Having done the "hired gun" bit years ago, sometimes the agency was getting payment problems from the client airline. Back in 98, I was asked to stand down by the agency, when the airline had failed to make payment for some other crewmembers. My contract had been paid in full, but the others had not been. You have the possibility of being in the middle of the ****ing contest!

I echo the previous reports about compensation considerations. The tax man taketh away!