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Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to a number of questions that are regularly asked. If you have any other questions that you would like answered, please contact us.
How do I register my CV with CSL?If you are looking to work with CSL, the best way is to send your CV to us, preferably by e-mail. If you cannot email it to us then either fax it or post it to us (see our
contact details for our fax number and address).
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How do I become a freelance consultant?To work as a freelance consultant you will need to:
Be free for work or certainly available as soon as possible
Update your CV and register with CSL so we can market you effectively
Have at least two good business references, from past employers and clients
Decide your preferred employment 'status': sole-trader; limited company. If you decide to become a sole-trader or be employed by a Ltd Co, you will need to find an accountant to advise you on your tax affairs
You will also find the following extremely useful:
A mobile phone
Email address and Internet access
A computer and basic office equipment if you wish to work from home
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Once I have registered my CV with CSL, what happens next?If we feel your qualifications and experience are suited to our main areas of consultancy work, we would either contact you or ask you to contact us to arrange a convenient appointment for an induction interview at our offices in Stroud. See
Induction Interview Advice, for further detail. After your induction interview, if you agree, your CV will be added to our database and checked against current requirements to see if there is anything suited to your skills and experience and if there is then we will contact you directly. If you do not hear from us then we do not currently have a suitable requirement but someone will contact you should something suitable arise. Submission of your CV does not guarantee that we will be able to find you a job as we are not an agency.
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How would you select me for various projects?First we will seek permission from you before storing your CVs and associated documents in our internal database. From this database we can perform rapid searches whenever we receive a requirement and your CV will be checked to see if there is anything suited to your skills and experience. If there is then we will contact you directly to check your availability etc.
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What should I do and who should I contact if I know of a potential project?Please contact
Caroline Bishop, Operations Manager at CSL. We have a commission policy in place to reward consultants who actively engage themselves in successfully bringing new customers to CSL. This incentive is only available for consultants already registered with CSL. To view the commission policy incentive scheme or to download an application form, please
click here.
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How do I arrange a contract with CSL?Prior to starting work on an assignment, all freelance consultants are provided with an Enabling Contract. This sets out the terms and conditions agreed between CSL and the consultant. To view the CSL Enabling Contract, please
click here. For each project you are provided with a purchase order which forms part of the Enabling Contract and includes for example, the work to be completed, the client, and start and finish dates etc.
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When do I have to complete a timesheet?Consultants are required to submit timesheets on a weekly basis, preferably on a Monday and by e-mail, for each project being undertaken for CSL. These timesheets should be forwarded to the Financial Controller (
helen.parry@consulting-uk.com) for calculation purposes. To view the CSL Timesheet, please
click here.
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Will you just pay me or do I need to submit an invoice?Those working on a project, or alternative tasks, for CSL i.e. marketing should raise invoices either on a calendar monthly basis in arrears, or if previously agreed with CSL, on a Stage Payment or Firm Price basis. Invoices should be submitted to CSL to arrive within seven days. Invoices should be accompanied by the relevant hard copies of signed timesheets, together with receipts for each expense item costing in excess of £5. Upon receipt, CSL shall verify each invoice against its own records and shall resolve any queries with the Supplier as soon as possible.
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How and when do I get paid by CSL if I work for them?Payment of correct invoices shall be made by BACS payment on the last banking day of the month following the month in which the work was completed. Otherwise a cheque will be sent to the contact address provided by you
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If I work for CSL, will I be a CSL employee?No. Should we mutually decide that you are going to join CSL, you will be retained as a freelance consultant, and not as an employee of CSL or its clients. As a freelance consultant, you will enter into an Enabling Contract that will define our relationship and the terms and conditions under which we will do business in detail.
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Can CSL guarantee me a certain amount of work per year?We work hard to provide our consultants with as many work opportunities as possible. However there can never been any guarantees. We have no way of determining what skills clients will be requesting from one day to the next, and unless your experience/availability matches a client's requirements, we will not be able to put you forward. Finding an assignment is a two-way process. Register to be notified when a new job is posted and call us if there is an assignment which interests you.
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Will I be able to choose which assignments I accept from CSL?Yes. We will always discuss the scope of work with you before submitting your details to a client - and if it does not interest you, you are under no obligation to accept. But once you accept an assignment, we will expect you to honour your commitment.
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Who will handle my Income Tax and National Insurance payments if I work for CSL?If you are employed it would normally be your employer's responsibility to deduct tax and National Insurance from your pay under PAYE (Pay As You Earn). As a freelance consultant you are responsible for your own tax and National Insurance which is paid in arrears. Being a freelance consultant also affects the social security benefits you can claim, certain employment rights (maternity leave, redundancy, holiday pay, notice rights). We would advise you to consult with a tax professional for full details, alternatively for further information, visit
http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk.
