MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Got a job offer! For a place just over the hill from me, and the commute is 5 miles of country lanes or even through my local trails! Hurray, you all say - except hold your horses....
It's truly crap money (for an IT contractor) for a 6 month fixed contract, the absolute minimum we need to get by if we cut back loads and don't go on holiday all summer... Furthermore, I've got leads on some truly fantastic jobs including a seriously lucrative contract in Switzerland using my special niche skills, and another permie but well paid job in Switzerland for a company that makes secure ink for banknotes and involves 60% travel all over the world - US, Europe and Asia.. and offers a relocation package and pays interview expenses!
Of course, I could easily take the cheap job and keep looking, but they've offered it to me on the basis of me being a straight up honest guy that won't let them down... 😕
I bloody knew this would happen...
wait
If they were offering a decent rate (especially for niche skills) they wouldn't need to worry about you going elsewhere.
They would kick you out on a moment's notice if they were to run into difficulties... Just take it and make sure there is a notice period either way so that you can go to Switzerland if you get an offer. DO NOT sign a six month contract where they can give you a week's notice but you can't get out: I've seen too many of those.
It really annoys me when companies expect loyalty from their employees and contractors but aren't prepared to offer any loyalty in return.
Take the job and then leave if you get an offer from a higher bidder: it's what contractors do and they should realise that.
Sounds cynical, but I've been let down by enough companies to realise that my only work loyalty is to me. It's the way it has to be now, sadly.
I got re-hired a couple of weeks ago by the same company that made me redundant in the first place(!). Only thing is I'm on a 3-month contract (and a significantly lower wage - bastards) but it's a weeks notice either side and they're well aware that I'm still looking for jobs and have other applications in the pipeline, there's no pressure on me to stay the whole 3 months. I'd say take the job but make sure you have the option of leaving at any time (1 week notice being the usual in those circumstances).
Good luck.
what julian A says and dont sign a contract or tell them you have got some interviews for a permanent job and as aman of your word you need to go to the interviews etc
If they are paying you peanuts for 6 month much loyalty are they expecting for that?.....never ever give loyalty to an employer they are not your friend the second they cannot make a profit from your labour you are gone...does not matter where i have seen charities do it and big business... it is not friendship it is commerce goverened by contracts ...sadly think only of your self interest that is what they will be doing.
For what it's worth I agree with most of the above.
Is there anyway you can use the job offer to speed up the decision processses for the Swiss jobs.
Otherwise I'd agree that you need a get out clause for the offered job or just take the job and if one of the Swiss ones comes through give them notice equal to your pay frequency, week or month, and let them whistle for it.
You know what's most importnat to you and the family so go with your heart.
Best of luck.
Be honest. Don't shaft the company that have offered you the job. Karma will get you
I'd go back to them & tell them that you want the job & will work conscientiously for them but you simply can't accept the tied contract but would help to hand over the position to someone else if you leave.
I was thinking along similar lines to the above. The thing preying on my mind is the fact that they've interviewed other people (ex colleagues so I got the low down) who've behaved like contractors ie only money talks but they've hired me on the basis of me being a loyal stand up decent hoenst bloke, which to be honest I am 🙂 They didn't [i]specifically[/i] ask me if I'd leave the job, but they asked me about loyalty and I am loyal, which is why I am agonising about it. If I do get offered the Swiss job, I'll probably just take the guy aside and say "look, I've been offered £XXX per day (2.5x what they are offering) - put yourself in my position, what would you do?" Hopefully they'll see my point of view.
Exactly as JulianA says.
Your first loyalty is to yourself. Take the money from the local company, even if it is crap, but make sure you can get out on very short notice should something better come along.
If the Swiss job is 2.5x the money, and more interesting to boot, then keep pursuing it by all means. I'd not worry about letting the local company down should you get the Swiss job though, what are they going to do? Write "JulianA is an investment banker and is not to be trusted" in 20 foot high letters on billboards all round your local area? Honestly, it's not like they can do anything. I have a loyalty to myself, and also to people who treat me with the decency and sincerity I would expect to treat others with. Sounds like the money they are offering you is neither particularly decent or sincere, so take it but safe in the knowledge that should a better offer come along they weren't exactly treating you that well so letting them down is no big issue.
but make sure you can get out on very short notice
If I ask for that, they'll smell a rat...
The money is very low for an IT contract, although not low in terms of the national average.....
I think they've covered most points!
(I'd go abroad if it was that secure!)
The one guarantee you have (to employers) as a contractor is your reputation from references, anything that puts it in doubt is a big no-no. I certainly wouldnt consider leaving a short term contract early, and under no circumstances would ever consider asking for a higher pay rate when in a contract, even if I had a better offer.
If your not bothered about putting the company down on your CV (or whatever reference list you have) then its less of a worry, BUT I have found that you come across the same people in the IT industry time and time again, or you at least have contacts who have worked with someone who can give you an off the record oppinion of whether to employ a person or not.
Be careful whichever way you go and get stuff in writing before you make decisions based on it.
I had one job offer where the sales director said I had the job, the pre-sales director said I had the job and I was just waiting to meet the US VP to formally get the job when they told me they had filled the vacancy internally. That one cost me 4 weeks of not really chasing other opportunities.
I had another one where I had the job starting in 5 days time subject to them getting the next phase of a project. When I hadn't heard anything after 3 days I rang the bloke who interviewed me. They hadn't got the next phase and he had been made redundent too.
Negotiate.
What I'd do is ring up the people who've offered you a job, tell them exactly what the situation is, tell them that you are happy to take the job on 1-week's notice but at the rate they are offering you aren't prepared to make a six month commitment. Suggest they look elsewhere, increase the rate or reduce their expectations about how long you will commit to them.
Loyalty won't pay the bills, and as you may have already found, when you're surplus to requirements, the quid pro quo can be sorely lacking and that loyalty won't count for anything. mboy is right.
Gaaargh. IT seems like a pretty mean business to be in. Glad I am in a more stable job. Although less money. 🙂
You've got to think of the worst case, if you reject the 6 month offer and don't get the Swiss jobs, are you ok money wise? If it's going to be tight but you could manage it then I'd wait to see what the cheesemongers offer you.
IT seems like a pretty mean business to be in
It's cos I'm a contractor. Contractors are seen as the scum of the earth by permies cos they sit in the same office doing the same job (often) earning three times as much. But it's a higher risk strategy, and the moaney permies are free to chase contracts if they think they're good enough 🙂
As for negotiation - their requirements are someone that'll commit to 6 months and work for what they can afford. If I started to bleat about it then they'd offer someone else...
So be it.
So, they want you for crap money, gave you the job over other people who wanted more money, and want you to stay for 6 months ?
Don't be a mug, tell then you will take it but keep looking and want a weeks notice on your side. Maybe this will spur them to offer you more money... or perhaps to re-examine what they are really up to ...
Even if the money is crap for IT contracting it probably means its still a respectable wage (depending on the IT skill your contracting). I would take the job on the assumption that nothing else is going to come along and it will get your bills paid. I work in IT and dont see jobs getting any easier to come by before the end of the year (location dependant of course) so I know what my choice would be.