Do you take days off when contracting?

[rurffy]

Have you ever taken a break during a contract? like days off to relax - I think i am going crazy with the much love for money and
i have never been off since i have been contracting.
except i am very sick... i mean VERY(That's can not walk out bed).

Is this just me? or is this normal with contractors?

[BolshieBastard]

Have you ever taken a break during a contract? like days off to relax - I think i am going crazy with the much love for money and
i have never been off since i have been contracting.
except i am very sick... i mean VERY(That's can not walk out bed).

Is this just me? or is this normal with contractors?

Nope. You never know how long you're going to be on the bench in this game so, turning down mullah by taking holidays is a no-no for me.

Once went three and a half years only taking bank holidays and christmas off.

[kal]

Have you ever taken a break during a contract? like days off to relax - I think i am going crazy with the much love for money and
i have never been off since i have been contracting.
except i am very sick... i mean VERY(That's can not walk out bed).

Is this just me? or is this normal with contractors?

Off on Holiday to Tunisia with the family next week. Also am taking a holiday for my sons last day at nursery and his first day at school. Its not all about earning loads of money

[northernladuk]

I wouldn't say I have had days off to just relax and do nothing but I certainly don't work myself in to the ground. If I need a day off I take one. Losing the billing day bites but I can get over that. I chose contracting for flexibility and to be in charge of my own time/career not work hard/longer and be more stressed.

[kal]

I wouldn't say I have had days off to just relax and do nothing but I certainly don't work myself in to the ground. If I need a day off I take one. Losing the billing day bites but I can get over that. I chose contracting for flexibility and to be in charge of my own time/career not work hard/longer and be more stressed.

Indeed I wouldn't take a day off just to lounge round at home. Also I prefer to take time off during a contract rather than between roles as I did last year, i was so worried about finding my next decent contract that I didn't enjoy the holiday as much anyway!

[BlasterBates]

On the whole I work all possible days, fortunately in my last contract we were forced to have holidays and I was an hourly rate with a monthly cap, so I could have 20 days per year plus 2 days a month from the overtime. This was gr8 in the summer time when I was taking 4 days off a month. I was still working the max hours possible; sometimes you need to be forced to do it, but worth it really; I´m really glad they did it. No-one ever regrets spending too little time in the office, but on the whole it´s about making hay I suppose.

[kevpuk]

I plan to only take off the 3 working days that are part of a EuroDisney break booked before leaving permie~dom.....and the 3 Bank Holidays between now and the end of my 6 month contract. No need to take other days, I hope!
After 6 months, no idea what will happen re: extension, new gig, bench etc., so for now it is all about the money....

[Scruff]

I have taken 4-6 weeks off, per annum. As much as the money has always been welcome, the breaks are even more so!

[MyUserName]

I take days off when I am nagged into it and when I want to.

[VectraMan]

Only ever a few days. I had one year where I worked every working day from January to December, and I was knackered and vowed never to do it again. Since then, I've arranged extensions to give me at least a week off, which clients are usually happy to do.