Reply to: Unsure if and when to leave current permanent job and return to temping/contracting?

[MaryPoppins]

WHOOOHOOO!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! OMG WTF GET IN THERE!!!!

Like all my crimbo's have come at once!!

I almost want to retract my statement...

[Soled73]

Take the contract, no wait stay where you are.....


Take it!!! live it up.....


Actually stay where you are, you are only a month away from ever being sacked....

Take the contract.....smile smugly at yer mates


Stay! - imagine that pension plan jusy lying there and no annual leave or performance reviews!

Take it..sod the warchest! it'll never happen to you

Stay where you are....it's nice and warm

[stingman123]

Take the contract, no wait stay where you are.....


Take it!!! live it up.....


Actually stay where you are, you are only a month away from ever being sacked....

Take the contract.....smile smugly at yer mates


Stay! - imagine that pension plan jusy lying there and no annual leave or performance reviews!

Take it..sod the warchest! it'll never happen to you

Stay where you are....it's nice and warm

[northernladuk]

Hate to agree with him but this is very true!

WHOOOHOOO!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! OMG WTF GET IN THERE!!!!

Like all my crimbo's have come at once!!

[TheFaQQer]

It's a VERY small world.

You could find yourself, for example, peeing a fellow contractor off* in one role, then years later finding yourself hoping that same contractor doesn't reply honestly when asked about you by a prospective hiring manager.

*Yup, me in this example. Yes, I did reply honestly. No, the knob didn't get the gig.

WSS - been there, done that, stuck the knife in (subtly):

"Any of you ever worked with X before?"
"Yeah - he's a nice bloke"
"What's he like technically?"
"Like I said - he's a nice bloke"
"Enough said"

[MaryPoppins]

[QUOTE=northernladuk;1009475]
Contracting is a small world. Your past WILL catch up with you as well.
QUOTE]

Hate to agree with him but this is very true!

It's a VERY small world.

You could find yourself, for example, peeing a fellow contractor off* in one role, then years later finding yourself hoping that same contractor doesn't reply honestly when asked about you by a prospective hiring manager.

*Yup, me in this example. Yes, I did reply honestly. No, the knob didn't get the gig.

[Halcyon]

stick to permie

You should definitely stick to the security of a permanent role in the current market, not worth jumping ship to join... sorry, who did you say was offering the contract...?

[BolshieBastard]

Hi everyone

I’m going through a phase of thinking would I be better off/more satisfied if I quit my current permanent job and returned to temping/contracting.

For years and years I was temping/contracting while aiming to get this permanent career. During the 18 months I’ve been in this permanent job I’ve sometimes thought that I don’t like how I feel “less of my own boss” than I did when temping/contracting. And it especially winds me up when colleagues who have no more authority than me, think just being older/old-school entitles them to have authority.

When in my first proper contracting role a few years ago, when it was coming to an end I remember other contractors in their late 20’s /early 30’s saying no way could they stand returning to permanent employment instead of being self-employed.....Now I think I know why.

I still find my current job reasonably interesting and I think it stretches me to the right extent in terms of complexity and I’m having the best social life I’ve had to date.

But when it comes to work, I’m driven by money and during the last year I’ve turned down many contract opportunities to earn 3 x as much as I’m earning now and the contracts paying 3 x more would require nowhere near as much effort. The idea of making myself richer instead of a company richer inspires me. And I’m confident that the routes to finding friends that I learnt when relocating for this job would result in me building as good a social life back in my original city.

The things I’m most nervous about are:

I’d feel bad/embarrassed when leaving.

Before I got this job, many companies (correctly I suppose) started rejecting my applications for permanent jobs on the grounds that up to that point I had been temping/contracting and so didn’t think I would commit to them (even though I explained that the reason I was temping/contracting for so long was because I was holding out for the particular career that I was applying for and had lots of evidence of this). The company I’m with now we’re obviously persuaded by the evidence.

So if in 5 years time I wanted to return to permanent employment, maybe because by then I have a family so want more certainty, then would I stand no chance of getting a permanent job because of this business of commitment? By then I think I would be happy to accept dead end admin jobs for a stress free life, as opposed to being specific/highly ambitious, so maybe it would be easier to secure a permanent job than I found it to be offered my current job.

For those of you that have done temping/contracting for 5 – 10 years, is it a big problem having loads of different jobs on your CV, not in terms of space/pages (I’m sure there’s a way round that), but in terms of does it look really bad being through so many jobs?


Thanks for reading this long post and for any advice.

Jack in your permie job asap. The market is booming.

[TheFaQQer]

One question no-one has asked...

Do you have enough savings to see you through 6 months of no contract*? You'll need enough for mortgage bills, utility house bills, food, any pensions you're paying yourself and extraneous such as car HP, mobile phone etc.

(I have a feeling that I know what the answer will be... )

*Note to Newbies - that's what we mean by a warchest...

These days, I'd change that to 9 - 12 months of no contract. Better to be safe than sorry

[cojak]

One question no-one has asked...

