Benefits of Becoming a Renewable Energy Engineer?

You may also find our Guide to Becoming a Renewable Energy Engineer useful.

Renewable energy is one of those few industries where you can make a real difference. The industry is rewarding, as it is imperative that we as a country and the world become more sustainable. The Government has committed to sourcing 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, and as result there will be over 1.3 million job opportunities for UK contractors by 2015 (Based on comments from 2011).

Here are some (and these are just a few) of the benefits to being a Renewable Energy Engineer contractor are:

Greater job demand - Vast sums of money are being invested in Renewable Energy with numerous new projects and job opportunities being created.
Higher rates of pay – With the demand high and the supply ratio low, contracting within this sector makes you a highly desirable candidate, giving you a greater opportunity to negotiate a higher rate of pay, which is only fair as unlike permanent employees, you do not get holiday or sick pay, giving you a greater chance of a higher rate.
Experience - The more contracts you take on the greater your practical and managerial skills. Giving you a wider choice of projects and the ability to charge higher daily rates. These skills will also enrich your CV, making you more appealing to a potential client.
The chance to be your own boss – You are the specialist in your sector putting a new spin on the client contractor relationship.
Greater freedom - You can choose which contracts you take on and the length of time you work. The choice is yours!
Travel -The opportunity to travel and work all over the world. You could take a contract in the North Sea followed by a contract in Dubai.
Build a better future - The chance to make a more sustainable future for generations to come whether you work in bio fuels, hydropower, wind or solar power.
Prospects - A large amount of projects are the ‘first‘ of their kind within this sector, giving you the opportunity of gaining invaluable skills that only a handful of, or no other contractor holds.

Contracting as a Renewable Energy Engineer puts a whole new spin on the client, employee, relationship. Your role is to come into an organisation as the ‘industry expert’, which is not only a nice position to be in, it also adds to your credibility as an industry professional, widens your experience further and helps increase your daily rate.

Another benefit to contracting is you will pay less tax, then a permanent employee. This is to be expected, after all as a contractor you do not get sick pay, holiday pay, and have to manage your own tax affairs.

Any accountant will tell you that trading through your own Limited Company is the most tax efficient way possible. However any good accountant will be able to remove most of the burden and you shouldn’t need to allow more than 15 – 20 minutes a month for limited company administration. Visit the following page for a full list of Benefits of having an Accountant.

For more information on contracting as a Renewable Energy Engineer, visit the following pages:

If you still have questions about contracting then please contact our New Client Services team on 0500 152500 / 01442 275789 or email rachel@sjdaccountancy.com

SJD Accountancy

SJD Accountancy are the UK's largest specialist provider of fixed fee, limited company accountancy services to contractors; we've been acting for contractors across the UK since 1992 and have more than 11,000 clients.

We are the only National specialist firm of accountants with offices in all major UK cities so you’ll never be far from your accountant. SJD also have more qualified staff than any other firm in our market with qualifications from the following major tax and accountancy bodies - ATII, ATT, ACCA, CA, ACA, FCCA, ACMA. You’ll also be pleased to know that we are one of the lowest priced as well.

Free face-to-face meetings. This is another unique service, only SJD offers free face to face meetings - tax is complicated and sometimes only a meeting will do.
Unlimited access to your own dedicated accountant. No call centres, no outsourcing, no automated call handling. Simply telephone, e-mail or meet your own dedicated accountant face to face.
Money back service guarantee. All your telephone calls and e-mails will be answered the same day or we will refund your monthly fee's.
Outstanding reputation. We have won more awards for customer service and accountancy excellence than any other firm in our market.
All inclusive low cost monthly package which includes completion of accounts, payroll bureau, dividends and corporation tax computations, personal taxation, free bookkeeping software, unlimited access to your accountant and all company returns. All this for a fixed monthly fee of £110 plus VAT, which is one of the lowest prices in the market.

If you have any questions about contracting or would like any further advice please either contact your SJD Accountant or call our new client services helpdesk on 0500 152500 / 01442 275789 or email: nikki.hanlon@sjdaccountancy.com.

Appoint SJD Accountancy and never worry about your tax or accountancy affairs again!

You may also find the following pages, guides and case studies useful:

Take home pay calculator - How much could you be taking home
Contractor FAQ - All your frequently asked questions and their answers
First time Contracting or Freelancing? - A summary of the alternatives along with pros and cons
Choosing an accountant - For a full review
Step-by-step Guide to Contracting - Download a FREE copy of our guide
Limited or Umbrella? Can't decide? - We help you decide which is best for you
Guide to Contracting - All the best guides to contracting in one place
Expenses Guide - Know exactly what you can claim
Umbrella company guide - Everything you ever wanted to know about umbrella company services
IR35 Guide - A great plain English guide to IR35