Not sure contracting beats permie anymore

[weemster]

ok thanks
but I'm worried about lack of prestige in contracting
sure, it ,pays good when you're working to get a good car so society can look at you and say "wow, he looks a success"
however in the workplace we don't necessarily get treated with respect. They can fire you immediately if they needed to. They can throw trashy work at you. They can be nasty to you.

Agreed, this can be a downside, but most of these things can happy to a
permy too. I like the fact that you are in charge of yor own career progression and also the fact there is natural change i.e when a contract finishes you move on, this imo is healthy and keeps things fresh and new....obviously this upside is only really realised once you have built up a nice big pot of cash and can really start enjoying contracting and the life style that goes with it, luckily for me the last seven years have been on a good rate and pretty much always in a contract - so I can - I hope others can to

[contractor79]

Agreed, this can be a downside, but most of these things can happy to a
permy too. I like the fact that you are in charge of yor own career progression and also the fact there is natural change i.e when a contract finishes you move on, this imo is healthy and keeps things fresh and new....obviously this upside is only really realised once you have built up a nice big pot of cash and can really start enjoying contracting and the life style that goes with it, luckily for me the last seven years have been on a good rate and pretty much always in a contract - so I can - I hope others can to

yes, well done, mr meerkat

[Mr.Whippy]

do you need to go back to permie sometime for 2-3 years to get up-to-date then back out contracting?

Yes, I think you need to permie for 2-3 years minimum... then during that time please go do all your sock-puppeting at www.permieuk.com.

[herman_g]

Yes, I think you need to permie for 2-3 years minimum... then during that time please go do all your sock-puppeting at www.permieuk.com.

WHS. It is tough in the market and the real contractors who are temporarily suffering in this market need all the positive vibes they can get!

[FarmerPalmer]

however in the workplace we don't necessarily get treated with respect. They can fire you immediately if they needed to. They can throw trashy work at you. They can be nasty to you.

sounds just like my last permie job.

I may not be earning as well as my last permie job but I am a lot happier and feel a lot more secure

[contractor79]

sounds just like my last permie job.

I may not be earning as well as my last permie job but I am a lot happier and feel a lot more secure

hmm, so does your happiness as a contractor depend on the present more than the past, would you say

[SueEllen]

however in the workplace we don't necessarily get treated with respect. They can fire you immediately if they needed to. They can throw trashy work at you. They can be nasty to you.

That happened in my last permanent workplace as well.

In fact the only companies I've seen treat people with respect regardless of position in the company, are companies where I was a contractor. Sadly they don't exist any more as they were gobbled up by bigger concerns...........

[kaiser78]

In my experience and in my simple mind, the harder a time you get as a contractor, means the more envious the person is that you are actually a contractor. To me from past experience that is prestige in itself.

[chris79]

Just do whatever suits your situation at the time. I think some people are fooled into thinking that discussing being a perm is as if you're no good, or can't hack it, etc..

I did 2years on a gig with good money, finally got bored and it came to an end, stayed contracting though.. found it quite tough since last year.. was those 3 monthers where you go in at a s**t rate, get dumped with all the s**t.. not able to land a good rate 12 monther etc.. finally decided that I wasn't being compensated at all for the high risks involved being a contractor..

Now back in a perm job on half the money, but in (what I think) is a good company to get a lot of new experience, and perhaps work my way up to a level where the money is enough to deter me from considering contracting again.. the fact it's on my doorstep is the big seller for me as I have 2 young kids to consider.. money and staying away from home can't compensate for a good family life/environment I reckon.

Failing that I can always consider my options at anytime I feel, if contracting suddenly seems a viable option and better for me in x years from now, I'll go back contracting.. right now unless you have niche skills or good contacts the battle against the other 3mil+ out of work every 3 months is too much hassle... esp. for the piss poor rates on offer..

[DaveB]

It all depends on the job. You can have a tulip permie job for years and you can get a run of tulip contracts or no contracts at all.

In my particular niche rates have gone through the floor and anything decent is a weekly commute away and has the world and his dog chasing after it. That plus 3 months on the bench make a big hole in the finances.

Permie rates have not suffered as much as contract, if you can stay in a job generally your salary will not be dropping anything like contract rates for a similar role.

Right now I'm in a good permie role thats paying less than I was getting 18 months ago contracting, but on a par with rates today. Yes there is crap to put up with, but that happens all over, including in contracts. It's just the type of crap that varies. The benefits are also far better than I could get contracting ( co. car, co. pension which is basically free money, subsdised health care, and they are paying for me to take an OU Law Degree as "personal development" ).

If I could get a contract that paid what I was getting before I'd take it, but right now this is a better deal. If times change in another 18 months then it will be time to reconsider.