Reply to: Longest Break Between Contracts?

[simes]

5 months - twice.

Both during the dark days of 2001 and 2002. Nearly caved and even went to the odd permy interview, both of which failed because hey, I was a contractor.

(well don't bloody invite me to the interview then if that's a sticking point with you )

[Jabberwocky]

because they wanted a 'big hitter' on the team...

I think you'll find it was a 'bull (s)hitter' on the team ... easy mistake to make.

[Joe Black]

What is life without eye candy?

True. One thing that I missed when working from home some years ago.

My b*st*rd colleagues though decided to torment me by putting a webcam online pointing at the coffee machine...

[Joe Black]

"Trouble is I have two major banks looking for someone to start before christmas.... sigh...."

A bird in the hand and all that. (and please no jokes about one in the bush!!)

Anyway, good to hear. Always a demand for us SAP developers. Shame Milan let the skills go (focused too much on the tape-changing) otherwise he'd be sorted as well...

[mcquiggd]

Well, JB, alls fair in love and contracting as they say....

Im just into the second week of my gig and although the travelling is nasty - up at 6.50am, back about 8pm, Im actually enjoying the project. Its basically me and one other .Net guy establishing a framework for less experienced developers to work within for the largest local government agency in Scotland, and Im acting more as a Technical Architect that a developer I suppose... Basically Ive designed and built a v nice wizard engine for .Net 1.1 thats more flexible than the wizard control in .Net 2, rewrote the navigation UI to be a composite of self-configuring tabs and breadcrumbs, implemented a caching strategy and agreed a security framework. Not bad for the first 6 days including getting logins sorted, reading documentation and attending meetings.

Nice people, no permie / contractor divide, and when they found out id been screwed by MSB who didnt tell me all contractors are on enforced holiday between the 16th and 9th over christmas, my PM has put the wheels in motion to get me some extra work on the QT, either at home or on site if he is in.

Trouble is I have two major banks looking for someone to start before christmas.... sigh....


P.S, good luck in the job, JB....

[Joe Black]

How's the current job going mcquiggd?

I've just started my new one today and hopefully should keep me into the new year. Felt a bit guilty today though after finding out they'd cut the previous guy's contract short because they wanted a 'big hitter' on the team...

[mcquiggd]

12 months, due to ill health.... a friend gave me some subcontracted work and it miraculously enlarged to fill up 8 months of my CV... I spent most of the last 4 months of that break playing with the Betas of .Net, and in many ways it was a good thing. Luckily id made 250k in the two years prior to my time off so it wasnt so bad. Ended up working for 2 banks, Avanade, Atos Origin and am now on my 5th contract up here in Scotland. Im an MCSD (C#) and am going to take an MCAD in VB.Net, followed by the conversion courses to .Net 2 early next year... then the MS Technical Architect stream.

When I look back at how much money Ive earnt, and spent, it amazes me. Ive had one HELL of a good time though

[Joe Black]

23 Months, all financed by the German social security system, at one point I travelled to Ecuador and Colombia for two months, whist still being paid by Gerry.

I was receiving 70 per cent of my fomer takehome.

Knew a German guy in London once who was on such a thing, 6 months on 70 odd per cent of his previous wage while spending his time on the longest pub crawl I've known.

Me?, 4 months this summer, hadn't had a holiday for four years and the days, weeks, months just sort of went by.

Problem explaining it? I thought there would be until I found out the agent had sort of filled in the gap in my CV without any question....

[Fungus]

A former colleague must have been outside IT for 3 years now. I think he spent 1 year searching for work then went to South America to teach English as a foreign language. He's coming back to IT. I think.

Me? 1 week.

Fungus.

[ratewhore]

3 months planned in summer - luverly...

[Jabberwocky]

12 months. 10 months in had a guy reject me for being out of work for 10 months, which is ok by me except he decided this *after* a two hour technical barbecue where I answered everything correctly (for once).

[DimPrawn]

Contractors are funny old things.

Stuck in a contract day in day out, dreaming of the end date and then when out of work, panicking like crazy about getting back into a contract.

Me? I'm far happier out of a contract than in it. Especially when there's no ey candy in the team.

[jenever]

Worst was 10 months.

Top tip: don't change countries without a job (and after a stockmarket crash)

[AlfredJPruffock]

Currently six months, but three of those planned, so that makes it three I suppose. I'm so fecking bored....

Aye Fleety

There is only one thing worse than being out of a contract, that is being in a contract.

[BlasterBates]

Yeah its OK (great in fact) during the summer, but palls a bit when the weather gets bad, and the months drag on.

Out for 4, like Fleetwood first three months like a well needed holiday.

Good luck to all those looking, usually things pick up in the new year.