New contract. When do i resign?

[malandri]

After 5 years of being a permie, i decided to go contracting and have my first offer. (Actually, what i have is that the agent told me that the client agreed to employ me and that he (the agent) is sending me a contract, which i haven't received yet, because the HR are slow blah blah blah)

My current permament contract has a 4 weeks notice period . The agent keeps pushing me to resign asap. I haven't signed anything with him or the client yet, so i am a bit reluctant. How did it work with you when you had your first contract? Do i sign a contract with the client, the agent or with both? What i am trying to avoid is resigning and then being told by the agent that there is no contract for me

Also, it is wise to have the contract checked by a solicitor, are there specialists solicitors doing this job?

So many questions....

One thing that i have realised by reading in this forum is not to trust the agent

[Bagpuss]

I wouldn't resign until you get the contract to sign. Or at least get a confirmation email fropm the client. In this business nothing is 100% guaranteed but you can hedge your bets

[Reccon]

If I was you I wouldn't do anything until you have the paperwork in your hand - if the agent is pushing you to resign then tell him to chase the client for the paperwork quicker!!

[cojak]

DO NOT RESIGN UNTIL YOU HAVE THE CONTRACT IN YOUR HAND - oh and suffix everything you say/write to the agent with "subject to contract".

[cojak]

Lawspeed will have a look at the contract, it'll cost approx. £250. Worth it if the contract is a long one.

[ratewhore]

I'd agree with the comments so far, particularly since this is a permie to contractor leap. Once you've been contracting a while and know the ins and outs you should be less concerned about having the contract signed by the time you turn down an extension. I've been in that position a few times as I'm sure some of the other guys here have, and I've had no issues.

Just my 2ps worth...

[cojak]

I don't mind starting a job without the contract if I've been on the bench but there's no way I'll end a contract without the new one in front of me - I almost ended up with no contract when I last did that...

[malandri]

And how exactly does it work? I get the contract from the agent, i sign it, i keep a copy of it and that's all? After that, there is no going back for the agent/client?

[thunderlizard]

Pretty much. There is a scam where the agent sends you a contract unsigned by them (you'd think since they were prepared to write it they should be prepared to sign it, but no); you sign it and send it back; and that's the last you hear of it. Then if the contract falls through in the very early stages, the agency claims the contract is void because both parties didn't sign it. Once you've done a week and invoiced for it, you're home and dry because the contract is legally deemed to be in effect - and arguably before then. It's rare and it's never happened to me, but it is their reason for not doing their signature upfront.

So what I tend to do is refuse to go on the client site until I've got the contract signed by the agent. Often involves going to the agent's office in person, to avoid too much delay.

Of course the money isn't yours until it's in the bank, but you've got to start trusting them at some point.