Getting a foot in the door

[unixman]

I don't agree that the market is unusually bad or has been affected by Brexit. In 2006 I was made redundant from a permanent job. Finding a first contract took 3 months. And it was 1 hour 20 minutes from home. My latest contract, which I am about to start, was easier to find and is 30 minutes away,

Advice to the OP would be that there are fewer contracts than perm. jobs, and you have to look harder for them. Keep searching. Interrogate the big search engines twice a day. Get all the right words on your CV, and keep going.

[Rastko]

Especially at the OP's presumed age (I'm not too far behind). If you don't have a network you can 'work' for finding contraacts at that stage in life, it may be hard work competing for advertised roles.

Not trying to put you off, OP, if that's the way it has to be, but just looking to see if there's another way.

If you're not sure how to tap your network, hopefully you at least know who is working where via LinkedIn. Then I suggest you need a plan of attack. Start meeting contacts for coffee, lunch, pint etc. Difficult if the travelling distances are great but a good way to go about it. Let them know about your availability and abilities. Show what you can do for them, but don't be afraid to ask for a bit of assistance as well. Just my way of doing things - other methods are available.

Thanks. Yeah, I've started doing just this - Initially I was a tad reluctant (no real reason, just didn't wanna go down the gis-a-job route) - but yeah, it makes sense - the grass is already looking a bit greener :-)

[malvolio]

Thanks. Yeah, I've started doing just this - Initially I was a tad reluctant (no real reason, just didn't wanna go down the gis-a-job route) - but yeah, it makes sense - the grass is already looking a bit greener :-)

Hmmm...

It's a major change that you're contemplating making; no career, no comfort blankets, even less security, a load of costs you don't have now to name just a few. Don't go in to it half-hearted, attack it and grasp any opportunity.