Contract was cancelled and I'm left in a situation

**slogger** · 3 June 2020, 10:18

Originally posted by pegzyisdeed View Post

So I was happy enough in one role (London), however my Mrs wanted to relocate back home (Edinburgh). I secured a new contract with a very large firm and we moved back. Only for it all to get canned with about 1 working day before I was due to start. According to the recruiter I have zero recourse and since I've moved cities my old role is a non-starter.

So my new reality, newly advertised roles are having >150 applicants, of which there are very few of them. Hearing very little back from anyone and it's looking very grim up north :-(

Please give me hope.

with remote work being the thing now you're not isolated to work in Edinburgh - quickly call contacts at old firm and explain situation - they may be able to offer you something.

**northernladuk** · 3 June 2020, 10:27

Not sure what you want us to say. It's grim out there. Global pandemic+brexit+IR35 makes this the worst time for contracting in decades. I know it's bad news but being aware of this and planning your finances and activities to suit is the best way forward. Giving you warm cuddles and saying it will be fine is going to just lead to disappointment and worse.

Ramp up your efforts and look in places you would have never looked before i.e. perm, inside, FTC and just get anything you can for the moment.

**mjcp** · 3 June 2020, 10:34

Originally posted by pegzyisdeed View Post

...newly advertised roles are having >150 applicants...

Hearing very little back from anyone...

1. Is that all? Nothing new about >150 per role even in "normal" times. Granted, a lot of those fall into two groups: "I have applied to x jobs this week" to be able to claim Job seekers and "wannabees" from offshore, with no sponsorship/visa/right to work etc.

2. I *always* call the recruiter. Sometimes they ignore my call/don't call back, but on the whole, I believe it helps to ensure my details are at least seen and my name implanted in their mind.

Ballpark pipeline I work on is 200+ applications, 10 meaningful calls, 2 interviews (diff roles) = 1 role signed.

(I'm in Infra / Azure / Modern desktop etc and use JobServe extensively)

Its a numbers game... not sure if that helps or not, but best of luck!

M

**pictavia** · 3 June 2020, 11:00

Sorry to hear your contract has been cancelled, I hope you get sorted out with something soon. Edinburgh is a great place to live but companies up here can be very risk-averse as many of us found out during the financial crash of 2008-2009. The Barnett formula and consequentials often mean delayed investment in Scotland and an economy lagging behind England and especially London, I can't see the situation improving any time soon.

**BigDataPro** · 3 June 2020, 11:12

Sorry to hear that. If it's of any consolation, my contract got canned this week as well just after a month of starting. Being the only earner, it is tough for me but I am confident that I can manage and tough times will pass quickly like the British summer.

The current situation is nasty for many but we will prevail!

**ContractorHardman** · 3 June 2020, 11:19

I am very sad to see your situation and it is an extremely tough time out there.

You haven't really said much about what you do and what the contract was for?

The harsh reality is that over the past few months, the contracting industry has went through the toughest times. There is nothing any of us here is going to say that will find you the next contract. I know the feeling of moving and to have things fall apart due to one thing or another.

What I have seen over the past couple of days on LinkedIn is more and more new roles starting to come out. Get in touch with Head Resourcing. I have seen them post up 3 new BA roles this morning and they are busy. I also highly recommend them. Graeme Cox leads up the contracts team.

Best of luck, try and guilt trip the missus in to doing stuff she wouldn't normally do in the bedroom to make up for it*

*A wee joke to try and make you laugh

**ladymuck** · 3 June 2020, 11:37

Originally posted by ContractorHardman View Post

I am very sad to see your situation and it is an extremely tough time out there.

You haven't really said much about what you do and what the contract was for?

The harsh reality is that over the past few months, the contracting industry has went through the toughest times. There is nothing any of us here is going to say that will find you the next contract. I know the feeling of moving and to have things fall apart due to one thing or another.

What I have seen over the past couple of days on LinkedIn is more and more new roles starting to come out. Get in touch with Head Resourcing. I have seen them post up 3 new BA roles this morning and they are busy. I also highly recommend them. Graeme Cox leads up the contracts team.

Best of luck, try and guilt trip the missus in to doing stuff she wouldn't normally do in the bedroom to make up for it*

*A wee joke to try and make you laugh

+1 for Head Resourcing - really good team there, I've spoken to Eryn often (but she's just been furloughed!) I follow a number of the team on LI and they are regularly posting roles in the Glasgow - Edinburgh corridor.

**Old Greg** · 3 June 2020, 12:05

Sorry to hear it.

**PCTNN** · 3 June 2020, 12:21

Originally posted by pegzyisdeed View Post

So I was happy enough in one role (London), however my Mrs wanted to relocate back home (Edinburgh). I secured a new contract with a very large firm and we moved back. Only for it all to get canned with about 1 working day before I was due to start. According to the recruiter I have zero recourse and since I've moved cities my old role is a non-starter.

So my new reality, newly advertised roles are having >150 applicants, of which there are very few of them. Hearing very little back from anyone and it's looking very grim up north :-(

Please give me hope.

Assuming you have had previous roles in London, you can look for roles that are based there as well. All the job ads I'm looking at are for working from home to start with and going to the office when the pandemic is over. Who knows how long offices will stay close, could be 1/6/12 months....

You can play a bit dirty and get a role "in london", lie about being able to go to the office when the pandemic is over and hope that you'll be able to work the whole contract remotely. In the event the client opens up the office before your contract is over and you're asked to go in, just give notice and that's that.

Unethical? Probably yes, a bit. But better than burning through your warchest waiting for this to be over. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Contract was cancelled and I'm left in a situation