Has anyone had any experience of Umbrella companies?
I am about to sign up for a new 4 month contract with a VFX company in the UK and the agency that I got the position through is insisting that I am employed through either an "Umbrella Company" or a "Limited Company". I have worked for many digital media and vfx companies, both larger multi-national and small start-ups, for the last ten years and have never had this as a requirement. I have always been either a "Sole Trader" or an employee. I have in the past been advised that it may be helpful to have an Umbrella Company for tax purposes but since I rarely got near the relevant thresholds it never seemed that relevant.
I don't think there is anything particularly dodgy going on but as I say I have never had this as a requirement.
Has anyone else in the "industry" had the requirement and do you have any recommendation.
Cheers