Urgent: Do I Leave Perm 4 Immediate Contract!?

[Fred Bloggs]

Thanks all for your advice, especially Fred Bloggs, I find his response somewhat inspiring.

Will make the decision in the next couple of hours, if anybody wishes to know the outcome let me know.

Thanks

Well, I'm honest. It's exactly what I did 6 1/2 years ago. Never a day out of work so far.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Fred:

Do you think that you left at a good time though? As in you left and built up your profile as a contractor and now during the tough times you are first in line? Or do you think it is easier to find contracts than its made out to be?

Thanks

[northernladuk]

Thanks all for your advice, especially Fred Bloggs, I find his response somewhat inspiring.

You find one unquantified comment with no basis, structure or argument inspiring just because it sounds positive? I personally find this very very worrying. You obviously have your heads firmly in the clouds.

No offence to Fred I am sure he had a good experience of it and well done not being out of work in 6 years. Fred is one person. I find it unbelievable that you are quiet happy to discount ALL the threads talking about 2-6 months to even years on the bench with no work.

Personally from what I have heard so far your going to be one of the disasters of the contracting world. You find the advice of one person inspiring but the facts and pointers of 10+ others irrelavent a recipie for disaster. You show no business accumen, decision making skills etc but happy to follow a dream.

Sorry to be harsh but its a harsh world out there.

I will give you one contract which I don't think you will last with the journey, costs, upheaval to personal live and then out of work for next 6 months.

As positive as Fred can be then here is your negative as live can throw at you option.

[Fred Bloggs]

Fred:

Do you think that you left at a good time though? As in you left and built up your profile as a contractor and now during the tough times you are first in line? Or do you think it is easier to find contracts than its made out to be?

Thanks

I think that if you land a good gig that allows you to build up a reasonable war chest you should do it. Live on your existing level of income (or lower) from your Ltd Co until you have built up 6 months war chest. It will take you 6 months to build up a 6 months war chest. Gigs are hard to win right now but agencies are not advertising their jobs so it looks worse than it really is from a web trawl. So...... you need a 6 month job to set you up for possible bench time. It depends on your attitude to risk basically.

[watford]

Fred:

Do you think that you left at a good time though? As in you left and built up your profile as a contractor and now during the tough times you are first in line? Or do you think it is easier to find contracts than its made out to be?

Thanks

All I'd say is No Time is the right time so to speak that's what i thought when i decided to go contracting back in 2007 , having saved a sizeable war chest , and made my own decision to go contracting leaving the safe shores of permie land for the rough seas of contracting , and i havent been out of work since !
Do bear in mind what the other posters are saying but at the end of day it's your choice ? Put it this way when I decided to go contracting and with the greatest respect to you! I did not post for advice not i do value the advice been posted here it is all good ,but at the end of day it's all our own choice ,and with that in mind I just made up mind and went for it?

[singhr]

I would want the paperwork in front of me and a friendly chat with the client before I hand my notice in to confirm it's all kosher. Always try and leave current place on good terms and then hold breath and dive in. Once you leave permie land you dont have to worry about all that work your notice guff.

[xchaotic]

So I am not rushing yet, but am thinking:
1) Role sounds ideal
2) Money is 2.5 - 3 times my existing salary
3) Company is a stable and strong company

Clearly you have not done any research into what being in a contract means.
You are being paid more money in the short term, but in longer term this evens out as you have to cater for you own illness, unpaid vacation, your own equipment. So:
1) If that's true - I'd probably go ahead because of this.
2) it's not, really, if you're in NW and it's 250m away, it means it's in London, so the travel and accommodation expenses will eat you
3) it doesn't mean that the role stable - a contract is designed to be a temporary thing

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Ok Guys

Need your advice again.

Following all those posts and as time has gone by I have got wiser on the reality of contracting.

I rejected the one in Exeter because it was simply too far away from family and the travel time too long (at least with London you have a 2 hour train available). + the cost of moving there during the week would mean I wouldnt be much better off if better off at all.

Now I have been offered a contract which is 55 miles away from here - commuting distance 2 hours each way. It is due to start tomorrow or the day after and would have to ditch my current permie job.

Its a 6 month contract with a decent rate (though not amazing).

Questions

1) Should I even consider going into contracting in this market?
2) I would have to commute some days and stay over on other days meaning a lot more effort compared to my current permie job (10 mins drive in the morning). Is it worth it? Both financially and practically?
3) I don't have any annual leave left, should I call in sick for a couple of days and see how it goes or should I just tell them I am quiting and go for it?

All in all this sounds a lot more realistic that my last offer and am very tempted by it.

Your advice would be appreciated!

[Jeebo72]

it means it's in London, so the travel and accommodation expenses will eat you
temporary thing

Factor in hookers, strip clubs and coke too... go for it!

[jim2406]

My advice - if you have to ask internet people for advice on a decision of this magnitude, your heart isn't in it, so the answer would be no, stay put.

This is a bold move, you need to be 100% sure you're doing the right thing, and you're obviously not sure at all.

It's also a crap time to be going contracting. If your contract offer fell through - for example, you were undercut, or as a result of being terminated after a few days (and this could still happen if you do a great job, it might be beyond your control), you'd be unstuck.

I would never base a decision on whether to go contracting on the back of one single contract. It's got to be a long-term, "this is what i want to do from now on" decision, IMO.