Psychology of long contracts

[unixman]

Has anyone done a contract where the length of it leads to issues. I don't mean IR35 or legal stuff, just quality of life stuff.

Have you done a long contract where, eventually, you became more invested, or the client more invested in you. The "lightness" of your role reduces and politics makes an appearance. Or you are steadily treated a bit worse each week, taken for granted, or being asked to do things not in your contract. Or you just get tired of the repetitive work or the commute.

With permanent jobs, I used to notice that some places (but not all) treat you gradually worse over time. They depend on you more and more, but they also take you for granted more and more. Eventually it seems you are the hub of the whole place. Ironically, in badly managed places, the more embedded you become, the more they seem to dislike you.

[MicrosoftBob]

Well I started the current one in 2010, I keep moving house and moving client site but much as I'd be happy not to be extended a combination of inertia, needing house deposits and wanting an easy war chest have kept it going

Work wise everyone knows my phone number now, despite it changing constantly due to client mistakes so I get pestered a lot for application support that really isn't my remit.

But knowing the client needs you a lot more than you want to be there, gives you a lot more leeway than the permies, they just have to do what they are told, they can't play the consultant card

Politics does make more of an appearance, but as long as you don't act as part and parcel of the organisation it's still easy to side step it, what is harder to avoid is them depending on you more and more making it harder to make a clean break especially if they start waggling rate rises at you mid contract

The joy of promised rate rises though is lessened by the agency always saying no and blaming client HR, and having to let the contract end before the agents eventually back down...oh joy that is always fun not

So the client manager has always been easy to handle, but the relationship with the agency seems to become more passive aggressive overtime as they still feel convinced they own you

The workers at client site tend to get more and more jealous over time, constantly whinging over why they don't get more permies in as the contractors earn more and stay around longer than they do. Of course not one ever has the guts to try and be a contractor, but still the whinging goes on and on

Worse than that though is you working away from home, it gets to you staying in bland non descript travelodges living the Alan Partridge lifestyle, trying to cook dinner with your kettle and trouser press or living on take aways

[northernladuk]

Are you comparing with your situation or just asking out of interest?

[unixman]

@NLUK I am partly comparing my situation and also my experience of permy jobs. As a permy I was surprised to find that, as the employer depends on you more, your life gets worse, not better. Eg if you are the biggest Unix guru in the building, you will also be the least happy. In long contracts I have noticed just a feint shadow of the same thing.

When I was 24, I thought it must be great for the gurus and those who seemed to know everything. When you are a guru, it isn't like that. I now realize why the most senior technical staff always seemed to be complaining. The effect is more marked at badly managed companies, and much less noticeable at the good ones.

@MicrosoftBob. Wow. That is a looooong contract. Regarding agents, I have never had any bother. Barely hear from them between renewals.

[SlipTheJab]

Last client was over 2.5 yrs and 7 extensions, and still going, another extension offered and I turned it down, got to the point when I was in danger of being a permie in disguise, that and a bunch of other tulip caused me to turn it down. Bit risky some might say, but landed a new gig straight away so happy days . You know when the time is right to move, a little voice in the back of your head gets louder and louder until you do!

[unixman]

Last client was over 2.5 yrs and 7 extensions, and still going, another extension offered and I turned it down, got to the point when I was in danger of being a permie in disguise, that and a bunch of other tulip caused me to turn it down. Bit risky some might say, but landed a new gig straight away so happy days . You know when the time is right to move, a little voice in the back of your head gets louder and louder until you do!

This is exactly my current situation. Louder and louder. And louder.

[LondonManc]

This is exactly my current situation. Louder and louder. And louder.

I wouldn't stay anywhere for more than two years without a significant change in what I was doing, who I was doing it for or the working practices. I went contracting for the project-based environment more than the money. Got made redundant and the time felt right to give it a go. Never looked back as I prefer the interest levels of something new.

[MicrosoftBob]

@NLUK I am partly comparing my situation and also my experience of permy jobs. As a permy I was surprised to find that, as the employer depends on you more, your life gets worse, not better. Eg if you are the biggest Unix guru in the building, you will also be the least happy. In long contracts I have noticed just a feint shadow of the same thing.

When I was 24, I thought it must be great for the gurus and those who seemed to know everything. When you are a guru, it isn't like that. I now realize why the most senior technical staff always seemed to be complaining. The effect is more marked at badly managed companies, and much less noticeable at the good ones.

@MicrosoftBob. Wow. That is a looooong contract. Regarding agents, I have never had any bother. Barely hear from them between renewals.

Just one month into a four month extension, and end client talking both another extension and rate rise but by then all the permie developers will have gone, with everything either outsourced or done by contractors, and I think they just want us around to deal with the mess of outsourcers but can't publically admit to needing permies to do it, so they keep finding excuses to keep us around

[psychocandy]

Had one or two long gigs. One for two years which I thought would never end but it did. I would have stayed there forever - it was 15 mins from home.

Current one - just accepted another 3 months to take me up to a year. Its a pretty long commute but I am home every night. Its not the easiest with my personal situation sometimes because of this (wife ill etc, small children).

Its a decent place to work and only issue is the commute....

With long contracts though I've noticed:-

1. After one or two extensions, a lot of clients will assume you want to extend as long as they want you. Then get miffed if you say no.

2. Good luck getting a rate rise EVER. Rate you start on is rate client will want to pay for next 1000 years.

3. Even if its a long commute there is tendency to think right this is the last extension then I'm off. But it never happens - the lure of money is there. (I'm VERY bad at walking away and chancing getting something else).

4. Its human nature. You will become part of the furniture after a while and client will come to rely on you.

[northernladuk]

2. Good luck getting a rate rise EVER. Rate you start on is rate client will want to pay for next 1000 years.

I don't agree with this at all. For a start it is very rare for a client to increase the rate. Why should they? They have a rate card and you are still carrying out the role. Being there for a longer duration is not a reason for a rate rise. That is permie mentality.
It does however make it easy to get a rise from the agent if you play it right. He's made his money so many are willing to forgo some of their commission. I've managed to increase the rate on both my long gigs. It's up to the contractor to manage that, not an assumption it will happen anyway.

3. Even if its a long commute there is tendency to think right this is the last extension then I'm off. But it never happens - the lure of money is there. (I'm VERY bad at walking away and chancing getting something else).

Your history of posts doesn't really back this up.

4. Its human nature. You will become part of the furniture after a while and client will come to rely on you.

Erm, yes and no. Of course the client will rely on you, you are a valuable resource. He'd be stupid if he didn't but I don't agree it makes you part of the furniture. Again it is up to the contractor to manage that. Granted it gets harder and harder the longer the gig but it's still possible. It's partly the fault of the contractor to let this happen.

A decent contractor that knows what he is doing can easily avoid all these points. I'd say most of this is down to the mentality of the contractor not purely down to long gigs.