Sods law

[psychocandy]

Crap rate contract starting tomorrow. Decent enough but rate is crap.

Had a call now from agency for cracking contract paying almost 4x more. They want to interview me next week face to face (did phone a few days ago). Bloody typical - I sit there for months and now this happens.

Not bothered about coughing up a days pay and train fare to attend this interview but new client ain't gonna be keen that I'm unavailable after 3 days. I can feel a hospital appt coming on.... Hmmm. Wait till tomorrow and tell client or tell agency now and say really sorry forgot about this?

To be honest, if I don't go to this interview I'm always going to be wondering what-if. It really is a good one.

Can imagine lots of hassle with new client/agency if I hand in notice for this one though after a week :-(

[Damon]

Difficult one.

I've never walked after such a short time on a gig but I have had a client cancel a project one week after I started and all on left that day.

So when it suits the client they won't concern themselves with the outcome for you....

An interview is still speculative and can come to nothing.

Perhaps see if you can put your start date back until after the interview next week.

[DirtyDog]

I get a feeling of deja vu.

[d000hg]

You got this contract because it had a short notice period IIRC. Take a day off for the interview, stating a "prior engagement" or see if you can get it on the phone/Skype instead.

There's no guarantee you'd get this so binning the "wait for something better" contract before you have something better is daft.

If you DO land it and they want an immediate start, well that's how it is. Tell the client or chicken out and tell the agent and don't go back in. You could offer not to charge all the days if you want to leave on better terms.

[Ticktock]

If you DO land it and they want an immediate start, well that's how it is. Tell the client or chicken out and tell the agent and don't go back in. You could offer not to charge all the days if you want to leave on better terms.

I'm sure they'd wait until after Christmas for you to start, which allows you to give plenty of notice to the crappy lot...

[Old Greg]

You got this contract because it had a short notice period IIRC. Take a day off for the interview, stating a "prior engagement" or see if you can get it on the phone/Skype instead.

There's no guarantee you'd get this so binning the "wait for something better" contract before you have something better is daft.

If you DO land it and they want an immediate start, well that's how it is. Tell the client or chicken out and tell the agent and don't go back in. You could offer not to charge all the days if you want to leave on better terms.

Send in a subbie for the notice period. Do what you have to do.

[Old Greg]

Excuse: tell the client you are on the short notice cancellation list for an MRI scan or whatever and if you don't have it now you may wait 6 to 12 months.

[psychocandy]

Well have told client for tomorrow that I forgot about hospital appt next week.

I've told agency for interview next week that I'm on weeks notice so if it all comes together then it'll be after xmas for start. At least then I can give 7 days notice over the xmas period.

Still feel bad if I have to do it. Never done this before like this.

Only time I did it was when client lied to me about location and I ended up stuck miles away from where they said I'd be based. Fair enough then.

[AtW]

Still feel bad if I have to do it. Never done this before like this.

4 times difference is substantial - sign new contract and explain to client whilst offering to put some free time to deal with handover.

[d000hg]

4 times difference is substantial

Indeed. If the people aren't total arses, I might be tempted to come clean and say "I'm really sorry to do this but I've just been offered another job paying 4X as much". Chances are they'd totally understand there's no way you'd stay in that situation; who would?