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It is not always good to be a manager after a certain age. The ideal candidates are between 25 and 45 years old, dynamic, mobile and not too costly. After 40, things get complicated. In France, the over 50 employment rate is the lowest in Europe. With a pro "youth" culture and hard-dying clich's, the situation is set to improve. For most decision makers, once past 50 you are no longer productive or mobile and unable to master new technologies!

In this difficult context, becoming self-employed represents a real professional opportunity rather than an exit strategy. Indeed, companies continue to need, on a per need basis, the know-how of experienced professionals as their employees. So, they call on external consultants for missions defined in time, as soon as a specific problem or a major strategic interest presents itself. In becoming self-employed, the senior managers go from an unwanted employee status to the rank of an expert, sought-after for their high-level skills.

Therefore, there is space for one man shows, but be careful; above all they must remain specialised.

A consultant that is too generalised is not credible. It is useless to try raking in as many clients as possible. Companies want "experts" in specific fields.

Amongst the most sought-after specialities are: organisation and strategy, quality security environment, human resources, restructure management, financing, cost reduction.

Information technology consultancy continues to be a booming sector. It will not be tomorrow that programmers, analysts, developers and other UNIX specialists are going to be out of a job!

From the legal perspective, many statuses exist to earn a living as self-employed. It is less risky becoming a "freelancer" and many free agents opt for the umbrella company.

Its strong-point: to preserve social protection with all the advantages associated with the employee status. An umbrella company manages contracts, insurances, invoices, and offers a true work contract for the consultant. Freed from administrative constraints, s/he is freer to dedicate himself/herself to their business. The main advantage of this system is to integrate an existing network of clients and thus enable you to obtain contracts more easily. A real luxury!