Freedom in audit.
Your way.
Interim, secondment or freelance: no longer an exception, but a genuine choice. More freedom, more variety and often higher earnings. We help you determine which route suits you.
Three scenarios: from permanent to interim or secondment, from permanent to freelance, or back to permanent. Choose what fits your situation.
Three scenarios: from permanent to interim or secondment, from permanent to freelance, and from freelance & secondment back to permanent. Interim and secondment are two contract forms within the same scenario the difference is in the form, not in the step you take.
Leaving the security of a permanent role. Embracing freedom.
You have a permanent contract, a good salary and colleagues you know. And yet. You notice you crave variety, new environments, the feeling that you choose where you work, not the other way around. Interim and secondment are the two ways to do that with an agency that arranges the assignments, terms and administration.
Interim or secondment: what's the difference?
The step is the same, the contract form is not. These are the differences that matter.
A contract per assignment; you work on an assignment basis.
An employment contract with the agency, which places you with clients.
You determine your availability; no salary between assignments.
Salary continues, even between assignments. No bench risk.
On average +25-40% compared to a permanent role.
On average +10-20% compared to a permanent role.
You arrange it yourself; training agreements are made per assignment.
Pension accrual through the agency; your RA qualification can often continue.
Experienced auditors who want maximum control over their time and assignments.
Auditors who want variety with a safety net, for example during their RA qualification.
Career Path
What does this scenario mean exactly?
As an interim professional you work on temporary assignments for clients: audit firms, companies or public-sector organisations that temporarily need additional capacity or specific expertise. You work on an assignment basis you choose your assignments and decide when you are available.
With secondment you are employed by the agency and placed with clients. The agency is your employer: you build up a pension, your salary continues between assignments and your RA qualification can often continue as normal.
In both cases: the key difference from a permanent job is that you choose your assignments and determine where and when you work. That freedom comes at a price, but for many auditors it is exactly the space they needed.
Skills & Benefits
Adaptability
Every new assignment demands that you get up to speed quickly. A skill that grows stronger with each engagement.
Rapid growth
You learn more in two years across different firms than in five years at a single firm.
Broad network
Every assignment expands your reach. After a few years you know the audit market from the inside.
Working independently
No fixed team, no fixed manager. You deliver results based on your own expertise.
Rapid analysis
As an auditor you are trained to quickly understand a new environment. Exactly what clients expect from you.
Flexibility
Want something different after an assignment? You have that conversation with us, your dedicated sounding board.
Advice from our experts
How do you approach this smartly?
Compare the terms.
Pay attention to pension accrual, training budget and what happens between assignments (bench risk).
Check the portfolio.
Ask which firms and companies they serve and whether that aligns with what you want to learn.
RA support.
Many secondment agencies actively support the RA qualification. Make sure this is clearly stated in your contract.
Build a financial buffer.
Having three to six months of fixed expenses covered gives you the freedom to turn down an assignment that doesn't fit.
Plan your RA trajectory.
Combining interim or secondment with your RA qualification is possible, but requires explicit agreements with your client in advance.
"I wanted variety but still had a mortgage and a young family. Secondment gave me exactly the space I was looking for without the financial pressure of going self-employed."
Roos M.
Seconded auditor
Frequently asked questions
Stopping working for others. Starting to work for yourself.
You have the knowledge, the experience and the network. What you lack is the leap. Most auditors who consider going freelance wait for the perfect moment. That moment doesn't exist.
Career Path
What does this scenario mean exactly?
As a freelance auditor you invoice directly to clients: audit firms or companies that temporarily hire your expertise. You set your rate, your schedule and your assignments.
That demands more than good audit knowledge. You are also an entrepreneur: you arrange your own administration, tax, insurance and pension. A transition that many experience as liberating.
Entrepreneurship
You are in charge of your own agenda.
Financial freedom
Being directly rewarded for your expertise.
Skills & Benefits
Immediate deployability
With 5+ years of audit experience you are productive from day one at a client. No onboarding needed.
Rate negotiation
Use your analytical sharpness to determine and defend your own market value.
Independent judgement
You are used to drawing conclusions without a fallback. The quintessential freelance mindset.
Building a reputation
Every successful assignment is a reference. Your network warms up naturally after a few engagements.
Advice from our experts
How do you approach this smartly?
Build a buffer.
Aim for at least six months of reserves. That way you negotiate from choice, not from financial pressure.
Start in good time.
Register your sole trader or limited company early. It costs less than you think but cannot be done retroactively.
Arrange your income protection.
Disability is a significant risk. Arrange this before your first assignment starts, not after.
Validate your rate.
Many starters charge too little. We know the current market rates per region and specialisation.
Contract is key.
Don't hand in your notice until your first assignment is signed. Promises are not income.
"I waited three years for 'the right moment'. In the end, Auditworks helped me see that I had been ready all along."
Bart K.
Freelance auditor, first assignment via Auditworks
Frequently asked questions
Flexible working has given you what you were looking for. Now you want to anchor yourself.
You have seen a lot as a freelancer or through interim and secondment. Perhaps you miss the team environment, or your life situation has changed. Returning to permanent is a conscious choice for a new phase.
Career Path
What does this scenario mean exactly?
After a period of flexible working as a freelancer, interim professional or seconded auditor you have built up a depth and breadth that you would never have achieved so quickly in a permanent role. Employers know that and they pay for it.
Returning to permanent gives you stability, a team environment and the opportunity to truly build something somewhere. What you bring with you is valuable: negotiation experience, a broad sector perspective and proven independence.
Skills & Benefits
Breadth of experience
Dozens of clients seen across multiple sectors a unique profile that employers look for.
Independence
You have performed without a safety net. That gives employers great confidence.
Commercial insight
You understand how the market works and how rates are formed. Very useful internally.
Network as asset
You bring an enormous network of former clients and fellow flexible workers with you.
Advice from our experts
How do you approach this smartly?
Know your priorities.
What do you miss most? Team, your own clients, growth prospects? Focus on that in your search.
Position your experience.
Describe your freelance, interim or secondment period as a strategic broadening, not an 'intermediate phase'. It was a deliberate choice.
Use references.
Satisfied former clients are powerful ambassadors. Ask them for a recommendation.
Negotiate with value.
You have market knowledge and results. Let your salary be determined by your value, not by fear.
Check the match.
After the freedom of flexible working, the culture fit matters even more. We help you compare.
"I was an interim professional for three years and loved every minute. But after the birth of my daughter I wanted to anchor myself in a team again."
Iris D.
Audit Manager at regional firm, returned via Auditworks
Frequently asked questions
Ready for your next step?
Tell us what you are looking for. We handle the rest. Audit only, personal and transparent.