Contractor agreement for an events crew member

Events crew are booked job by job, often at short notice, for shifts that run through the night, and businesses that call them self-employed need to be sure that is what they are: a crew member who works for several companies, decides which jobs to take and brings their own skills and kit is a contractor; one on a company's rota, required to accept shifts, supervised throughout and paid by the hour is likely to be a worker with minimum wage and holiday rights whatever the booking form says. The agreement has to reflect the first arrangement where it is real, and deal with pay, safety and the client's site either way. I draft it, for the company or for the crew member, for a fixed fee of £595, delivered in five working days. Whether an individual is self-employed is checked case by case with HMRC's Check Employment Status for Tax tool, which no agreement can pre-empt.

Who this is for

Event production companies, AV and staging businesses, exhibition contractors, festival organisers and crewing agencies in England and Wales engaging riggers, technicians, stage crew, stewards and hospitality crew per job, and crew members who want to understand their position.

What matters in an events crew agreement

Jobs, bookings and the freedom to decline

The agreement should say that the company offers jobs (date, venue, role, call time, expected duration, rate) which the crew member may accept or decline, that there is no obligation on the company to offer work or on the crew member to accept it, that an accepted job is a commitment with a stated notice for withdrawing and an obligation to find a replacement the company approves, and that the crew member may work for other companies; a crewing business that penalises declined jobs with fewer offers is operating a rota, and the agreement should match the practice rather than contradict it.

The status question for casual crew

Each job may be a separate engagement, but a crew member who personally performs work for a company that is not their customer is a worker under section 230 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 for that job unless they are in business on their own account, and the courts look at substitution, control, integration and the economic reality rather than the label; self-employed status is more credible for skilled technicians with their own kit and several clients than for general crew supervised throughout a shift. The agreement reflects a self-employed engagement where that is the arrangement, and the company should engage casual workers or employees where it wants control, with the rights under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and the Working Time Regulations 1998 that follow.

Pay per shift, hours and the minimum wage

The agreement should state the rate per shift or per hour, the minimum call, overtime beyond the expected duration, night and bank holiday rates, breaks, travel and accommodation for jobs away, how hours are recorded and confirmed, and the invoicing and payment cycle with interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998; if the crew member is in fact a worker, the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 applies to every hour worked, including waiting time on site, and a rate per shift that falls below it for a long shift is a liability the agreement cannot exclude.

Safety, manual handling and working at height

The company owes duties under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to crew affected by its undertaking whether or not they are employees, and the agreement should require the crew member to hold the training and certificates the role needs (manual handling under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, working at height, rigging, forklift, electrical), to follow the company's and the venue's safety rules and risk assessments, to use the personal protective equipment required, to report incidents, and to stop work where it is unsafe; the company should provide briefings, supervision where the role needs it, and its own insurance, with the crew member's own public liability cover where they are self-employed.

Conduct, confidentiality and the client's site

Crew work on clients' sites and at private events, and the agreement should require compliance with the client's and venue's rules, confidentiality about the event, the client and the people attending, no photographs or social media unless permitted, no alcohol or drugs on shift, dress and conduct standards, and the return of passes and equipment; a crew member whose conduct causes the company to lose a client is a crew member who is not offered further jobs, which is the self-employed sanction, rather than one who is disciplined.

Cancellation, no-shows and ending

The agreement should state the cancellation fee where the company cancels a job inside a stated period, the consequence where the crew member withdraws late or fails to attend (no fee, the cost of a replacement where the agreement provides, and no further offers), the company's right to end a job early with pay to a minimum, and the crew member's own data under the UK GDPR, including right to work records the company must hold under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 whatever the status; the agreement runs on short notice on both sides, without exclusivity.

What it costs

Consultancy or contractor agreement, £595. Drafted for your business. Five working days.

Template set for repeat use, £895. One master agreement plus a short-form schedule you can reuse for every engagement. Five working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the consultancy and contractor agreements page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A clear, express assignment of intellectual property to your business
• Confidentiality provisions that protect your business information
• Restrictive covenants drafted at a scope a court will uphold
• Clear treatment of status, so the arrangement is not accidentally something else
• Payment, deliverables and termination provisions that match how you work
• A reusable structure, so the next engagement costs you nothing

What is not included

• Employment status determinations and off-payroll working assessments, which need your accountant
• Tax advice
• Disputes with a contractor you have already engaged
• Immigration and right to work compliance

Questions I am often asked

Our crew are booked per event and sign a self-employed form. Are they workers?

They may be, for each job, if they must perform the work personally under the company's supervision and are not in business on their own account. The form does not decide it. Skilled technicians with their own kit and several clients are more credibly self-employed than general crew on a rota.

Can we charge a crew member who does not turn up?

The agreement can provide that no fee is paid and that the cost of a replacement is recoverable where the crew member withdrew without the required notice, and that no further jobs are offered. A fine that bears no relation to the loss is a penalty.

Do we have to pay the minimum wage to self-employed crew?

Not if they are self-employed in substance. If they are in fact workers, yes, for every hour including waiting time, and a per-shift rate that falls below it for a long shift is a claim waiting to be made.

Related guidance and services

• Consultancy and contractor agreements, £595, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Employment contracts and handbooks, £595
• Contractor agreement for a fitness instructor

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: October 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.