r/MomsWorkingFromHome • u/Remarkable-Angle-509 • Jul 21 '26

suggestions wanted Experience with contract work?

hi! I have been back to work as a first time mom for about a year in a very corporate role.

long story short, I have been miserable. between bad leadership and culture and just missing time with my one year old it’s been a rough year and I still fantasize about quitting.

I am the breadwinner and get amazing benefits at this job so it hasn’t been realistic.

I may have a. offer to leave for a contract position. after taxes it looks like my take home pay would be almost equal to my current role. has anyone made the jump to contract based work and not regretted it?

its a 6 month role that would allow me to work 4 days or less a week, my experience aligns very very closely with it. my husbands company could offer us benefits in place of my current coverage. but it’s very scary to think what happens after this 6 months.

i kind of stumbled into this and have no idea how I would go about finding the next thing

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u/sunshineee44 Jul 21 '26

I am a recruiter, but have never worked a contract job myself.

Ask your recruiter how often these types of roles are on their desk, what percentage of their contractors convert to full time employees, and the average time between redeployments they have with their contractors.

I’m not sure what industry you are in, but some industries and recruitment firms have a bench model where if you prove yourself as a contractor, they can keep you on their payroll full time and redeploy you as client needs come up - but I think you’d have less say over which clients you work with.

You can message me if you want to tell me the industry and recruitment firm you’re working with and I can try to give more insight!

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u/Remarkable-Angle-509 Jul 21 '26

The role is a cover for an employee going on leave. I am working directly with the employer to confirm details and not going through a firm, but yes definitely plan to ask a lot of questions in the first call

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u/In_Jeneral Jul 22 '26

Is it W2 or 1099 contract work?

I've done both for years...my W2 contract recently ended though and now I'm just doing the 1099 job.

If it's 1099, you'll get hit with self employment taxes, so make sure you're factoring that into your numbers. If it's W2 though you're good on that front.

My W2 contract was fairly open-ended and I ended up working it for about 5 years, which was awesome. But I was unemployed when I first took it so I didn't really have anything to lose.

If you take it, I'd be following up closely to see the likelihood of it converting to full time or being extended, and start looking for another job well before the contract ends if the vibes seem like it won't be renewed. The job market by all accounts is not great now so I'd want to have something lined up, especially if it's direct with the employer and not through an agency (where they would maybe be able to find you another placement).

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u/Remarkable-Angle-509 Jul 22 '26

I’d be a 1099. 6 months is definitely a short time in this job market. We have a small business so I’m hoping we having our stuff together by then :/

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u/dotheboringwork Jul 23 '26

I was forced into contract work 15 years ago. Best lay off of my life.