Pros
Skillsoft has a roof and running water.
Cons
If you want to feel as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit by all means accept a contract role in Skillsoft. With this you’ll also watch your career stagnate as Skillsoft insists on remaining at least fifteen years behind industry standard. While they’ve been busy high-fiving themselves for their recent switch to video, their competitors are training staff in VR & game engines such as Unity. Skillsoft have failed to realize that the millennials they crave as customers have grown up with consoles and have certain expectations from the media they consume. Skillsoft’s offerings of floating, badly lit 3D animations that were out of date on Cbeebies in 2004 are not going to cut the mustard with the demographic that they’re chasing. As a contractor with Skillsoft you can also add ‘social pariah’ to your list of achievements by being excluded from Skillsoft’s social events; Christmas parties, summer BBQ’s, whatever the festivity, contractors are barred from attending (and informed of this via the recruiter in typically charmless fashion). Enjoy all the thrills of being part of a start-up with none of the excitement and innovation, but all of the pivoting (so much your head will spin) and uncertainty, wondering will-there-be-an-office-here-next-week. My advice is to steer clear of Skillsoft. If you have another offer, take it. However, if you decide to accept a contract, you will be asked to choose one of two options: the PAYE option or umbrella company. Be careful here. With the PAYE option, Irish Employment Law stipulates that the contractor be made permanent after two years. This is where most of this type of contractor is let go. If you chose the umbrella company option, be prepared for a very messy paper trail full of errors.
