Job offer but temp contract-unsure what to do

norwegianwood

Hi,

Just hoping to get some impartial advice here as I'm having a hard time with this decision.

I work in IT for a multinational food company, I've been there for about a year and a half. It's a permanent job with decent benefits etc, but for a while I've been unhappy there.

One reason for this is the amount of travel I have to do. Obviously not sure whether these will still go ahead when planned, but I'm scheduled to do eight trips to the US this year for 2 weeks at a time, with two week gaps in between them. I was actually meant to be moving to the US but unfortunately that didn't pan out and I'm stuck in a bit of a ha'penny place now with going back and forth. The other is that there's no real room for progression at this company, if I stay there another five years I know I'll be doing the same job.

Recently I did an interview for another large food company, for a similar role but no travel. I got a great vibe from the guys interviewing me, and this company has a reputation as a great place to work. One girl left my old company for this one and loves it, I'd be working closely with her in the job.

So when I was offered the role I accepted but then I got the contract and the terms really aren't great. It's a temporary 12 month contract, I'd be employed by the recruitment agency and not the company itself, and although they told me there's a very strong chance that it would become permanent, it's not guaranteed. I'd also have no benefits and sick pay and would be classed as a temporary agency worker.

After seeing the contract I turned it down, but then the guy who interviewed me rang me, saying that he would really like me to come on board and that he thought I'd be a great fit for the team. The role I'd be going into is temporary as the project is only scheduled to run till next year, but he said he couldn't really imagine a situation where they wouldn't find something permanent for me. He also said that even though I'd be coming in on this temp contract he'd try to get that changed once I started so that I'd be employed by the company. In the functional area that I currently work in, there will apparently be a vacant manager's role around the time that my contract would be due to end that he said that I could transition into.

My issue is that none of these are certainties and I would be taking a huge risk by leaving my permanent job. On the other side of things, I've been wanting to leave this job since Christmas when I found out I wouldn't be moving to the US and this might be an opportunity for career growth that I won't get where I am now. The uncertainty around pretty much everything at the moment isn't helping anything either.

Just looking to maybe get some outsider perspective while I try to make my decision, anything at all would be really appreciated, thanks

TheW1zard

With all this madness going on youd be a brave man to start a new job.
The temp contract wouldnt put me off though if youre good at your job theyll want you + youre unhappy.

bbbbb

it sounds like a good opportunity, but with a risk that it might not happen.
who knows what the world economy will look like in 12 months. if a company is making cutbacks, layoffs etc. they will cut contractors first, no matter how good they are.
are you young, free and single or do you have wife, kids, mortgage?

NSAman

Chance with a place you suspect you will be happy in? V’s stability and unhappiness ....hmmmmm

Always go with happiness and adventure personally...life is for living.

qwerty13

NSAman wrote: »

Chance with a place you suspect you will be happy in? V’s stability and unhappiness ....hmmmmm

Always go with happiness and adventure personally...life is for living.

I’d have totally agreed with that about a month ago (depending on what financial obligations the OP has), but now - that’s an incredibly high risk move. Although there’s no guarantees in any private sector job at the moment (and I suspect the economic fall out from C19 is going to be massive), as someone else said, contractors are generally the first to get the bullet if the company needs to save money fast.

Tbh even if was a month or more ago, they’re making a lot of vague promises that they can get out of in a blink, so I wouldn’t be thrilled about that either. But given how things are now ... I’d be staying put.

There’s also a few things that sound very unrealistic in terms of their vague promises:
1. If they don’t have budget / prospective project work to employ you now as a permie, what is going to magically change after you start contracting for them?
2. Companies that have an agency resourcing people for them don’t generally want to break that relationship for the sake of 1 person.
3. If you were going to be employed by the agency, as opposed to contracting for the agency, then the company you’re thinking of working for may have to ‘buy you out’. That’s a whole level of grief and money that I think would difficult to get past Accountants and HR.
4. How do they know there’s going to be a manager role vacant in a year? Will they not have to advertise that at least internally (if not externally too). I’d find it unusual that you could ‘slot into’ that role.

And those 4 points are how I’d view their ‘promises’ before these strange times. My gut feeling is that they really want you to work on a specific project on a short term basis, but they’re not prepared to put their money where their mouth is and offer you a permie role (and associated benefits).

Any job move at the moment is, in my opinion, risky. But permie to contract is a whole extra level of risk. You’d want to be very sure that you can bear the financial risks involved -v- exactly how unhappy you are right now.

PS: and there’s no way I’d move to a job where the company isn’t set up for a (proven) high % of staff to work from home. In these times, the ability to carry on and work from home is a huge advantage. In the event of a true lockdown, what if you simply couldn’t work in your new job. As a contractor, you could be completely screwed (as in not paid).

_Brian

We’re facing potentially a deep global recession. I wouldn’t leave any job for a temp contract.

delboythedub

tell them that you have a full time job and not interested in a 12 month contract. Sorry this new company my just want to pick your brains as regards your present company's business. you wont be the first Irish person that it happened to. Just keep your eyes out for something better .Best of luck

1hnr79jr65

The agency/recruiter are in it for themselves first, they get commission and use of your skills, you come a very far second. The contract makes you very disposable without any real benefits or protections for you. There is no guarantee you will get a permanent job, the fact the recruiter offered you "possible" hope of permanency does not guarantee this in the future as anything can happen.

On the other side you have a job that has permanency, good wages, benefits. However the travel sucks, but there is no guarantee you will be traveling anywhere in the near future and tools such as zoom, skype and so on are available to make up the short fall. May not be the most practical but it is safer. There is always the chance this company folds due to what is currently happening.

Looking at both these view i would stay with current company, get a copy of company handbook and your contract. Look for IF you are obliged to travel, if you are not then look at offering alternative suggestions such as skype/zoom, if your contract obliges you to travel then counter with WHO & Government recommendations on travel to areas with war/infection and so on, as a reasonable way to refuse travel until you find something else.

ThewhiteJesus

It's your life, only you can decide.

riffmongous

With things the way they are at the moment, a permanent contract is worth a lot extra. You probably won't be travelling so much this year anyway, and look, don't worry about if you'll be still doing the same job in your company in 5 years now, get through this year and it's economic shock first

norwegianwood

Thanks everyone for the replies, yeah decided not to take it, I'd be nervous enough about going to a temporary job from a permanent one in normal circumstances, it'd be borderline insanity to do it at the moment!

Thanks again