Longest period of time on the bench

[scooterscot]

4 months - 2 of them unplanned - probably should add enough in the war chest to last me years and years

[Pete Cullen]

My longest was 4 days.

Same for me, but I'm very glad I'm not looking during this current downturn. My current gig came through someone I worked with at my last place, so no agency. But come the end of January they are looking for a permie. Hope it doesn't take a long time to find something else

[Torran]

3 months back in 2003.

[cupidstunt]

6 weeks for me

[wantacontract]

Whats ur skillset, which locations do you consider?

Infrastructure Project Management, (VoIP;Microsoft;Cisco) roll outs....

Consider anywhere!!

[spud]

2 weeks now - wish I'd used the 2 years i've been expecting the contract to end to start looking!

My problem is I need a test management contract but jobs no longer seem aligned to skills but industry/companies.

Are there industries to avoid?

Also, seems alot of jobs are using the excuse of the cc to reduce rates to rediculous levels.

[NotAllThere]

3 months, waiting for SC to come through, but considered that holiday more than anything else as the contract rate (once it began) was almost as much as I'm on now.

Otherwise, the longest was 6 weeks - April 2000 to mid May 2000.

[ratewhore]

Never been on the bench although I've taken long breaks when I wanted them (one 5 months, one 6 months).

Long may that continue, particularly on my present rate...

[DS23]

first three months of 2006 is the only time i have spent on the bench.

oh apart from a month in 2004 when the agency i was using went down the plughole. i hadn't really lost the gig though - just lost ability to work there whilst the legal and financial mess was sorted. my god that was a nightmare.

[Turion]

Seems that good 'ol bench time has a stigma attached. Strange how a lot of this bench time was 'planned'. I thought that holidays should not be counted as bench time, so why mention say you were on bench for X months, but Y was actually holiday - honest guv?

If I'd known I'd be on the bench for 6 months in 2002/3 I supposed that would have been planned also so doesn't count. In a way it was planned as I knew it would take a long time to find something....So I'm not counting it now, and I also used it for training . Same goes for any other bench time Max time on bench is now 3 hours

Seriously, things will look a lot worse next year when the question is again asked. Some of you are gonna have the chance real long holidays of lifetime, (if you can afford it). hope you've put something away.