Contract or permanent?

[Humpy D]

I've been on a contract with my current employer for over a year now. The contracts are 3 months long, the latest one expires at the end of Sept and I have been told that it will be extended to the end of December. I like where I work and what I do and the commute is bearable - 25 miles, @45 mins round the M25.

But, I've been offered a permanent job slightly less money with another company. The problem is it's 50 miles away and I would have to negotiate the joyful junctions 5-9 on the M25 every morning.

What concerns me is taking this job and finding the (likely) 1.5 hours commute unbearable, not to mention the additional travel costs. But it is a permanent job although is there such a thing nowadays?

I have been told by my present employer that I am wanted post December but they are not in a position to offer me either a longer contract or a permanent one.

My head is fried thinking this one through - anyone been in a similar situation and what did you do?

[Lefty Guns]

Yes I have been ina similar situation and I stayed contract. But that was in a market where contracts were easy to get...

What industry are you in? Where about?

[Humpy D]

I'm in the financial services industry (i.e. a pen pusher!!) in the South East.

A lot of the jobs in the industry (and probably most industries) are contract so being offered a permanent position is attractive. But of course there's no guarantee that in 6 months they won't make me redundant or the like!

Having said that, I wouldn't want to burn my bridges with the company in case my contract work does end.

[john_p]

I don't really think a permanent job offers that much more security; you might have a month's notice instead of a week or whatever, but until you have a few years under your belt then you are out in the cold the minute the company starts making redundancies.

How niche an area do you work in?

Can you save up as much cash as possible between now and Dec so that if the worst happens and you have a few months without work you can keep looking?

[Humpy D]

It's not too niche and I have a few contacts should it go pear-shaped.

[Lefty Guns]

haworthlloyd1 said:

you earn more now, like the work, have less of a commute and prob use your own ltd company so can offset a lot.

you have the option of permanent (doesn't mean much) and PAYE and a long commute on less money?

CONTRACTING!

Yep, I'm with him.

[Humpy D]

I didn't explain fully but I'm not a contractor in the strictest sense of the word i.e. I am not self-employed. I am employed by a company like any other employee but on a short-term contract basis.

[Dupont666]

Humpy D said:

I didn't explain fully but I'm not a contractor in the strictest sense of the word i.e. I am not self-employed. I am employed by a company like any other employee but on a short-term contract basis.

So you a temp or a contractor?

Seems strange that you earn only a little bit more when there is no job security, I thought it would have been 50-100% more for that.

Do they pay you direct and do PAYE and give you holiday or do they pay a company that pays you?

[Humpy D]

They pay me direct, do all the PAYE and pay me holiday, etc. I also have a month's notice. Whether that makes me a temp or a contractor I don't know. I guess I'm neither in the true sense of the word!!

[edc]

TBH this type of employment relationship is quite grey. Depending on the nature of your work, the extent to which the 'employer' ' controls' you, then you could be deemed an employee and your concurrent fixed term contracts push you over the 1 yr mark. I suspect they exclude you from the majority of the benefits available to 'permanent' staff.

[Humpy D]

edc, I get all the benefits of other employees. It's only the fact that I have a temporary contract that differs.

I notice that you made reference to the fact that my period with my employer whilst on a temporary contract is now over a year? Does this give me more rights?

[edc]

Sorry, too late at night when I replied. Most employees, will accrue more rights when past the 1 yr mark. You can be employed on a series of fixed term contracts up to 4 yrs in total duration in most circumstances. If you have the same access to benefits as your permanent colleagues then this may be good enough for you, but you might want to consider the impact of eligibility for statutory payments for things like paternity, redundancy, notice pay etc

[Dupont666]

Humpy D said:

edc, I get all the benefits of other employees. It's only the fact that I have a temporary contract that differs.

I notice that you made reference to the fact that my period with my employer whilst on a temporary contract is now over a year? Does this give me more rights?

Thought that they were meant to make the job permanent as its not a 'temp' job anymore as it has been there a year and you have the same benefits, but I could be wrong.