taking long breaks

[Hugh Jardon]

Very appropriate avatar given your name

One does try...........

[Bee]

I took more than 2 years off. I found a new contract after spending 4 months searching.

Hi,

I was wondering what peoples experiences have been if they've tried contracting for say 6 months a year and having 6 months off .. I'm now in my 50s, mortgage paid off, pension (sipp) ok, and currently enough savings to last a year on the bench without having to sell any assets so financially I should be ok .. unless I did go without work for over a year! If I did work for 6 months that would last me another 6 months now so theoretically I would be able to be on the bench for 18 months from finishing a contract.

If anyone has done this how did they find their prospective clients responded to large gaps - I've only spoken to one person who did this and he said he had quite negative experiences/feedback when trying to get new contracts - practical or a pie in the sky pre-retirement idea (figure 3 years to go before I retire)?

thanks
Slogger

[Bee]

LM you are quite right. When my current contract ends I'm going to have to get someone to physically remove my laptop and other devices from me so that I can't check out prospective gigs. Probably have to pay someone to take my agency calls too! I'll have to be locked into a cell somewhere to deal with my withdrawal symptoms. But I'll come out feeling so much better.

Oh yes, you will...

[northernladuk]

I took more than 2 years off. I found a new contract after spending 4 months searching.

I don't wish to be rude but is this I Portugal or the UK?

[Bee]

I don't wish to be rude but is this I Portugal or the UK?

The European Union. Oh, wait...

[northernladuk]

The European Union. Oh, wait...

So pretty useless feedback on a UK site. Might be worth pointing out you aren't in the UK when giving advice like this?

[Bee]

So pretty useless feedback on a UK site. Might be worth pointing out you aren't in the UK when giving advice like this?

What advice?

[SueEllen]

What advice?

Some of your random statements actually count as advice.

Though people get what they pay for on this site.

[northernladuk]

Some of your random statements actually count as advice.

Though people get what they pay for on this site.

Indeed but they should be able to assume what they are reading relates to the UK.

[Bee]

Some of your random statements actually count as advice.

Though people get what they pay for on this site.

Here we go again!!!
I'm not going to spend my Latin explaining all over again.
Keep your closed mentality only in the UK market.

Good luck!