Answer:
independent contractor
Explanation:
The IRS uses the following 3 criteria to determine if a worker is an employee or not:
Apparently Patrick would fit quite well into the criteria of being an employee, but since he has a written agreement that states that he is an independent contractor, then that is how he should be classified. Also, it must be considered how Patrick pays his taxes, but we were not given that information.
Some states use a more strict parameter to determine if a worker is an employee, but that is not the case here.