Making the move

[Pyrrhula]

I have a similar skillset to OP in Finance in London. I would advise:

Build that warchest ASAP and be honest about it, don't look at it and think I have six months if I cut back. You wont cut back because you will always hope that you will be in a new contract next week.

If you need to wait for clearance or financial checks then keep applying elsewhere, even though the checks may go through OK something else could go wrong at the client end.

When I made the jump I had to negotiate a 2 week notice period with my employer, I just didnt get any interest when it was 4 weeks.

Did I mention saving that warchest? Do it then you can enjoy the time on the bench - especially if it is summer.

[Chutley]

You are very, very lucky if you can arrange a contract from a permie role with notice. I was in a fairly senior role which had 3 months' notice attached - not a hope of a contract waiting for me.

So I had a frugal year and built a war chest, then resigned end of November. I had a nice extended break over Christmas, did a lean Six Sigma Course online in early Jan and was in my first contract by end of Jan - two months on the bench, but achieved LSS Black belt.

18 months down the line I am now on my third contract - first two were six months each and this one has been extended to a year. I have hardly taken any time off and built a large war chest. My plan is to work through to June, then have the summer off before starting to look again in September next year.

No regrets, love the flexibility and the idea that I can just walk away if the client pisses me off too much. The looming Divi tax, T&S changes and uncertainty about the Ltd Company on the books position being announced in AS dampens the attraction a little. But having made the break, it would take a financial disaster for me ever to return to permie wage slavery. I'd rather run my own market stall, e-bay shop or cut people's lawns than do 65+ hour weeks for 40 weeks' pay - which is then raped by 50% for tax/NI.

But you have to be confident that you can deliver, make a network quickly and get along with people. Clients don't give you much rope before they hang you - I was exactly the same when I was hiring contractors. Deliver or go.

Probably doesn't help with your original question, but take all the comments from the experienced people on this site... then it will probably be down to you willingness to take the leap of faith.