Agency or Day Rate Direct – what’s best?

[Ray Shields]

Because if the company doesnt pay up its not your problem – you work for the Agency who pay you and leave them to chase up the Company for payment.

This is for established decent Agencies of course…

[ROV_Monkey]

Because if the company doesnt pay up its not your problem – you work for the Agency who pay you and leave them to chase up the Company for payment.

This is for established decent Agencies of course…

Ray,
I had exactly this problem with working via an agency for Fugro…

If the company doesn’t pay up then the agency employee, i.e. me at the time, doesn’t get paid…

After an extremely heated 3 way argument between myself, the agency and Fugro (Bob at the time) the problem was resolved…(This was as the vessel was arriving in the field)

Basically – pay me the rate as agreed or I don’t work at all, or even go on the back deck, and the client will be informed of the reason why the ROV will not go off deck.

No more Mr Nice Guy

Just pay me as agreed and don’t try to change it at the last minute

Monkey

[James McLauchlan]

In theory an agency should provide the type of safety net Ray is talking about but that is not always the case, as pointed out above.

If the client doesn’t pay the agency should, right?
Where is the security if the client pays and the agency doesn’t?
I don’t feel there is any advantage/disadvantage to either method of employment as long as the employee gets the same rate.

As a diver I worked direct for 10 years for various companies worldwide, North Sea and Asia. In general you tend to stick to one company for a good while and are pretty much treated as a full time contracted employee would be. Not once did I not get paid. Sometimes there were delays in payment but I have experienced that with agencies also.

The bulk of divers work day rate direct and not via an agency. They ( as a group) seem to do OK on it. I think this is mainly because should a company be known to not pay they will not get people… or should I say the right kind of, qualified, people to work for them.

At the time I was living in the UK and worked in India day rate direct for Rockwater. I signed the employment contract on arrival in India and was paid is USD. Looking back it seems a bit odd, but that was how was and it worked…. then.

[T-Boy]

Admin note:
This thread was split off another topic about job vacancies for India. the responses moved into discussing the merits of being employed directly or via an agency. As the thread seemed to have a way to go on that topic this new thread has been created to allow that.

You are right, India is not good….no amount of danger money would get me out there!

Not always best to work direct for companies (especially outside of your own home country).

Why?

Pray tell, what experiences have you had ?

From my experiences of working direct, so long as you make sure YOU are happy with managing insurances, travel, contingency plans and all that jazz, it makes sense. Some companies will do most of that anyway…just make sure you have enough dosh to see you home and for a few jars!

T

[T-Boy]

None of us work for chariteee as Monkey points out…but to answer Rays point;

The agencies do not provide you with ANY safety net regarding pay. I know peeps that have not been paid working via an agency. I don’t know anyone who has worked direct for a company and not been paid…savvy.

Like I say it is down to YOU to be brave enough to sort out the arrangements/agreement – not rocket science, but you do need to have a backbone to do it.

Why give someone else money for parting with knowledge and a service I provide for basically the administration of putting you in touch with ‘their’ client, when I can do it?

And yes, I do use agencies occasionally…answers on a postcard pls.

[Anonymous]

Hi
I have mostly worked direct never had any big problems, but i had 1 problem when i worked through agency, worked for a Dutch company, there do rock dumping, and i will never ever work for them again, it was not the agency’s fault but the company

[Cabledog]

Maybe it is different off-shore, but whilst in a previous life working in telecomms, if you worked via an agency you get paid regardless of the lead (prime) company paying the agency or not:tup:

That is the reason for agencies after all, they are your employer, (the tax man might have a different view on that however) 😯 😯 not the company you are on the job for, if you see what I mean.

As for me had enough of agencies etc etc so now work direct. Hope that makes sense 😳

Be good
Dog

[joeboy]

Now that, grasshopper is very true.

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals

[Author]

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