Contract got cancelled before I started - What can/should I do ?

[golu]

hi ,

this is my first post. I was in a permanent job for few years and was looking for contracts. I got a contract offered couple of weeks back and I gave in notice at my perm work all set to start this week as a contractor. However on friday evening I got a call saying the project has been scraped and hence my contract too, I understand this is part and parcel of being a contractor, but I want to know if the company who offered me a contractor have any obligations to inform me or find me another contract.

I also want to make sure they dint double cross me and offered the role to someone else who was ready to work for less. What can/ should I do to make sure whatever the guy who offered me a contract told me was complete truth ?I dont know legally how much should I expect of him.
Any response would be highly appreciated.

thanks,

G

[cojak]

No, the company has no obligation to you, that's part of the risk of being a contractor.

And as for finding someone cheaper, so what? Would you be prepared to work for less? If they can get someone cheaper you need to discover a USP to separate you from the cheap guys.

[SimonMac]

What should you do?

Find a new contract

[Support Monkey]

No, the company has no obligation to you, that's part of the risk of being a contractor.

And as for finding someone cheaper, so what? Would you be prepared to work for less? If they can get someone cheaper you need to discover a USP to separate you from the cheap guys.

and thats the way it is, welcome to contracting, don't spend your time worrying about what should or should not have happened, yur time will be better sepent finding another contract

[SueEllen]

While agents lie most of the time they tend not to lie about contracts being cancelled at the last minute. They want you on site asap so they can start billing the client.

As the others said look for a new contract and next time don't stop looking until the day you are on site as you are now aware one thing clients like about contractors is that they can drop them immediately.

[golu]

While agents lie most of the time they tend not to lie about contracts being cancelled at the last minute. They want you on site asap so they can start billing the client.

As the others said look for a new contract and next time don't stop looking until the day you are on site as you are now aware one thing clients like about contractors is that they can drop them immediately.

Thank you all for your replies, I think I made a mistake of not looking anymore once this was confirmed, but I will learn from it.

As you all rightly advised I will not spend my time on it and hit the job search tomorrow morning.

[MarillionFan]

Thank you all for your replies, I think I made a mistake of not looking anymore once this was confirmed, but I will learn from it.

As you all rightly advised I will not spend my time on it and hit the job search tomorrow morning.

OP. Fantastic attitude.

Read the original post and was about to reply, when I saw your last post.

With this one post, you demonstrate the right attitude, ability to learn, be flexible and the 'get on with it modus operandi'

You're going to do well. Let us know how you get on.

[TykeMerc]

What MarillionFan said goes for me too.
It's a bitch when this sort of thing happens, but it's very much a reality of contracting, your attitude to the event and peoples advice on here indicates you've got the mindset to survive.

Best of luck with the next one.

[stek]

Worth mentioning too that golu is a Hindi word, for like fatboy I think!

Just saying....

[golu]

thank you MarillionFan and TykeMerc for your encouraging words.

stek - you are correct, golu means fat boy in hindi, it was the pet name i never had but wanted when I was a kid, apparently i wasn't fat enough...

I have now found another contract with same agency( and same consultancy )which starts next week, although its in a different location. Now my question was I have applied for couple of other positions and haven't heard back yet. the issue with new contract is its in a different location which means commuting daily becomes difficult for me, however I don't want to let it go because I don't know if I will be selected for the two positions which are nearer to my place...

The agency haven't done me a new contract and the contract still says old place( which wasn't as bad from traveling point of view ), if i start the new contract, can I leave it after few days if the traveling doesn't suit me ( and the contract is not updated to reflect the old place ) without respecting the notice period mentioned in the contract( its four weeks ) ?

Also can I argue that the new contract is not in the same location and so the old contract notice period isn't really valid ?

thanks,

Golu