Reply to: Contractor lifecycle....

[BA to the Stars]

Time contracting - 3.5 years
Longest gig - 1 year
Max bench time - 6 weeks (including Christmas)

[Not So Wise]

11 Years / 24 Months & One day / 3 Months

24 months as is a personal rule never to do longer even when i have the chance, which had a few times
3 months was unplanned, have taken a year off planned

[el duder]

Length of time being a contractor? 5 years
Longest contract? 18 months
Longest period out of contract? 4 weeks & 12 months travelling round the world.

[LGDT]

21 years
4.5 years
10 months - my choice sabbatical and retraining. Enforced 3 weeks. But usually hop from one to another with no problem.

[barely_pointless]

14 years (oh dear I'm an old fart) (started working in 87, started contracting in '93)
2.5 years (I got bored)
3 months (off to do something else gromit)

[VectraMan]

how long: 0x16 months
longest: 0x0c months (so far)
benched: 0x06 weeks.

[alreadypacked]

And count in hex.

But can you do it if you leave you shoes and socks on?

[Euro-commuter]

29 years EC? We are not worthy! Does that include your paper round?

Nope. Started programming 1975 on COBOL. A mate from school started 2 years before by the time I did it, there were machines to punch the cards, that actually printed the code along the top. Not all of them did though, so I learned to read 80-col card. And count in hex.

[KathyWoolfe]

Interested in getting a general view of the life cycle of a contractor?....If you got 2 secs, would be grateful to answer the following?

What is…
Length of time being a contractor? 2.5 years
Longest contract? 18 months
Longest period out of contract? 0 days/months

What is…
Length of time being a contractor? 1.99 years
Longest contract? 3 months
Longest period out of contract? 1.41 yrs

[al_cam]

8 months/4 months (so far in current contract)/0 (but already fantasising about end of current contract for a break)

[alreadypacked]

29 years EC? We are not worthy! Does that include your paper round?

Maybe he is trying to get the oldest contractor title!

[wendigo100]

29 years EC? We are not worthy! Does that include your paper round?

[Euro-commuter]

29 years / 10 years / 1 year.

[alreadypacked]

Great lifestyle if you make the effort though a lot of blokes just end up becoming complete steamers. Fantastic diving, sailing, fishing, team sports. Great base for US travel. One of the most beautiful places I have ever set eyes on.

Downside - price of accomodation is utterly ludicrous now (big gripe with locals) and the wages, although largely tax free, are not that great whne living costs are taken into account (indeed 100k us is still difficult to get.) Jobs margely aimed at candaians as they are are seen as cheaper to hire. Insanely cliquey and villagey 'national' life that is best taken with a pinch of salt.

Sounds a bit like Zurich, accept its difficult to find an apartment outside the two moving months April and October. Can you stay resident there after you finish working there? I am resident in Zurich till the end of this year latest, then I have to find somewhere else.

[Rantor]

Have you worked out there?

I did 3.5 yrs there in the mid-late nineties - still keep in touch with some chums out there and nearly moved back in 2003 (imminent appearance of mini-rantor put paid to that.)

Great lifestyle if you make the effort though a lot of blokes just end up becoming complete steamers. Fantastic diving, sailing, fishing, team sports. Great base for US travel. One of the most beautiful places I have ever set eyes on.

Downside - price of accomodation is utterly ludicrous now (big gripe with locals) and the wages, although largely tax free, are not that great whne living costs are taken into account (indeed 100k us is still difficult to get.) Jobs margely aimed at candaians as they are are seen as cheaper to hire. Insanely cliquey and villagey 'national' life that is best taken with a pinch of salt.