u/KvN161

I’m a QA Engineering Manager (6 years in my current role, 15+ years total experience) and my company was recently acquired. My UK employment is being terminated, and the new US-based owner (Delaware) wants to rehire me as a "consultant" as they have no UK entity.

​I’ve never been a long-term contractor before and have a few questions for the seasoned pros here:

​IR35 Status: As if essentially be an employee in all but name. I assume it's inside IR35?

​Day Rate Calculation: My previous salary was £60k. I’m the sole QA on the platform, so I’m thinking £500/day as a floor.. does this seem reasonable for a Lead/Manager QA role in the current market?

​The "Sham Redundancy" Risk: If I receive redundancy pay from the old UK entity and start as a contractor for the new US owner the next day doing the same job, are there any tax pitfalls I should be aware of?

​Any advice on setting up the Ltd company (if needed), getting a contract review (Qdos/IPSE), or negotiating with a US buyer who doesn't understand UK tax law would be amazing.

Hey everyone, looking for some advice/sanity check on a confusing situation.

I’ve been at a UK startup for 6 years (joined as the first QA during the pandemic). I’ve moved up the ranks and for the last 2 years, I’ve been heads-down on a specific project.

Last week, a US company bought all the assets of the company i'm employed with. We have a new American CEO now. On Friday, he sent me an email saying that because they’re a US employer, they’ll be "renewing my contract in the future."

Why I'm sweating:

• I’m a permanent full-time employee, not a contractor.
• I’ve got 6 years of seniority and a 60-day notice period that I really don't want to lose.
• I’m worried they’re going to try and "Americanize" my terms... basically stripping away UK protections to make me "at-will" or something similar.

The old CEO also reached out to me privately on Friday. I’m assuming he wants to give me the inside scoop on what the new guys are planning.

The big question: Is "renewing your contract" code for "we're about to nerf your benefits and fire you in six months"?

I’m remote, and I know US work culture can be way more cutthroat than the UK. Should I start polishing the CV and looking for the exit now, or is it worth riding out the transition?

Anyone been through a US acquisition before? How'd it go for your contract?