Ask HN: What companies are open to developers that seek part time work? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What companies are open to developers that seek part time work?

19 pointsritchiea13 comments

I'm not an entrepreneur looking to moonlight from my startup. I'm not starting a consultancy and need some extra work while I build a client base. I'm a programmer (and occasional UX designer) who likes his job and has always had an interest in programming but I also have some hobbies that are very important to me that don't make any money. I'm very happy when I have a chance to work in software about 3 days a week and the clients I've found that accept that schedule tend to be happy with my work (many have asked me back when they have enough work for me).

But for most companies asking for part time work is a non-starter. I've heard in some other countries asking for part time work is more accepted, is this merely a culture issue? I constantly hear about how hard it is to find good/experienced engineers and yet it seems like most companies would rather stick with the status quo than even entertain the idea of someone less than full time.

Anyone else have a better experience seeking part time employment in software? Are there companies that are good for this?

Lots of very small companies will happily do 1099 contracts without trying to control your time at all. The hard part is finding those contracts, which usually come through networking and existing clients.

You might try emailing companies offering to work as a 1099 contractor, which companies sometimes like because it means you're easier to fire and don't get benefits, etc.

Most companies want a very serious full-time commitment and will be disappointed if you don't work there for at least a few years.

Typically that's how I have been working, as a 1099 contractor. The one client I had who fit that description was a developer himself and reached a relatively feature complete point with his application and decided he no longer needed a 2nd developer. I'm not sure where to find more clients like that.

Forgive me, I'm not familiar with all the us tax/irs related codes - is "1099 contractor" similar to Australia's "sole trader" - where you are registered as an individual doing business and can therefore issue tax invoices like a company?

What's your stack? We might be interested in that. Probably looking at 1099, unless you're willing to take a significant reduction in pay since we provide full healthcare benefits, etc.

Small YC startup here- https://reschedulemed.com

I primarily work with Ruby & Javascript. Most of my experience is with Rails but I've made significant contributions to Sinatra and Express/node projects. 1099 would be fine.

Word. I dig the personal site; lets take the conversation private? Hit me up: hello@reschedulemed.com

I emailed you yesterday and haven't heard anything.

A bit ago Verba (SF) was offering 3 or 4 days a week, although I got the impression they still preferred 5.

there was some IRS law/rule in the 1980s that made hiring contractors less attractive for this type of arrangement. I remember reading about it years ago, but the specifics do not come to mind now.

Have you considered a service, like Upwork?

I've heard services force you to compete on price and drive rates down but I suppose it's worth a shot.

That is possible. But I do freelance writing for a service I really like. My experience convinces me that it is not inevitable that it go that way. I hope that someday I can spell out some best practices for how to set up a good service that doesn't go that way.

Occasionally on Upwork you get lucky and land a good project. But if you're a good developer expecting more than $30/hr you will never be able to stay busy even part time (more like a couple projects a year).

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