I personally don't see anything wrong with approaching them as a contractor. You know the applications, and you can set your own rate. If they truly want help t

I personally don't see anything wrong with approaching them as a contractor. You know the applications, and you can set your own rate. If they truly want help they will hire you as a contractor. I actually was in an identical situation years ago with a former employer years ago. When I got out of college, I went to work for a government contractor for about 3 years doing network administration on a Novell network with cc:Mail. During that time I had upgraded their entire network and built several database systems for them. I later left for a higher paying startup (the first internet bubble in the late 90s). However, I knew the first company still needed help, so I worked out an agreement with them to be a contractor. I would come in 2-3 days a week at night, install updates, manage users, fix desktops, whatever needed to be done. I was making double as a contractor than I was making as an employee. On the down side, I was a 1099 so I was responsible for my taxes, but that wasn't too bad. I did this for about a year, but then burning the candle at both ends I needed some me time so I quit contracting. It is fairly common in the government world to see employees leave and return as contractors at higher rates.