Do you have enough savings to see you through 6 months of no contract*? You'll need enough for mortgage bills, utility house bills, food, any pensions you're paying yourself and extraneous such as car HP, mobile phone etc.

(I have a feeling that I know what the answer will be... )

*Note to Newbies - that's what we mean by a warchest...

[TheFaQQer]

Is that the sound of the three billy goats Gruff approaching?

[northernladuk]

Yes I know there's a massive difference between temping and contracting - most notably the pay and extra paperwork. I put them together though because they both offer this extra freedom/flexibility than perm doesn't (although yes contracting usually offers more autonomy than temp)

No!! You are still wrong. Most notable isn't the pay and extra paperwork at all. Further evidence your just not getting it. You are running a business as a contractor it is a completely different mindset, engagement rules the whole 9 yards. If you think as a permie/temp while in a contract you're going to get crucified on here and possible balls up your contract.

Again I would disagree to the freedom/flexibilty thing you have in your head. Yes to some extent you are right but the sweeping comments you are saying make me think your not really understanding it all. Question, where is the flexibility in contracting?? Discuss and we wills see if you can see the negative as well as the rosey positives.

Today I've been e-mailed another contract opportunity which I think would last at least 12 months. But it's only offering a dissappointing £140/day (65% more than my perm salary). There's another agency bound to be recruiting for this soon so I'd hope they offer better.

Wrong.. Why do you think another agent will offer better? They are only passing on a cost offered by the client which will be fixed. The only change maybe a slight percentage depending on what the agents cut is. Again, you are not thinking about this like a contractor.

Also have you been asked or has a role just appeared in your inbox as spam/mass mailing from agent. If so you will get 1000's of these and never get the job. Just getting a mail is so far away from you securing the role in the current market it is just not true.

Re: I’d feel bad/embarrassed when leaving.
"a cut throat industry/environment if you don't mind me saying"
Unlike perm, I like the way that if your throat gets slit or you've done something you feel bad or embarrassed about, you can easily move about for a fresh start.

OMG. I am going to cut and paste 'WRONG!!!' I might just stop tpying here. Stay away from contracting. You have your head in the clouds and are really not looking at the risk. There are 100's of us on the bench claiming benefits. Why do you think YOU can move around and get a fresh start? Contracting is a small world. Your past WILL catch up with you as well.

Re: be your own boss
In my last contract it was great there being none of this appraisal crap and being able to go home whenever you want if you've hit your target or stay and earn extra.

This is one small part of it I will give you that. SMALL being the opperative word.

Re: "jobs vs contracts, jobs vs clients - there is a big difference"
Are you saying that employers would recognise this difference and so if applying for a perm, they wouldn't rule you out straight away from being in so many different roles/contracts (whatever you want to call them) or wouldn't rule you out straightaway because of time spent on the bench?

If he is a small minded idiot that has BS'd his way in to a position of authority yes. If that's the case you might thank your lucky stars you didn't get that particular job Any manager or a reasonable level should be aware of the situation and make a reasoned judgment call.

Sorry to be harsh but all I see and as many have pointed out is a very one sided rose tinted spectacles argument and no realisation of the issues really facing the contractor/freelancer nowadays. Yes it has it's upsides but for the uninitiated the downsides can easily lead you to losing all your savings, house and the rest. A bit extreme maybe but forwarned is forearmed.

[cojak]

Re: "jobs vs contracts, jobs vs clients - there is a big difference"
Are you saying that employers would recognise this difference and so if applying for a perm, they wouldn't rule you out straight away from being in so many different roles/contracts (whatever you want to call them) or wouldn't rule you out straightaway because of time spent on the bench?

There are bigger things to worry about about, like getting another contract once the current one ends. You need to be thankful that you have so many clients, not worried.

You're looking at the the end of your contract career before you've even started it. If the above is a problem for you I'd suggest staying where you are.

[MI0303]

Thanks for the replies so far

A few thoughts about some of the replies:

Yes I know there's a massive difference between temping and contracting - most notably the pay and extra paperwork. I put them together though because they both offer this extra freedom/flexibility than perm doesn't (although yes contracting usually offers more autonomy than temp)

Today I've been e-mailed another contract opportunity which I think would last at least 12 months. But it's only offering a dissappointing £140/day (65% more than my perm salary). There's another agency bound to be recruiting for this soon so I'd hope they offer better.

Re: I’d feel bad/embarrassed when leaving.
"a cut throat industry/environment if you don't mind me saying"
Unlike perm, I like the way that if your throat gets slit or you've done something you feel bad or embarrassed about, you can easily move about for a fresh start.

Re: be your own boss
In my last contract it was great there being none of this appraisal crap and being able to go home whenever you want if you've hit your target or stay and earn extra.


Re: "jobs vs contracts, jobs vs clients - there is a big difference"
Are you saying that employers would recognise this difference and so if applying for a perm, they wouldn't rule you out straight away from being in so many different roles/contracts (whatever you want to call them) or wouldn't rule you out straightaway because of time spent on the bench?

[TheFaQQer]

The Grass is always greener, until you jump the fence!!!

Then you find out that it's moss rather than grass over here.