Leaving a contract early.....

[RichardCranium]

But who is going to change the tapes if you leave?

Think of the tapes man!

Doesn't .NET do that automatically?

[Gonzo]

<snip>

But who is going to change the tapes if you leave?

Think of the tapes man!

[chef]

Are they local contractors or are they expats like you?
I worked with some Brits years ago in Holland that had become more local
than the Dutch without actually speaking the language.
They were members of the local squash club,golf club,tennis club,you name it. They seem to have been there for years with their family so it was in their interest to drag the project out.
Hence the Perm attitude

They're a mixture, 2 Brits, 1 Italian, 6 German non-Bavarian (thats the equivalent of coming from another country), the project has been going on for 5 years or so and is always growing hence the permie attitude.

[Brussels Slumdog]

Local or expat

9The trouble is the people here are all contractors but seem to have that permie mentality.. very odd

Are they local contractors or are they expats like you?
I worked with some Brits years ago in Holland that had become more local
than the Dutch without actually speaking the language.
They were members of the local squash club,golf club,tennis club,you name it. They seem to have been there for years with their family so it was in their interest to drag the project out.
Hence the Perm attitude

[chef]

9 months in so far, looks like its going to be 12, after that I think I'm going to call it a day and take some time off with gf chef. The trouble is the people here are all contractors but seem to have that permie mentality.. very odd

[Jeebo72]

Yip, i'm now in my longest contract ever at 10 months. Get in, get project done, but then you get involved in the BAU b*lls, so I get bored and move ...

[Pogle]

Christ, I get bored after 7 months!

One of the things I love about contracting is the moving around.

[lukemg]

Been in that rut a couple of times, you have some options:
If you are prepared to leave, dig your heels in for the rate to stay the same.
Try to sort a short notice period, this puts them on guard that you might bail, reality is you will walk anyway if another offer comes in.
Don't expect the next place to be better or to pay more, change of scenery/totty is nice but soon turns into the usual place when the novelty runs out.
Benchtime hurts more when you walk, you know you are missing out on cash while getting bored !
Even starting to look for work helps to make you feel you are on your way out.
I would book some time off, even if you don't intend to go away, to break it up.
Need to learn to say no, or 'outsource' decisions about what you work on, to the managers who should be responsible for directing your efforts, ask them to make the decision if you are asked to drop something, be more realistic about how long stuff will take + 15%.
In short, suck it up and start looking, not the market to pull the chute and hope for a soft landing, but you know this already....

[Bright Spark]

It is the normal lifecycle of a contract that you are experiencing, the longer
you stay at a contract the more work you pickup as other colleagues leave
,you become more knowledgeable, more people in the organisation know who
you are .....etc

[TiroFijo]

been here 3 years and always seem to get the itch to go somewhere else, after two or three years the little things that niggle me become more and more

Aye, my longest contract was for 6 years! Longer than most permies stay with their permy job. Yer right about the 3 year itch, I think I should have left mine after about the 3rd or 4th year as it started to get right shyte after that. Trouble they keep on paying you and you just keep on going.

[fckvwls]

I think that you should turn this into a diary simialar to Richard Cranium's.

The milan contributions to the work-place are more Wilmslowesque than RC don't you think?

[rsingh]

let's see how long it takes to find something else, is there something else ? if not I have to stay here and develop my skills at saying no to projects and work and deliverables

I think that you should turn this into a diary simialar to Richard Cranium's.

[milanbenes]

morning all, hope you all had a good weekend

I've seen threads with this subject in the past but never done it

however, even with an extension well into nest year and beyond looming, I have decided enough is enough and it's time to find something else

why ?

been here 3 years and always seem to get the itch to go somewhere else, after two or three years the little things that niggle me become more and more

but more than that,

there is always too much work here, too much multitasking context swtiching non stop short deadlines, too much pressure and too much stress

and now the bosses again want to reduce rates

and lock hours down to 40

the 40 hours is ok but the projects are increasing and the team
is not being increased, so who's going to do the work

and for reduced rates deliver more ? the rate did act as a form of compensation for the workload, pressure and stress, but if the rate it going to be reduced then why burn out for smaller money it's not worth it, time to go back to a more stable .net customer and cruise along like everyone else

hence, I'm looking for something new

the nice thing is, as I have work I don't have to take the first offer

let's see how long it takes to find something else, is there something else ? if not I have to stay here and develop my skills at saying no to projects and work and deliverables

I think my biggest problem, and I need to develop this skill, and I will be forced to now the hours are capped, is to be able to say to people, sorry can't do this, can't do that, don't have enough time and too much work as it is

there we are

Milan.