Signing a contract extension

**pr1** · 24 January 2017, 10:34

Originally posted by ndl View Post

Hello good people,

My current contract is about to finish at the end of February. The client I am working for hasn't told me yet they want to renew the contract, but I am pretty sure will want to do that. Due to some political reasons, I am looking for another contract and would like to stop working for them.

I started looking for other roles and ideally I if I find anything else, I will wait until my contract ends and move to another place. The thing is that the employment agency wants me to sign an extension already. Is there anyway I can stall it and sign it, let's say, a week (or even a couple of days) before my current contract ends?

Excuse my English. If anything is unclear, I will add more details.

Thank you.

You can do what you want, but they may withdraw the offer if you leave it too long (that's up to you to decide the risk)

**northernladuk** · 24 January 2017, 10:42

Originally posted by ndl View Post

Hello good people,

My current contract is about to finish at the end of February. The client I am working for hasn't told me yet they want to renew the contract, but I am pretty sure will want to do that. Due to some political reasons, I am looking for another contract and would like to stop working for them.

I started looking for other roles and ideally I if I find anything else, I will wait until my contract ends and move to another place. The thing is that the employment agency wants me to sign an extension already. Is there anyway I can stall it and sign it, let's say, a week (or even a couple of days) before my current contract ends?

Excuse my English. If anything is unclear, I will add more details.

Thank you.

Surely the fact the agency is asking you to sign a contract is on behest of the client so they have told you they want to extend? You have no contractual obligation with the client so it doesn't matter what they say to you directly. It's what your agency says. Now it might be possible the agency has taken a flier and has offered you an extension without the client knowing, am sure it happens, but I would be very surprised. They are putting themselves at great risk doing this as they will be on the hook for breach if the client decides not to. Not a very clever situation at all!!

You've already said you are going to leave so why not just decline it? If you don't find anything you are going to stay? But then you are stuck somewhere you don't want to be with a notice period etc? You are making the decision very complex if you say you are going to leave but then say you want to decide later.

You could delay signing by just saying you are looking at your options and will decide later. Nothing they can do about it but.

**pr1** · 24 January 2017, 10:46

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

They are putting themselves at great risk doing this as they will be on the hook for breach if the client decides not to. Not a very clever situation at all!!

No they're not - they're finding out whether OP wants to extend and getting him to commit to it, if client decides not to then agency just give notice and say no work available (isn't that one of your stock answers usually?)

**ndl** · 24 January 2017, 10:52

Thank you guys for such prompt responses. How long before the contract ends do you usually sign extensions? I think a month is quite a long time and I was under the impression that they all decide within the last two (maybe one) weeks?

**ChimpMaster** · 24 January 2017, 11:00

Originally posted by ndl View Post

Thank you guys for such prompt responses. How long before the contract ends do you usually sign extensions? I think a month is quite a long time and I was under the impression that they all decide within the last two (maybe one) weeks?

Depends on the client but can be anywhere from -1 month to +1 month in my experience. -2 weeks is probably about right, but certainly you should put the feelers out before that and should have a good idea by then. Just talk with your client manager; after all, they're only human.

If you want to leave, my advice would be to avoid burning any bridges and to be professional. And of course, make sure you have another contract offer signed and ready to go - one that you know won't fall through soon as you leave the current client....

Bird in the hand and all that.

**doconline** · 24 January 2017, 11:04

Originally posted by ndl View Post

Thank you guys for such prompt responses. How long before the contract ends do you usually sign extensions? I think a month is quite a long time and I was under the impression that they all decide within the last two (maybe one) weeks?

Depends on a lot of things really. How long was the original contract. If it was 3 months, then I wouldn't expect to get the renewal a month before it ends, if it was a 12 month contract and it's a long extension, then a month probably would be right. Maybe the client is just trying to get all their ducks in row and be organised?

If you aren't going to extend though, I would speak to the client at the end of the month as a professional courtesy so you leave on good terms just in case you cross paths in the future, just in case they are thinking of extending you and need to get someone else in to cover.

**LondonManc** · 24 January 2017, 11:06

Originally posted by ndl View Post

Thank you guys for such prompt responses. How long before the contract ends do you usually sign extensions? I think a month is quite a long time and I was under the impression that they all decide within the last two (maybe one) weeks?

Anything from four weeks in advance through to the last hour of the contract. I'd never work without a contract because I'd be in breach of my insurance policy - quite often you can't because your pass and access get revoked over night when you finish.

**northernladuk** · 24 January 2017, 11:14

Originally posted by pr1 View Post

No they're not - they're finding out whether OP wants to extend and getting him to commit to it, if client decides not to then agency just give notice and say no work available (isn't that one of your stock answers usually?)

I don't believe that. Yes it is a stock answer but maybe if you read the context of when I apply it rather than trolling me you might have noticed you've applied it completely wrong. The agent doesn't offer the work, the client does. The agent handles the contract. As I said if the agency is trying to get the OP to sign without the clients consent they are opening themselves up for a LOT of risk. He may just be super unfortunate but I don't think this happens much in reality. The agent is potentially in breach with the contractor and also I can't believe the client will be very happy they are doing it either so a double lose for the agency just to see if the OP is up for a renewal? I can't see it personally.

**ndl** · 24 January 2017, 11:16

It is a 6 months contract. I had a conversation with my agency, they said that the client asked for an extension, but haven't pushed for a reply and that I have "a week or a bit more" to make up my mind. Thank you guys, for your answers.

Signing a contract extension