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Should I register for VAT?VAT (Value Added Tax) is charged on most goods and services by their suppliers. There are three rates:
Zero rate which applies to certain goods such as food, children's clothing
Reduced Rate which is 5% and applies to domestic fuel and power
Standard Rate which is 17.5% and applies to all other goods and services
You should register for VAT if your total sales are more than £54,000 in a 12 month period and you are trading either as a sole-trader, partnership or Limited Company. It is important to keep accurate records for six years. For further information, visit http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk
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As a freelance consultant, I have registered as self-employed, what records should I keep?You are now obliged to keep all appropriate records for six years. It is important that you separate your business from your personal expenses, so it is advisable to open a separate bank account. You need to record all receipts and keep records of all your financial transactions including:
Invoices
Bank statements
Cheque stubs and paying in slips
All purchases and other expenses as they arise
All purchases and sales of assets used in your business
All amounts taken out of the business bank account, or in cash, for your personal use
All amounts paid into the business from personal funds (e.g. the proceeds of a life insurance policy)
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Should I get professional indemnity insurance?We would advise you to take out professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance, although there are differing views as much will depend on the type of work you are going to carry out and the possibility of harm to the person or damage to property, when carrying out those services. Advice should be sought from a professional in this field, or from your Solicitor as to what liabilities you may have if you neglect to insure yourself adequately.
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Will I receive health insurance, sick leave, and paid vacation?No. As a freelance consultant, benefits are your responsibility and you should structure your work so as to afford the benefits you need. Anyone classified by CSL as a freelance consultant is excluded from CSL benefits plan participation.
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Do I need to work at CSL's head office?No. You do not need to work at our head office and you often do not need to work at the offices of our clients. However, part of your work with us may require that you occasionally visit our facilities or those of our clients for periodic meetings.
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Must I work exclusively for CSL?No. As a freelance consultant, you may offer your services to any prospective client you wish to. We encourage you to do so because we are not able to guarantee initial or continual use of your services. You may also work for multiple clients simultaneously if you are able to ensure that there is no degradation in the quality of your work for us because your resources are over-committed or there is a conflict of interest.
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Will you pay for my expenses?No. As a freelance consultant, you are responsible for your expenses. The only expenses that we will reimburse you for are those that are directly associated with the work you do on our behalf or on behalf of our clients.
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Will you provide me with a computer?No. As a freelance consultant, you are responsible for all of the tools and materials you need in order to provide your services to us and your other clients. However, in some circumstances we will provide our freelance consultants with equipment should they not have access to any for the work done on behalf of our clients.
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How do I decide my daily rate?As a freelance consultant, you determine your own rates, although daily rates vary between assignments according to the level of experience required, the skills and industry knowledge requested and the length of the assignment. Most freelance consultants set themselves a range for their daily rate, which gives them greater flexibility. If you are new to being a freelance consultant, you should be aware that freelance consultants incur various costs that might not otherwise be incurred if they were employees. You should price your offerings with these costs in mind to be sure that you are not surprised by them later. At the same time, if you price your offerings too high, we may decide that you are too expensive for us.
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Will you oversee and control my work?No. You are responsible for the management of your own work. However, we will on occasion provide detailed guidelines or specifications indicating what it is that you need to do for us. We also reserve the right to accept or reject your work, to provide feedback on your work, and to edit your work prior to our presenting it to a CSL client.
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Can I give notice during an assignment?Termination during an assignment should be avoided whenever possible. For contracts of less than one month, you must give us one week's notice. For contracts longer than one month, you should give us one month's notice. These notice periods are mutual i.e. they apply equally to CSL. Notice periods exist to protect BOTH parties and give adequate warning to either find a new assignment or to find a replacement freelance consultant.
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Are there certain hours that I need to work?No. As a freelance consultant, you set your own hours unless you are working at our clients premises. Our concern is simply that any deliverables you prepare for us are delivered to us in a timely manner and that your schedule does not negatively impact our service levels to our clients.
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Will I receive any training?No. As a freelance consultant, you are responsible for your own ongoing training efforts, although if you have a specific training need please contact us as we might be able to assist.
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Will you promote my CV on your Web Site?Yes. In addition to many other factors, our ability to attract business may be helped by this. When you submit your CV to CSL, we ask for permission to post your information on our Web Site as long as an Enabling Contract is in effect.
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Would CSL be interested if I have an innovative idea?We would be delighted to hear from any creative and innovative consultants who are willing to contribute ideas for improving business performance and development. If you have a specific innovative idea you would like to share with us then please
contact us.
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