Contract Start Dates... Client unable to meet it

[LondonManc]

thanks for the replies so far. As you could probably tell I am relatively new to contracting. In summary then..... a signed contract with a start date in fact does not mean anything really. I would of thought on situations like this business is business and an expectation that the agency would look after you. Yeah probably naievety on my part but it is all learning.

1/ Are you a member of IPSE? If so, you might be able to claim for business interruption

2/ Have you had the contract reviewed for being outside IR35?

3/ Does the contract have a schedule/statement of work to determine what is being delivered?

4/ Don't believe everything/anything agents say. You don't need to supply two references to be put forward for an interview. If they insist on it, don't give them anything other than previous agents who got you your previous contracts. Obviously in your case, supply the name of a HR contact so that they can confirm the dates of your employment. If you get the gig, ask the agent to meet for a celebration drink after your first invoice has been so you can give more references for your permie world that you've left behind. He's got you the interview for the gig and buying the beer after all.

5/ Keep a cast list of who does what at your current gig and whether you'd recommend them or not (or not applicable) - you never know when you might come across them in future.

[northernladuk]

To be fair the agent is at the mercy of the client. It could 'possibly' be the client that's dragging their heels... That's a big 'possibly' though.

[ladymuck]

Clients will often have an ideal world start date and then one that exists in the real world. If you've received and signed a contract, then you're closer to getting your bum on a seat than not.

A client I'm currently in talks with ideally wanted me to start today but their PO process, and the manager going on holiday, meant that they were pushing it back to the 25th at the earliest. I don't have a contract yet so I'm now waiting to see if last week's hungover interview lands me a gig somewhere else.

[VillageContractor]

It would be smart to start looking again in case this 1 week turns into "the project has had it's budget pulled"