Joel,

What is your current employer buying you now that Maxim won't buy? Retirement, vacation, sick, holidays, health insurance, etc. come to mind. Of course, if the current company is small and on the edge you may not be getting a lot of these now and won't stand to lose if you change jobs. Don't just compare the $$ per hour, compare the "compensation package" between the two companies. Factor in the cost of health insurance if you pay out of pocket, or the cost of contributing to your retirement savings account if they don't do it for you (even if you don't actually save in the long run.)

BE SURE you like the new people you will actually work with. At my previous job we all sounded nice to a candidate, but everyone hated the place and there was a high turnover. Ask about turnover at Maxim's client, NOT Maxim! Money isn't everything.

What about career enhancement? I doubt Maxim pays for education. Would you have paid time off to go to an MS event if it were available? I doubt Maxim or their client would want to pay for this, they don't care about your development. What about your current company - what is THEIR stake in your future?

Don't forget that many independent contractors bill at a rate that gives them their target salary in 20 billable hours per week. The rest of the time is "between jobs," vacation/sick, paperwork, education, etc. So, you can't compare Independent fees to a salary very easily. So, if the Independent works for 4 months at $100/hour and has no work the rest of the year, his annual salary is not $208,000 but rather $64,000.

Pin them down on overtime. You probably will only get straight time, but be sure. If there is a lot of overtime you could have a much larger takehome, but less "life."

Also pin them down on moonlighting. You should expect to not be allowed to moonlight in a way that competes with them, but should still be allowed to moonlight in other ways.


>Thanks all for your comments. They have been a very big help. For now, I've come to the conclusion that the future is unknown, and therefore the risks of either staying or leaving my current job are for the most part equal. That leaves me with personal preference and fair compensation as deciding factors. You can help with the second one. I'll present some real numbers here without giving away too many secrets <g>. Your thoughts are appreciated.
>
>First of all, I would characterize my current salary as average for the area. The recruiter and I talked about the following numbers, but I haven't committed to anything yet. The contract job would result in a net increase of about $10-$15K per year over my current salary before taxes. That would still be about $15-$20 per hour below the lowest rate I would expect as an independent contractor. I admit that I'm green when it comes to these matters, and I want to make sure I'm not selling myself short. Here's what I figure I'm getting instead of the extra money as an independent:
>
>1) They got me the job.
>2) They pay me weekly. I don't have to worry about collecting from the client.
>3) It's a W2 position, which helps out with taxes.
>4) Fewer legal woes. The agency handles the legal contract and accepts liability.
>
>If you see any misconceptions here, please speak up. I realize acceptable compensation is subjective, but I would like to make sure I'm not being taken extreme advantage of. In the end, personal preference may lead me to stay put, but I want to examine all options with my eyes open. Thank you very much for your help in this decision process. I value your opinions.