Compared to full-time positions of equivalent scope, what skill level and experience is needed to work as a contractor? How do the working conditions differ?
In my experience, sometimes they wanted more skill and experience for a permanent role than they did for a contractor. I worked as a contractor and had to fill headcount, and the process was different for a contractor and a permanent. Contractors are much simpler to get rid of if they don't turn out, so hiring decisions were made faster. Permanent people being hired had to be of a higher standard.
This doesn't mean that you can get away with being a junior in a senior role, but it might mean there is more of a focus on technical skills rather than university qualifications, that type of thing.
There are some crap contractors floating about the system and some crap permanent employees. And vice versa.
The working conditions are almost identical, except that in a downturn the contractors will be first out the door. They also get to avoid 'company building' meetings and crap like that.
My experience is specific to banking, but interms of working conditions they are more or less identical, apart from the odd "contractor furlough" when contractors are forced to take unpaid leave (normally around the Christmas perioid).
