Sunday, April 22, 2012

So you want to be a consultant.

I spent a short but very eventful time as a consultant employed by one of the largest accounting corporations in the world. Like many other consultants, my work week started on Monday morning and finished either on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning. Compensation was good to say the least and therein lies the rub. Compensation included the cost of my hotel, gasoline and or mileage and the cost of meals up to fifty dollars per day. You would think that sounds like a pretty good deal and it would have been had the largest accounting company in the world paid my expenses on time.

Almost from the start I should have known I was in trouble as my first paycheck did not arrive on time. It was two days late. The accompanying expense check was nowhere to be found. The second week started as the first as I went to check in at the hotel only to find that my corporate credit card was denied. Great, so why not put the bill on my own card. I tried this only to be denied because the total of near seven hundred dollars was two hundred dollars over my one day transaction limit. Now what am I to do two hundred miles from home and no place to stay? Well, after a panicked phone call all is straightened out and I have a place to lay my head. Paycheck is on time this week, but still no expense check. A new problem shows its ugly head as in six overdrafts from my checking account. Seems that when you stay in any hotel they also charge you a fee for incidentals and that fee is held on your card till your stay is over. My case meant that on Friday the bill for the hotel would post, however, the incidental fee did not come off until the following Monday. So that next Monday six checks hit my account which had two hundred and fifty dollars less or on "hold" in my account. Paycheck is in hand and s no expense checks. Now expenses are mounting and fear is the word for the week. Finally after the fourth week I get an expense check and paycheck is on time. Now for the payoff pitch. Monday is a long day and it turns into a ten hour day. I can't wait to get to the room and crash. Check in and go up to my room and settle in and almost as soon as the last item of clothing is put away the phone rings and the desk states my corporate card and my personal card are both declined. Guess what - again I have no place to stay and that my friend was the last night as a consultant.

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