How long is a long time to be on the bench?

[thunderlizard]

I did 2 years once. I wouldn't consider a break "long" until it passed 3 months.

[Scrag Meister]

3 months when I left permiedom to go contracting, 2 months between contract 2 and 3.

Very bored though after 2-3 weeks, the wife loves it cos the house is clean and tidy, the washing machine empty and tea on the table.

I could probably manage 1-1.5 years with no cost cutting.

[farout117]

I did 2 years once. I wouldn't consider a break "long" until it passed 3 months.

My longest was 5 months, and IMO that's long. However it was more of a choice and change of scenario, wanted a break after almost 5 years non stop. I do not think I would do it again though, got bored and could not wait to start a new gig

[nomadd]

I know its all relative to how big your war chest is and how well you will manage but putting that to the side, how long personally do you see as being a long time being out of work 'on the bench'.

A long time I consider to be 1 year or more. Anything less than that is just a "short break" (like the one I'm on now: 3 months so far, and could happily do another 3 months; never, ever get bored; and a 5 year war chest always maintained between contracts these days.) For me, the whole point of contracting is these "short breaks" - absolutely love 'em.

[robin]

I'm not really understanding how people can get bored at home when you can wake up and chose to do anything (obvioulsy money permitting!)

Although I'm keen to get a job I like it at home and just not being woken up and thinking I HAVE to get up by the alarm is great. I may have a day doing nothing but I chose to do that and I will always find bits to do to keep me busy for most of the day if not all.

I would rather be bored at home than at work which is how I get at a lot of places after I have been there a while not because I have nothing to do necessarily but just the whole routine and work enviroment and unlike being at home I can't escape and go and do something else somewhere else!

[farout117]

I'm not really understanding how people can get bored at home when you can wake up and chose to do anything (obvioulsy money permitting!)

Although I'm keen to get a job I like it at home and just not being woken up and thinking I HAVE to get up by the alarm is great. I may have a day doing nothing but I chose to do that and I will always find bits to do to keep me busy for most of the day if not all.

I would rather be bored at home than at work which is how I get at a lot of places after I have been there a while not because I have nothing to do necessarily but just the whole routine and work enviroment and unlike being at home I can't escape and go and do something else somewhere else!

Have you ever spent more than 5 months without contracting? Yeah the first 2 months are nice, get up late, watch some tv, go to the gym, brush up your skills, but it tends to get boring after a while.

I prefer to go out of the house and meet people, rather than stay at home, although short breaks are very nice.

[norrahe]

Have you ever spent more than 5 months without contracting? Yeah the first 2 months are nice, get up late, watch some tv, go to the gym, brush up your skills, but it tends to get boring after a while.

I prefer to go out of the house and meet people, rather than stay at home, although short breaks are very nice.

Longest I was out was 8 months, picked the wrong time to go travelling after the end of a gig ( just before the crash in 2008), had something lined up to come back to but when September hit said person who was hiring me was made redundant as well as the rest of her department so the gig was off.
After month 3 it was doing my head in, so offered more time to the charity I was volunteering for part time to keep myself out of mischief.

This time it was five, was only intending to have 2-3 months off, but if the government collapses in the country you live in and there's a recession already in full swing, what can ya do?

Didn't get the change to take a holiday this time as I had lots of interviews which came to nowt at the start.

[robin]

Have you ever spent more than 5 months without contracting?

No I haven't but I still know I would rather be at home than at work I'm not saying I hate working but working every day all week as I've got older its started to wear me down more at times, I feel sometimes life is running away and I'm watching it go by from inside an office window!!

I don't think there is any right or wrong way to feel regarding this some people need to work most of the time for stimulation and some people can quite happily busy themselves doing other things. Everyones different I suppose.

[curtis]

I can kind of see what Robin means as I started working full time as I had bills to pay like most people, over the years it has been more of a drag mon to fri working and I long for an escape from it.

Due to this my plan for quite a while now is to bear with it get the finances up to get in a situation where I can take a lot more time off and still work but more in a way of dipping into work when I want to or need to and not necessarily in IT but just general work through maybe friends/family that comes up.

I think your right some people need to be working and have a job even if not for the money and some people don't always.

[MarillionFan]

I would say 1 - 3 months would be considered a low time on the bench
3 - 6 mid
6 - 12 months - a longtime
> 12 < 2 years a bloody longtime
>2 years - Richard Cranium.