Anyone finding opportunity from understaffing?

[Andrew Garulay, RLA]

As someone who often contemplates the prospect of taking my part time office to full time either by layoff or by strapping on a pair, I often wonder if there is not a good opportunity out there to be available as a subcontractor or temp for under staffed LA and/or civil offices who are not maintaining big enough staff for those spurts of activity. I would think that bringing back laid off workers only to lay them off again would not be as economically beneficial as contracted subs in the many small offices that are out there.

 

Is anyone finding or know of anyone working this angle to supplement income? Has anyone investigated it directly?

 

Has anyone with a smaller office hired any subs or independent temps to get you through spurts of higher activity than your current staff can support?

[nca]

I just picked up extra part time hours at a local office in addition to my regular job which has been fluctuating from 25-40 hours/week.

 

I know that another interior designer in town is working at three different architecture offices averaging a total of 40-60 hours a week.

 

From what I hear in my area work is definitely picking up–whether that’s indicative of a sustained upswing I don’t know, but firms are getting more busy and I have heard from several principals and managers that they’re busy, but reluctant to hire full time staff.

[Jeff D]

Right now I’d take any contract job for as few hours as the business owner wants.

Having been laid off since November of ’08, I know there is no full-time job in my short-term future, due to my age and experience.  I see my future – if I indeed have a future in LA, which I’m beginning to doubt – as a gradual climb back via contract work, which may lead to part-time employment, which may lead to full-time employment.  So far, though, I’ve had no luck securing even short contract work.  I’ve just relocated to another city where I hope conditions will improve faster for the growth industry.

[Fremont]

I survived on contract work for the last eight months working for a single firm from 20-60hrs/wk on a single large project. The small firm (3 people) needed the manpower but didn’t want to commit to a full time employee. By offering myself as a contractor I was able to keep my skills fresh and get some experience in the field (just graduated w/MLA last May) and the firm was able to staff up without the long term commitments and associated costs of a full time employee. It worked out well for both of us.

[Roland Beinert]

I’m considering getting a phd in urban design in Seattle. It would be great if I could find part time work like that while I continued my education. That would probably be the only way I could afford to stay in college, anyway.

[Author]

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