Cancel contract after one week

[czakky]

So 1 week after starting my new contract I got an offer from another position, which is much better paid.

I will inform then on monday, that the position is not exciting for me; I will respect the one month notice period but I won't continue there.

Is there a nice way to do it?

Thanks

I hope your end client shouts from social media about who you are, and your new gig gets cancelled - this is exactly the kind of behavior that hurts everyone in the market.

Think of it from my point of view; what if I found a cheaper contractor part way through a contract for a client? Can I just cancel your contract and replace you? (Here's a hint - contractually I can, but I never would, its just plain disrespectful and outright dumb)

And also, why lie and say the position is "not exciting enough for you"? Why not just admit that you are running for more money?

Also be aware that it's a small market within a lot of IT technologies, and people will talk - a bad reputation can wreck your career as much as bad technical skills can.

[SlipTheJab]

Oh I've definitely left mid contract, but not for money. Normally it boils down to unreasonable client behavior. Basically they are clients that I don't plan on working for again, this is part of the attraction of contracting for me. As for taking the £100 extra a day role, as well as firmly burning a bridge with the client there is a risk that you will end up on the bench. Till you get through the door and become a real person, lots of clients will chop and change. It can range from a delayed start date to complete cancellation of the contract. I agree that if it was the other way around and the client suddenly had someone come available for £100 a day less and they though they were as good as your kind self, your feet wouldn't touch the ground.

Exactly, client is reasonable, local and I can see a lot more business coming my way from there in the future, why would I burn that bridge for an extra 100 notes a day for 3 months, agree if the client was a twunt they can swivvel

[SlipTheJab]

I hope your end client shouts from social media about who you are, and your new gig gets cancelled - this is exactly the kind of behavior that hurts everyone in the market.

Think of it from my point of view; what if I found a cheaper contractor part way through a contract for a client? Can I just cancel your contract and replace you? (Here's a hint - contractually I can, but I never would, its just plain disrespectful and outright dumb)

And also, why lie and say the position is "not exciting enough for you"? Why not just admit that you are running for more money?

Also be aware that it's a small market within a lot of IT technologies, and people will talk - a bad reputation can wreck your career as much as bad technical skills can.

And that's why I don't use agents, you all think way too much of yourselves, its the client and contractor that are are driver, do me a favour and stop pretending that you can do what you say, I can see the client saying ok we'll bin the guy who knows what he's doing and replace him with one who doesn't just so you can make an extra 10 notes a day, you're happy to just sit there and take the commission for as long as you can.

[LondonManc]

to everyone saying he should stay...

if it's a business to business relationship what makes their business more important than yours?

What makes their business more important? Without theirs, you don't get paid.

Notice period is in there to protect either side - if they wanted you to stay longer the notice would have been longer (or it would be pay-on-completion / pay-on-deliverable, which trumps the bathroom fitter argument)

Notice period is in there to protect either side is it? Good luck with that one. You've clearly never been asked to leave on a day's notice because of political decisions up the food chain. Being paid notice is for perms and in lucky circumstances if a project has turned to tulip. The contract would have been for a longer initial time frame if they thought your deliverables would take longer, not the notice period.

unless you're all really just disguised employees?

A disguised perm would probably want paying for notice that they don't have to work

they wouldn't hesitate to invoke notice and ditch you if they wanted to

Which contradicts what you said earlier about notice periods.

Most times I have a desk. And given the tulip computers I've had at the last 4 clients can I just use my own laptop....

But if you want away after a week say sorry its not for me and don't invoice...

Correct. If you can't deliver anything, why should you be paid for it?

I hope your end client shouts from social media about who you are, and your new gig gets cancelled - this is exactly the kind of behavior that hurts everyone in the market.

Think of it from my point of view; what if I found a cheaper contractor part way through a contract for a client? Can I just cancel your contract and replace you? (Here's a hint - contractually I can, but I never would, its just plain disrespectful and outright dumb)

And also, why lie and say the position is "not exciting enough for you"? Why not just admit that you are running for more money?

