When is a 6 month contract not a 6 month contract...

[uk contractor]

Man up OP this happens all the time they pay you well & when your surplus to requirements they discard you faster than you can blink an eyelid! Nature of the beast just move onto something else & or take some bench leave over xmas.

[WordIsBond]

Definitely NCOTBAC.

Luckily most people with a decent set of cojones don't feel the need to rant about stuff that's part and parcel of what we do or we'd be knee deep in rants.

+1

But to be fair, this IS the Internet. 90% of the 'Net is rants about stuff that's part and parcel of life. The other 10% is porn, which is about what sad losers wish was part and parcel of their life.

[jmo21]

and in answer to the OP's thread title "When is a 6 month contract not a 6 month contract..."

Well.... never......

a 6 month contract is the "expected term". Zero guarantee's whatsoever.

It's a shame you had to experience an early end to fully appreciate this.

As others have said as well, it won't look bad on your CV, you won't be telling people it got cut short, and you can't say "oh but I had other opportunities that I could have taken" as they had no guarantees either.

I will add as well, from my experience, and of seeing other contractors I've worked with over the years, you are more likely to be extended than to have a contract cut short.

I myself recently had a contract pulled at the last minute (Thursday before a Monday start), and I've only ever seen 2 other guys have contracts cut short in 8 years contracting (seen a couple of donkeys given the boot right enough).

So while it comes with the territory, over a long contracting career, I'd say you are more likely to be toasting your success at lucrative extensions than commiserating over contracts being cut short.

[psychocandy]

and in answer to the OP's thread title "When is a 6 month contract not a 6 month contract..."

Well.... never......

a 6 month contract is the "expected term". Zero guarantee's whatsoever.

It's a shame you had to experience an early end to fully appreciate this.

As others have said as well, it won't look bad on your CV, you won't be telling people it got cut short, and you can't say "oh but I had other opportunities that I could have taken" as they had no guarantees either.

I will add as well, from my experience, and of seeing other contractors I've worked with over the years, you are more likely to be extended than to have a contract cut short.

I myself recently had a contract pulled at the last minute (Thursday before a Monday start), and I've only ever seen 2 other guys have contracts cut short in 8 years contracting (seen a couple of donkeys given the boot right enough).

So while it comes with the territory, over a long contracting career, I'd say you are more likely to be toasting your success at lucrative extensions than commiserating over contracts being cut short.

jmo - beat you. Had a friday 3pm before monday pulled once.

Had one cut short once. By just a week. Penny pinching client there who worked out they could save a quid.

[Platypus]

By just a week. Penny pinching client there who worked out they could save a quid.

A quid a week is quite a low rate. I'd say you were better off out of it

[piotrkula]

Yea. I found that last week in Dec is a fantastic time to be finish contract. I landed a sweet new contract within 3 days, cause they needed me to start like first week in Jan.

As far as you CV goes just put 3 months down and say 1 month was a holiday if you so worried about those number games.

They basically warned you that the money ran out so time to hand in notice and move on.

[seanraaron]

Most American companies shut down for the last two weeks of December and if you're permanent you either use your annual leave to cover the non-public holidays or you don't get paid for that time. I pretty much assume any large company, like a bank, will do the same over here and increasingly, they are.

I started my current job in November and although I could have worked most of that period, I already had a holiday booked for the first week and didn't see the point of working three days in the second so I'm facing no pay for this and next week. Sucks, but such is life.

Unless your next job is with a government agency that wants a full account of your time I can't see why a couple of weeks would matter.