Permanent or contract position?

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Fuma

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I have been wanting to leave my company for some time since I don’t think I’m growing. I'm too comfortable on my current post. I’m a C#/VB.net developer, with other languages as well.

So if an opportunity comes, like a 3 year fixed term contract from one of the big 4 auditing firms comes, would you take it?
I’m 30, married, and have a 7 months old baby. I have a bond, car to pay off (in 3 yrs time), cc, and etc. I’m mentioning this since this is a contract position. Say I’m currently earning R300k p/a and this new contract offers R400k + benefits. Same area as my current employer.

Has any of you been on a fixed term contract? What do I have to look out for in this contract?

I’m more convinced I will be jumping for this position, but just need to know some risks involved with fixed term contract?

Tx
 
I think the only risk involved with a "fixed term contract" is not reading and understanding it, you may think that it is standard, but some employers make dodgy insertions. But this seems like a grand offer. R100k MORE plus benefits... You are quite lucky, most employers don't offer benefits to contract employees ... what benefits are these, i'm assuming med, group life, pension and the likes ... not free tea and use of fridge... LOL ... enjoy!
 
It is a Medical aid and I hope I can still add my wife and kid, not sure about the pension/provident fund yet.

I also hope I still have study leave because I'll be studying some BCOM from this semester till 2015 there about.
 
Fuma said:
It is a Medical aid and I hope I can still add my wife and kid, not sure about the pension/provident fund yet.

I also hope I still have study leave because I'll be studying some BCOM from this semester till 2015 there about.
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i am sure you can negotiate for study leave. remember, depending on your employer, sometimes it is possible to deviate from what the contract stipulates... some leeway may be granted in you guys have a good relationship and you work hard...
 
Contracting is fine, but basic rule of contracting involves managing your cash flow very, very carefully. Specifically, we were advised to put something like 30% of your Nett income per month in a 'looking for new contract' fund ...

Contracting is usually quite easy to take study leave and the like; but this will be (and I stand to be corrected) unpaid leave. As a contractor, if you don't work, you don't get paid.

Anyway: Everything I said above could be wrong.
 
bin3 said:
Contracting is usually quite easy to take study leave and the like; but this will be (and I stand to be corrected) unpaid leave.
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Eish. If that is true then, I will lose 20 working days a year if I register for 10 subjects.
 
zululami said:
I think the only risk involved with a "fixed term contract" is not reading and understanding it, you may think that it is standard, but some employers make dodgy insertions.
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Could you give some examples of these "dodgy insertions", please?
 
walter_l said:
Could you give some examples of these "dodgy insertions", please?
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Personally, the one that caught me was after hours support: Support every now and then was fine, but the way the contract was structured I was always responsible for support, be that first line or second line. That meant that I literally could not take more than one weekend a month for myself.

From a contract perspective, all that was really specified was: Be available for after hours support.
 
Just bear 1 thing in mind: When times are tough, it's easier to get rid of contractors.
 
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