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how long do you typically stay on a contract?

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    #51
    Prior to the coinciding IR35 legislations and Covid, 12 to 18 months. Unbroken for 20 years.

    Since then, sporadic and isolated attempts to do things lasting 1 to 4 months. But then, I am fighting the Outside corner...

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      #52
      Originally posted by simes View Post
      Prior to the coinciding IR35 legislations and Covid, 12 to 18 months. Unbroken for 20 years.

      Since then, sporadic and isolated attempts to do things lasting 1 to 4 months. But then, I am fighting the Outside corner...
      You are going to fail at some point and more than once as it's the new future so why not embrace it and make it part of your business model? Not ideal, I get it, but can't control the market so go with the flow.
      'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

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        #53
        Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

        You are going to fail at some point and more than once as it's the new future so why not embrace it and make it part of your business model? Not ideal, I get it, but can't control the market so go with the flow.
        I know this makes sense and I respect your opinion.....but....the thought of working inside IR35 just makes my skin crawl, not rational, probably not 'professional' but just the way it is.

        And shortest contract? 3 days....when the Outside IR35 role onboarding started off with 'here's your uniform polo shirt' and went downhill from there.

        Average length contract? Generally anywhere between 6 months and two years but no real 'average', just whatever is needed.

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          #54
          Originally posted by David71 View Post
          I know this makes sense and I respect your opinion.....but....the thought of working inside IR35 just makes my skin crawl, not rational, probably not 'professional' but just the way it is.
          Yeah and I can get that. I was disappointed when I got my first one but to be fair it had a considerable rate uplift so financially it was an equal move and actually made no different to my attitude once I rocked up so gives you a different perspective once you've taken the plunge and seen it's not actually that bad.
          And shortest contract? 3 days....when the Outside IR35 role onboarding started off with 'here's your uniform polo shirt' and went downhill from there.
          Ooops
          'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

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            #55
            Originally posted by Paralytic View Post
            I'd be more interested in hearing people's shortest gigs. Who's walked on day 1 after finding out the role was not as expected. Who's turned up to find out the project has been canned and never made it past reception?
            I once quit on the first day of a contract with a major retailer as a SQL dev. Turns out they had some kind of problem with processing payments and some PM who used to be the cleaning lady (??!!) was put in charge of fixing it. They all had decided that it would be fixed in one week , not because that's how long it would take but that's when they wanted it done. In the afternoon I had a meeting with the old Database dev who said the cleaning lady was nuts and her plan to fix the DB was nonsense. All day long everyone was telling me the last guy had walked after one day and the cleaning lady begged me to come back the next day while I nonchalantly made sure not to leave anything there. I never came back and they went into administration one month later.

            We once had a javascript dev join our team who was sent home before he could get access and even write one line of code. The permie who made the decision said it was because he didn't like the way the contractor talked about writing code but it was actually that the guy was muslim and didn't drink, therefore wouldn't be a drinking buddy.

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              #56
              Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

              You are going to fail at some point and more than once as it's the new future so why not embrace it and make it part of your business model? Not ideal, I get it, but can't control the market so go with the flow.
              I concur entirely with the sentiment and maybe others can embrace with open arms.

              I was Inside briefly but there were issues with the Umbrella and perhaps pessimistically, I am waiting for all the HMRC enquiries to come flooding through to the end contractors after the brollies have had their two months in the business sun and then run off. I resigned.

              I have other income and other, admittedly, less well paying endeavours so am trying to push back on as many agents as possible with a Pro Forma email saying No to blanket Inside 'assessments' and to let their clients know they aren't getting access to the full contractor pool. I will see how this works and think again come January.

              As for going Inside, as a point of clarity, if it is Inside, then can it be called a Business Model?

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                #57
                Well true I was fighting outside corner too.
                at the beginning with inside hammer out and pandemic impact the rates dipped down to tulip only to pick up by several 10s of percent making me want to quit the low paying one, which I did (so 4 months there)


                the more paying ones turned out to be short (5 months), with the project getting a can making me and others redundant. Guys wanted to pursue no-code/low code and didn’t need devs

                got public sector gig only to be harassed by the manager. Long story short it was the most stressing job in my life. Got 0 day notice after 2 months.

                next gig the job dried out and I was given 1 hour task to do over 2 weeks, with literally nothing else to be done. I raised it, got week notice after 2 months there as a result. Probably should have kept quiet and invent work.

                next gig got demoted after few months giving me 20% cut. Hurts my ego , but holding on to it as I need longer gig. 4 months down the line being offered almost 50% higher rate but probably for short period again.

                My life atm
                Last edited by GitMaster69; 18 September 2022, 11:46.

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                  #58
                  Originally posted by Paralytic View Post
                  I'd be more interested in hearing people's shortest gigs. Who's walked on day 1 after finding out the role was not as expected. Who's turned up to find out the project has been canned and never made it past reception?
                  I walked on day 1, once.

                  It was a gig down Portsmouth way that I wasn't entirely convinced by but decided to give it a go. On day 1, after being traipsed around a hideous building (I mean the way the working environment was configured, not the architecture) and introduced to one jobsworth after another, I decided on the not inconsiderable drive home that this wasn't the job for me.

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                    #59
                    When you lot leave on day one, do you just decide this isnt for you and then go back home and carry on your life? Or do you let the agency guy know you aren't coming back?

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                      #60
                      Originally posted by dranzer01 View Post
                      When you lot leave on day one, do you just decide this isnt for you and then go back home and carry on your life? Or do you let the agency guy know you aren't coming back?
                      What a daft question. Of course you tell the agency. This allows them to tell the client and present another candidate asap.

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