Reply to: how long do you typically stay on a contract?

[TheDude]

Until they notice the post it notes and screen wipes going missing.

[jmo21]

FTFY

well, quite

[northernladuk]

Current place, very well known public sector, can't hire people like me because of low salary bands. Some disguised permies been here 5 or 6 years.

FTFY

[jmo21]

but without a long term perm headcount. sometimes they simply cannot get anyone to take the job perm, and so it can be very long term as a contractor.

Current place, very well known public sector, can't hire people like me because of low salary bands. Some contractors been here 5 or 6 years.

[CoolCat]

sometimes you are genuinely just bringing something they need for a few days or weeks, to cover a gap in their knowledge, or maybe they just want a fresh set of eyes to look at an issue, or troubleshoot. sometime you are covering a peak in their work which they cannot cope with internally. sometimes its a longer term project that they want doing, but without a long term perm headcount. sometimes they simply cannot get anyone to take the job perm, and so it can be very long term as a contractor.

all are valid.

[northernladuk]

And yes it was clearly the client who was stupid.

Without a doubt

[SueEllen]

I'm guessing 'them' instead of 'him' answers the question. I don't think SE is young enough to be using them/they pronouns for people.

I do use them/they for people but in this instance the developer was given the pronoun "he" so there was no need.

And yes it was clearly the client who was stupid.

[Lance]

I'm guessing 'them' instead of 'him' answers the question. I don't think SE is young enough to be using them/they pronouns for people.

Meeeow!!!

[northernladuk]

Them being the client or the developer?

I'm guessing 'them' instead of 'him' answers the question. I don't think SE is young enough to be using them/they pronouns for people.

[ensignia]

That was a bit stupid of them....

Them being the client or the developer?

[SueEllen]

one guy (who was a developer and had written a lot of the systems) had been there 14 years.

That was a bit stupid of them....

[psychocandy]

I once had a perm job where a couple of contractors had been there around 10-12 years. Yesterday whilst discussing IR35 with a colleague at a new gig, he mentioned someone he had worked with a few years back had been at one client for 15 years. Can anyone beat that?

Yep last place. They decided all contractors who'd been there more than 2 years were going at the end of their contract.

I'd been there 4.5 years but one guy (who was a developer and had written a lot of the systems) had been there 14 years.

[northernladuk]

I believe that Gary Lineker is a contractor and he's been with the BBC since around 1995...

Yeah and that is working out well for him isn't it
https://www.ftadviser.com/regulation...-9m-ir35-case/

[darmstadt]

I believe that Gary Lineker is a contractor and he's been with the BBC since around 1995...

[SussexSeagull]

I once had a perm job where a couple of contractors had been there around 10-12 years. Yesterday whilst discussing IR35 with a colleague at a new gig, he mentioned someone he had worked with a few years back had been at one client for 15 years. Can anyone beat that?

Admittedly a big chunk was pre-IR35 and I believe he declared himself inside when it did but there was a contractor who did a couple of decades at my last permanent employer.

Kind of made sense as he had no mortgage, lived locally and didn't want any management responsibility.

The same company put contractors on courses for new technology though.