Holidays and IT Contracting

[darrylmg]

Took holiday mid contract.
Client's budget was for x days, I worked x minus "holiday days", so client just extended the contract by the amount of holiday I took, because the money had already been budgeted. Could only happen if you work on projects, but it just goes to show.

[Peter Loew]

Took holiday mid contract.
Client's budget was for x days, I worked x minus "holiday days", so client just extended the contract by the amount of holiday I took, because the money had already been budgeted. Could only happen if you work on projects, but it just goes to show.

This. Although I haven't had such a contract, I've known other contractors to sign up to a fixed number of days, which means even if they take holiday, they still are obliged to carry out working remaining days.

[BolshieBastard]

Always took holidays out of contract. Why turn down days earning? Take them when out of contract. How can you be in business and take a holiday when in a contract? Does your builder \ electrician \ plumber go on holiday in the middle of doing work for you? No.

[JRCT]

Always took holidays out of contract. Why turn down days earning? Take them when out of contract. How can you be in business and take a holiday when in a contract? Does your builder \ electrician \ plumber go on holiday in the middle of doing work for you? No.

Probably not, but generally speaking your builder/ plumber will fit your job around his existing commitments. Including his family holiday, I presume.

[curtis]

Plumbers don't tend to come round and stay for 3 to 6 months at a time and if they had a break would arrange the job before or after the holiday so not quite the same.

Also when people say they take their holiday at the end of a contract what if last minute where you are renews that could be the first week or two lost as your away. What if while your away a job comes that you lose out on as you can't interview for. There are many ways to have lost days but why fret about it if you want a holiday have it, there is more to life than work.

[vadhert]

I go on holiday mid contract quite often as I find it rare to be out of contract.

I don't see a problem with this as money shouldn't be an issue as we budget a certain amount of time off.

Now with regards to the end client. I negotiate my time off with them but in 15 years of contracting I have never had a client say 'No'.

Maybe I have been lucky.

[TheFaQQer]

Does your builder \ electrician \ plumber go on holiday in the middle of doing work for you? No.

I don't get a plumber in for two years and expect him not to take a day off, though.

[DannyF1966]

Always took holidays out of contract. Why turn down days earning? Take them when out of contract. How can you be in business and take a holiday when in a contract? Does your builder \ electrician \ plumber go on holiday in the middle of doing work for you? No.

I've been contracting for just over a year and my first contract was extended four times, the week before it ended I was able to find another contract that started the following Monday, and now that contract's been extended into the new year. I have to take time off mid-contract because I haven't actually had any in-between contract time yet!

Had two weeks off in July, having another two weeks off over Christmas. That'll mean 17 days vacation this year plus the 8 public holidays (oh, and a day I took off to get some repairs done to the car). Next year I'm going to be more regimented about my time off, see if I can get a couple of weeks three or four times a year.

I get agencies contact me fairly frequently to see if I'm available so I'm not overly worried about finding a new contract when this one ends, but you can't afford to be too complacent. When I have a contract I like to see it through and not let anyone down, and it doesn't seem right to me to take a week off in the middle of a three-month gig. The time off I've had so far has always been at the end of one contract period and before the extension starts.

Still pretty new to the game and building up a warchest, so the financial implications of taking time off are always at the back of my mind.

[SueEllen]

Probably not, but generally speaking your builder/ plumber will fit your job around his existing commitments. Including his family holiday, I presume.

^^^This

I had a plumber who went off for a long weekend. He made up for it by working the next weekend.

[DannyF1966]

^^^This

I had a plumber who went off for a long weekend. He made up for it by working the next weekend.

As long as he didn't leave the job half finished in the meantime. Can't imagine a plumber ripping out your bathroom and then disappearing for a few days, but anything's possible I guess!