The Freelance World of the Oil and Gas industry

The Freelance World is experiencing a rapid growth in the Oil and Gas industry.

With the recent announcement (April 2011) of significant growth in activity within the UK’s Oil & Gas industry there will be a need to find more than 15,000 experienced workers to be add to the UK's talent pool. The majority of these positions will be based in Scotland, with the largest oil and gas fields being in Aberdeen.

As a freelancer in this industry you can demand daily rates of £300 to £2,000 a day based on experience, and a recent Hays report shows an average daily rate of £800.

With such high daily rates, and an influx of positions a move into the Freelance World of Oil and Gas seems very attractive.

The most obvious way to find a Freelance position in Scotland is to use a recruitment agency. These agencies are generally based in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.  For more information on securing a contract please visit the following pages:

Once you have secured your contract it is advisable to decide if you should work through a Limited Company. Usually if the contract is over 3 months and you will be earning over £25,000 a Limited Company will be the most tax efficient option. For more information on if you should go Limited please read SJD Accountancy’s 30 second guide to going limited or phone our New Client Services helpdesk on 0500 152500 / 01442 275789 or email rachel@sjdaccountancy.com

Once deciding on whether to go Limited or not, the next step usually would be to choose an Accountant. An Accountant should save you time, help you fill out forms for HRMC and make sure they are submitted on time, minimise your tax bill and most importantly help you grow your business.  For more information please see our page on the Benefits of Having an Accountant .

So which accountant should you choose? This is entirely up to you. Sure if you’re Dad, Auntie or even best friend will do your accounts for free and has a good understanding of the contractor industry then sure you'd be mad not to use them. Although at SJD Accountancy we do have lots of clients whose parents and friends are accountants, we even have lots of accountant’s mainly corporate contractor accountants who use SJD, not because they can't do the work but because they'd rather we did it for them. 

At SJD Accountancy you will get an accountant from a large, respected and award winning firm, who will take time to get to know you, always take your calls and provide you with prompt and professional advice. We’ve banned voice mail and you'll never be asked to press one for this or two for that.

We provide over 11,000 Contractor and Freelance clients with:

  • Free face-to-face meetings. Tax is complicated which is why we offer everyone free face to face meetings in any city of the UK.
  • Unlimited access to your own local 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. 

As a client of SJD Accountancy, all your company needs and personal tax affairs are covered by our complete business package for a fixed monthly fee of just £110 plus VAT - one of the lowest prices in the market. This includes:

  • Preparation of company Year-End Accounts
  • Corporation tax computations
  • Payroll bureau
  • Dividend administration
  • Dealing with Inland Revenue and Companies House
  • Completion of VAT returns
  • Completion of annual return
  • Your personal tax return
  • Unlimited direct access to your accountant for all help and advice
  • Free bookkeeping software

Lastly you will be required to have Professional Indemnity Insurance. For £2 million worth of cover you would expect to pay around £430 per annum for a company turning over under £50,000 and £580 per annum for a company turning-over under £100,000. For further information on what it covers please see our page on Professional Indemnity Insurance , you may also find our page on Professional Indemnity Insurance Costs helpful.

If you have any questions about contracting or would like any further advice please call our New Client Services helpdesk on 0500 152500 / 01442 275789 or e-mail 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

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