Originally posted by SueEllen
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Struggling To Get Contract Role
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Originally posted by WTFH View PostIt’s also possible as a contractor to work away from home!Comment
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Originally posted by MattFromEarth View PostThis is a very good point. However I'd add that if possible try and limit the commute to 200 miles or less. Driving 200 miles on a Friday afternoon and then doing the same thing on a Monday morning at the crack of dawn becomes a big bind. The UK might be small but to drive around 200 miles in 1 hit can take a lot longer than you think with the current state of roads and congestion.
Monday mornings I don't mind leaving early to avoid the traffic - e.g. leave at 5am. The rest of the week I'd go into the client around 8am and leave around 6pm Tuesday to Thursday, and leave by 2pm on a Friday.
It's not necessarily something you can do on week 1, but if you build up a good relationship with them, I've found most have been agreeable to that.
I've had a couple of clients who had a great rule - never leave home before 7am on a Monday and never get back home after 7pm on a Friday. They'd fly me to Europe on a 10-11am flight and back on a 3pm.…Maybe we ain’t that young anymoreComment
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Originally posted by WTFH View PostThat's where working with the client rather than just for them comes into it.
Monday mornings I don't mind leaving early to avoid the traffic - e.g. leave at 5am. The rest of the week I'd go into the client around 8am and leave around 6pm Tuesday to Thursday, and leave by 2pm on a Friday.
It's not necessarily something you can do on week 1, but if you build up a good relationship with them, I've found most have been agreeable to that.
I've had a couple of clients who had a great rule - never leave home before 7am on a Monday and never get back home after 7pm on a Friday. They'd fly me to Europe on a 10-11am flight and back on a 3pm.
Of the last 5 contracts over 8 years I've been able to negotiate 2 days at home. Currently I leave home on Sunday afternoon, stay in a rented flat and go in 0700 to 1500 Mon to Wed then bounce home 1300 Wednesday and WFH Thu and Fri. (So zero traffic on the 160 mile trip). Works well - and I like staying in nice places all over the UK and abroad. I always find a decent local boozer and make a few friends in the first month or so and then I've got a fun week, every week.
Only proviso is it's got to be a really nice place to stay (and I negotiate with the owner after using Booking.com to find a decent place but they’re usually around £90 a night). And it's got to be a flat so I can cook and take a PS4 etc and make the place my own to an extent.Comment
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Originally posted by SillyPerson View PostAgree 100%. In fact, working away is for me one of the many joys of contracting.
Of the last 5 contracts over 8 years I've been able to negotiate 2 days at home. Currently I leave home on Sunday afternoon, stay in a rented flat and go in 0700 to 1500 Mon to Wed then bounce home 1300 Wednesday and WFH Thu and Fri. (So zero traffic on the 160 mile trip). Works well - and I like staying in nice places all over the UK and abroad. I always find a decent local boozer and make a few friends in the first month or so and then I've got a fun week, every week.
Only proviso is it's got to be a really nice place to stay (and I negotiate with the owner after using Booking.com to find a decent place but they’re usually around £90 a night). And it's got to be a flat so I can cook and take a PS4 etc and make the place my own to an extent.Comment
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Originally posted by MattFromEarth View PostThis is a very good point. However I'd add that if possible try and limit the commute to 200 miles or less. Driving 200 miles on a Friday afternoon and then doing the same thing on a Monday morning at the crack of dawn becomes a big bind. The UK might be small but to drive around 200 miles in 1 hit can take a lot longer than you think with the current state of roads and congestion."You’re just a bad memory who doesn’t know when to go away" JRComment
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Originally posted by Saffie8511 View PostOkay here it goes, I left my permanent job last year October through redudancy and took a bit of a break and started to look for work again in January.
A brief background, I worked for Lloyds Bank for 10 years the last 6 of which were in project delivery, namely Implementation Management/Project Management and PMO.
It has been difficult and frustrating to say the least, if I apply for 10 roles I hear back from 1 maybe to say sorry the role has been filled or some other form of rejection.
Is it just me, the market, the nature of contracting or all 3? My warchest wont last forever and am seeking advise from the professionals on here, whether it be agencies, people, organisation or even to rip apart my CV.
Any suggestions more than welcome
ThanksComment
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I've been on the bench for 10 months now. It's starting to get really depressing now. I've also started looking at perm roles, but I can't even get any of those roles because of the gap in my CV and the fact that I have a contract background, they think I might jump ship half way through a role, but I wouldn't. This is the longest I've been on the bench, and I feel like I'm starting to forget a lot of the work I did.Comment
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Originally posted by MarcusD View PostI've been on the bench for 10 months now. It's starting to get really depressing now. I've also started looking at perm roles, but I can't even get any of those roles because of the gap in my CV and the fact that I have a contract background, they think I might jump ship half way through a role, but I wouldn't. This is the longest I've been on the bench, and I feel like I'm starting to forget a lot of the work I did.Comment
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Originally posted by WTFH View PostThat's where working with the client rather than just for them comes into it.
Monday mornings I don't mind leaving early to avoid the traffic - e.g. leave at 5am. The rest of the week I'd go into the client around 8am and leave around 6pm Tuesday to Thursday, and leave by 2pm on a Friday.
It's not necessarily something you can do on week 1, but if you build up a good relationship with them, I've found most have been agreeable to that.
I've had a couple of clients who had a great rule - never leave home before 7am on a Monday and never get back home after 7pm on a Friday. They'd fly me to Europe on a 10-11am flight and back on a 3pm.
Of course the key question is: what are the car parking arrangements?Comment
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