a monthly paycheck for full-time) and the possibility/prevalence of encountering late payments? Thanks.
Depends on who your client and what your contract is. You can have monthly payment, or payment at the end of the project. This will depend on type and lentgth of project. Payment risk exists, depends on who your counterpart is. Large established firms the risk is very small, for small boutiques and people you don't know, there's some risk involved (I've heard of some people not getting their money). With people you don't know there's an advantage in using an intermediary, or asking for an advance payment.