Reply to: Holidays and IT Contracting

[psychocandy]

I will agree its a difficult situation sometimes. Theres the thought that in contract, to make hay while the sun shines sort of thing sometimes but this is dependant on warchest a lot. Then again like others have said, work to live etc.

Personally, I used to be a bit anal about it and not taking too much time off but now just get used to it. After all, got to look after yourself and family first. Sometimes I find your better off taking the odd day to keep yourself sane. Just got to look at it as necessary.

With me, with ill wife, sometimes I do have to take the odd day. Just got to accept it. If I pushed it and refused to do so, then the whole thing would possibly fall apart and that''d be the end of contracting.

I did a count and found out that I took 32 days plus bank hols this current year which surprised me.

Stevejames - hmmm. Fair play to you enjoying work that much but I reckon you must be single. Nice to pay off mortgage etc but no holidays..... :-(

[Scruff]

I take on average 8-12 weeks off per annum. I enjoy the time off and use it to recharge my batteries. I work to live, not live to work.

[jmo21]

My take on this is simple but maybe im in a unique position. I don't take holidays. Ever. I actually enjoy what I do - a lot. Happy to be there.

I will take a holiday in 4 years when that damn mortgage is paid off and financial freedom is achieved.

No matter how much you are earning, you can always spend just as much.

Are you single?

My missus would never let me away with that, but then I'd never want to do that either.

And I do enjoy my job. But only to a point. And I especially love it (the work, and the fact I contract) as it allows me fantastic financial freedom.

[jmo21]

However, if those same friends told me they were playing golf on Saturday and it was going to cost me £500, I'd probably say no.

And you can be sure they'd never be suggesting that in the first place!

[stevejames]

My take on this is simple but maybe im in a unique position. I don't take holidays. Ever. I actually enjoy what I do - a lot. Happy to be there.

I will take a holiday in 4 years when that damn mortgage is paid off and financial freedom is achieved.

No matter how much you are earning, you can always spend just as much.

[slice16]

I completly agree with NLUK. What is the point in working as hard as we do with the risks involved and not enjoy the extra money it attracts?

Whenever I have wanted to have time off, I simply let the client know that I will not be available on some dates. I give them enough notice and work around any commitments (go-live etc) and they are fine with it.

[DannyF1966]

^^^This

I had a plumber who went off for a long weekend. He made up for it by working the next weekend.

As long as he didn't leave the job half finished in the meantime. Can't imagine a plumber ripping out your bathroom and then disappearing for a few days, but anything's possible I guess!

[SueEllen]

Probably not, but generally speaking your builder/ plumber will fit your job around his existing commitments. Including his family holiday, I presume.

^^^This

I had a plumber who went off for a long weekend. He made up for it by working the next weekend.

[DannyF1966]

Always took holidays out of contract. Why turn down days earning? Take them when out of contract. How can you be in business and take a holiday when in a contract? Does your builder \ electrician \ plumber go on holiday in the middle of doing work for you? No.

I've been contracting for just over a year and my first contract was extended four times, the week before it ended I was able to find another contract that started the following Monday, and now that contract's been extended into the new year. I have to take time off mid-contract because I haven't actually had any in-between contract time yet!

Had two weeks off in July, having another two weeks off over Christmas. That'll mean 17 days vacation this year plus the 8 public holidays (oh, and a day I took off to get some repairs done to the car). Next year I'm going to be more regimented about my time off, see if I can get a couple of weeks three or four times a year.

I get agencies contact me fairly frequently to see if I'm available so I'm not overly worried about finding a new contract when this one ends, but you can't afford to be too complacent. When I have a contract I like to see it through and not let anyone down, and it doesn't seem right to me to take a week off in the middle of a three-month gig. The time off I've had so far has always been at the end of one contract period and before the extension starts.

Still pretty new to the game and building up a warchest, so the financial implications of taking time off are always at the back of my mind.

[TheFaQQer]

Does your builder \ electrician \ plumber go on holiday in the middle of doing work for you? No.

I don't get a plumber in for two years and expect him not to take a day off, though.

[vadhert]

I go on holiday mid contract quite often as I find it rare to be out of contract.

I don't see a problem with this as money shouldn't be an issue as we budget a certain amount of time off.

Now with regards to the end client. I negotiate my time off with them but in 15 years of contracting I have never had a client say 'No'.

Maybe I have been lucky.

[curtis]

Plumbers don't tend to come round and stay for 3 to 6 months at a time and if they had a break would arrange the job before or after the holiday so not quite the same.

Also when people say they take their holiday at the end of a contract what if last minute where you are renews that could be the first week or two lost as your away. What if while your away a job comes that you lose out on as you can't interview for. There are many ways to have lost days but why fret about it if you want a holiday have it, there is more to life than work.

[JRCT]

Always took holidays out of contract. Why turn down days earning? Take them when out of contract. How can you be in business and take a holiday when in a contract? Does your builder \ electrician \ plumber go on holiday in the middle of doing work for you? No.

Probably not, but generally speaking your builder/ plumber will fit your job around his existing commitments. Including his family holiday, I presume.

[BolshieBastard]

Always took holidays out of contract. Why turn down days earning? Take them when out of contract. How can you be in business and take a holiday when in a contract? Does your builder \ electrician \ plumber go on holiday in the middle of doing work for you? No.

[Peter Loew]

Took holiday mid contract.
Client's budget was for x days, I worked x minus "holiday days", so client just extended the contract by the amount of holiday I took, because the money had already been budgeted. Could only happen if you work on projects, but it just goes to show.

This. Although I haven't had such a contract, I've known other contractors to sign up to a fixed number of days, which means even if they take holiday, they still are obliged to carry out working remaining days.