An unfortunate contract tale

**Sockpuppet** · 10 May 2011, 08:58

Originally posted by PinkPoshRat View Post

My tale is not unique. This sort of practice is becoming commonplace, so for anyone thinking of entering the wonderful world of highly paid contract work TAKE NOTE. Us contractors get treated like disposable numbers.

That's because we are. Why do you think we're so highly paid if we had the same employment rights as permies.

**jmo21** · 10 May 2011, 08:59

In other news, the sky is blue, the pope is catholic and SuitYou01 is a bedwetter.

**The Agents View** · 10 May 2011, 09:12

Originally posted by PinkPoshRat View Post

I'm a wee bit cheesed off right now. A couple of weeks ago I was hauled into my line managers office at 1715 on a Monday and told that I had done a really great job but was no longer needed as they had found a permie replacement for me. The permie had been working on another project which had been suddenly pulled. The permie needed no handover period, so I was "free to go"

I was on a one weeks notice contract, but because of the bank holiday, was only paid for 4 days...

My tale is not unique. This sort of practice is becoming commonplace, so for anyone thinking of entering the wonderful world of highly paid contract work TAKE NOTE. Us contractors get treated like disposable numbers.

You are a disposable resource. That's the whole point. Flexible, adaptable, no employment rights, you're like a mobile phone contract, or a television subscription - you can be cancelled at any time, with little or no penalty.

**jmo21** · 10 May 2011, 09:20

Originally posted by The Agents View View Post

You are a disposable resource. That's the whole point. Flexible, adaptable, no employment rights, you're like a mobile phone contract, or a television subscription - you can be cancelled at any time, with little or no penalty.

urm...... except if there is a minimum subscription period where you have to pay up the whole rest of the contract, so all in all a poor analogy.

But we are disposable resources.

**PinkPoshRat** · 10 May 2011, 09:29

Originally posted by Sockpuppet View Post

That's because we are. Why do you think we're so highly paid if we had the same employment rights as permies.

Hey amigo, I know that!!

The point of my post is to educate anyone who thinks that life's a bowl of cherries when you're a contractor. And also how the market has changed over the last 10+ years.

I always used to get a minimum of a 6 month contract (normally 12) and even that is a thing of the past. A 3 month seems normal now, or even contract lengths which are counted in 'weeks' instead of 'months'

**NorthWestPerm2Contr** · 10 May 2011, 09:31

Enjoy your time off and spend a small part of the extra 1000s you have in the bank.

**PinkPoshRat** · 10 May 2011, 09:35

Originally posted by NorthWestPerm2Contr View Post

Enjoy your time off and spend a small part of the extra 1000s you have in the bank.

Not a bad idea. Must get my passport renewed too....

**DaveB** · 10 May 2011, 09:41

Smile, shake his hand, thank him for an enjoyable contract and tell him to feel free to get in touch directly if they ever need some additional resource in future.

**The Agents View** · 10 May 2011, 09:46

Originally posted by jmo21 View Post

urm...... except if there is a minimum subscription period where you have to pay up the whole rest of the contract, so all in all a poor analogy.

But we are disposable resources.

If that's what's in the contract, that's what you have to pay. That's all in the negotiation stage

An unfortunate contract tale