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

[robin]

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'.

I've been off for nearly a month now and I don't see that as being too long yet given how I work as a contractor but friends (who are not contractors) keep on at how i've been out of work for ages now I know to them as permanent that would be a shock for them maybe but for me anything beyond 3 months I see as a long while to be on the bench, I was just wandering at what point do other people start to think its been a while.

[SimonMac]

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'.

I've been off for nearly a month now and I don't see that as being too long yet given how I work as a contractor but friends (who are not contractors) keep on at how i've been out of work for ages now I know to them as permanent that would be a shock for them maybe but for me anything beyond 3 months I see as a long while to be on the bench, I was just wandering at what point do other people start to think its been a while.

Between contracts I can say I can cope comfortably for 6 months, anything after that I need to start looking at either cutting spending or being less selective with my roles I am applying for.

However I start to get bored and miss working after about 4 - 6 weeks

[Support Monkey]

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'.

I've been off for nearly a month now and I don't see that as being too long yet given how I work as a contractor but friends (who are not contractors) keep on at how i've been out of work for ages now I know to them as permanent that would be a shock for them maybe but for me anything beyond 3 months I see as a long while to be on the bench, I was just wandering at what point do other people start to think its been a while.

Thats because people do not understand how it works, most permies do not have savings to last past 3 months and see this as spending money they have saved for other thing, where as most sensible contractors can survive for longer and the money they have saved is to cover this period,

I had a couple of months off once and my parents in law told me to get down the job center and sign on

[curtis]

I start to get bored and miss working

This is something that I can never see myself saying!!!!

For me I would say roughly the same around the 3 month mark even if my war chest still covers me as I think around that time I would feel more anxious to get a job as I will be aware of the gap on my CV how it might effect some peoples decisions in taking me on/looking at my CV (even though it shouldn't) and until my financial situation is much much better (working on it) I will be keen by then to get some money coming back in to top the bank account back up instead of it still going down.

[Gentile]

Between contracts I can say I can cope comfortably for 6 months, anything after that I need to start looking at either cutting spending or being less selective with my roles I am applying for.

However I start to get bored and miss working after about 4 - 6 weeks

^This.

[BolshieBastard]

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'.

I've been off for nearly a month now and I don't see that as being too long yet given how I work as a contractor but friends (who are not contractors) keep on at how i've been out of work for ages now I know to them as permanent that would be a shock for them maybe but for me anything beyond 3 months I see as a long while to be on the bench, I was just wandering at what point do other people start to think its been a while.

Mate of mine just got a contract after being on the bench for nearly 12 months.

I dont take time off during contracts except for bank holidays and christmas to new year so Im easy about not working for up to 3 months at a time.

[norrahe]

Between contracts I can say I can cope comfortably for 6 months, anything after that I need to start looking at either cutting spending or being less selective with my roles I am applying for.

However I start to get bored and miss working after about 4 - 6 weeks

WHS

[jmo21]

I've been contracting 4 years now, and every time a contract ends I think I'll have some time off, but I always end up looking and applying for roles almost straight away.

It's not that my war chest is small, I could probably last a year easily. Maybe I'm just not fully into the contractors mindset yet.

It took me ages to tell my mum and dad I had started contracting as I knew they would be all worried if I was between contracts (or "unemployed" as they would consider it).

[curtis]

but I always end up looking and applying for roles almost straight away

This I can relate to as I'm like this. As much as I know I have enough war chest to cover for a long while there is that small pressure to keep working as I suppose I think what if I can't find a job for ages when I do start looking.

Also as much as my war chest is there to cover I kind of resent using it so start looking to try and keep it at the level it is if not higher, this like you is maybe because I'm just not fully into the contractors mindset yet and I need to stop looking at this as another savings and more money to use if needed however much I need to use.

[stek]

I've been contracting 4 years now, and every time a contract ends I think I'll have some time off, but I always end up looking and applying for roles almost straight away.

It's not that my war chest is small, I could probably last a year easily. Maybe I'm just not fully into the contractors mindset yet.

It took me ages to tell my mum and dad I had started contracting as I knew they would be all worried if I was between contracts (or "unemployed" as they would consider it).

This is me but I'm benched mainly because of recovering after illness, still not stopped me jobserving tho. Thing that bothers me is I had a target for the year end, that's gonna get blown away now and the warchest set back to as it was ages ago! My trend line is going down instead of up...

Still, busying myself with rebuilding a Fender electric XII (or I will be when the bits arrive), sorting out my G-Scale loco collection, watching Jeremy Kyle to remind myself where I'll end up if I start couch-potatoing, and of course, frequent masturbation. (After JK has gone off)