torn apart between perm/contract options

[TheBigYinJames]

Also, bear in mind if you mention any amount of money on this board, be it 200 a day or 1000 a day, some wag on here will try to make out that's mere pin money to them, they wouldn't get out of bed for it etc. There's still a lot of bravado amongst some contractors that rate you are on = personal worth.

The truth about contracting as a long term career option is that you have to be flexible during the downtimes, and they happen every 8-10 years in this market, despite what people say. If that means going perm for a while on low money, then so be it - being a contractor is a mindset, not a job. It means adapting to whatever situation you find yourself.

In the high times, that means choosing between 5 star hotels in London, but in the down times, it may mean taking a 30k job for 6 months to service your mortgage(s). Don't let the wiseacres spoil it for you.

[ukblokester]

and?

did you take the full-time option, or did you decide to make the leap into the rarified world of contracting, where every day's a holiday, every paypacket a fortune, all the permies bow down and worship your superior knowledge, tax is optional, and woman look at you with the same awe they normally reserve for Formula 1 drivers and professional football players?*

*your experience my differ from that advertised

thanks for the sarcastic comment, all i really wanted to know was if i was taking the right decision, i didn't come here with any pre-formed opinions hoping for people to confirm what i "think" is the right thing. i really appreciate all the people who took out time to show me calculations that made sense.

[ukblokester]

That's great.

For the benefit of the morale of us still on the bench, could you cheer us up with some good news?

- what's your day rate?
- is it private or public sector?
- is it using your php skills or something else?

Just so we can get some proper feedback about the state of the market from someone who knows.

Thanks in advance.

hi, seems like got you confused when i said i will sign the contract today, i meant the permie employment contract.
this is a private sector company and it uses more than just my php skills, its a senior developer role where i am responsible for mentoring devel. processes, implementing agile, seo, stability and yes i will be working on symfony.

[max]

hi, seems like got you confused when i said i will sign the contract today, i meant the permie employment contract.
this is a private sector company and it uses more than just my php skills, its a senior developer role where i am responsible for mentoring devel. processes, implementing agile, seo, stability and yes i will be working on symfony.

Report back in a month or 2, to let us know what it's like being a permi.

[TykeMerc]

Report back in a month or 2, to let us know what it's like being a permi.

He was a permie before, if you read the 1st post he was contemplating becoming a contractor rather than taking up the job offer he had or staying in his current perm role.

In todays market he made the right choice as it's a terrible time to start contracting.

[ukblokester]

In todays market he made the right choice as it's a terrible time to start contracting.

cheers mate! really appreciate your re-assurance. will see how it goes in another couple of months, but this is where it is at at the moment.