Also be aware that it's a small market within a lot of IT technologies, and people will talk - a bad reputation can wreck your career as much as bad technical skills can.

Spot on. I've seen people not pass cv sifting because they poo-pooed a gig a couple of years previously.

[pr1]

Quote Originally Posted by pr1 View Post
to everyone saying he should stay...

if it's a business to business relationship what makes their business more important than yours?
What makes their business more important? Without theirs, you don't get paid.

if your contract/payment terms are to sit on a chair and submit a timesheet for how long you've been on the chair, then they'll pay you for sitting on your chair, if it's to deliver something and you deliver it in the first week, then you'll get paid, if not, you wont

Quote Originally Posted by pr1 View Post
Notice period is in there to protect either side - if they wanted you to stay longer the notice would have been longer (or it would be pay-on-completion / pay-on-deliverable, which trumps the bathroom fitter argument)

Notice period is in there to protect either side is it? Good luck with that one. You've clearly never been asked to leave on a day's notice because of political decisions up the food chain. Being paid notice is for perms and in lucky circumstances if a project has turned to tulip. The contract would have been for a longer initial time frame if they thought your deliverables would take longer, not the notice period.
i have, actually, been dropped mid contract by the client invoking my (and 4 other contractors) 1-week notice clause. Yes it's a pain, but if I wanted more protection I'd have negotiated it

Quote Originally Posted by pr1 View Post
unless you're all really just disguised employees?
A disguised perm would probably want paying for notice that they don't have to work

Quote Originally Posted by pr1 View Post
they wouldn't hesitate to invoke notice and ditch you if they wanted to
Which contradicts what you said earlier about notice periods.
no it doesn't?

[LondonManc]

Notice period is in there to protect either side is it? Good luck with that one. You've clearly never been asked to leave on a day's notice because of political decisions up the food chain. Being paid notice is for perms and in lucky circumstances if a project has turned to tulip. The contract would have been for a longer initial time frame if they thought your deliverables would take longer, not the notice period.
i have, actually, been dropped mid contract by the client invoking my (and 4 other contractors) 1-week notice clause. Yes it's a pain, but if I wanted more protection I'd have negotiated it

Quote Originally Posted by pr1 View Post
they wouldn't hesitate to invoke notice and ditch you if they wanted to
Which contradicts what you said earlier about notice periods.
no it doesn't?

So, you'll negotiate more protection but they can still bin you off at a moment's notice?
Talk me through how that works.

[pr1]

So, you'll negotiate more protection but they can still bin you off at a moment's notice?
Talk me through how that works.

Ah I see what you're saying - they wanted 1 week notice either way be able to handover so that our stuff could be picked up at a later date - they could still have binned us using the "invoking notice but we don't need your services any day next week" angle if they wanted, I suppose, but they'd have struggled to pick up where we left off

I won't negotiate more protection but they (client) might have - sounds like 4 weeks in OP's case

[LondonManc]

Ah I see what you're saying - they wanted 1 week notice either way be able to handover so that our stuff could be picked up at a later date - they could still have binned us using the "invoking notice but we don't need your services any day next week" angle if they wanted, I suppose, but they'd have struggled to pick up where we left off

I won't negotiate more protection but they (client) might have - sounds like 4 weeks in OP's case

Yes, you have no protection whatsoever - "sorry, the budget has been pulled and the project canned. We'll sign your timesheet off for the rest of the day, please sort your timesheets out and clear your desk."

[pr1]

Yes, you have no protection whatsoever - "sorry, the budget has been pulled and the project canned. We'll sign your timesheet off for the rest of the day, please sort your timesheets out and clear your desk."

that's sort of my point - you have no protection but you're (advising OP to be) hesitant to invoke a 1-month notice clause? (i.e. their protection)

(I accept my original post should have been "the notice clause is in there to protect them" not "both sides")

[LondonManc]

that's sort of my point - you have no protection but you're (advising OP to be) hesitant to invoke a 1-month notice clause? (i.e. their protection)

(I accept my original post should have been "the notice clause is in there to protect them" not "both sides")

That makes sense. It's just one of the hazards of contracting and is no doubt similar outside IT.