Being a ... temp

[yeformerballandchain]

Hey it really is great to have found this site again. Getting some issues off my mind tonight and it feels great.

 

Anyway,

 

Being a temp. aka contractor aka consultant or whatever the catch phrase is now.

 

I am actually a temporary that has been at the same job for 8 months. Hey the job is great, but the pay is what I made 15 years ago and the benefits are non-existent.

 

I am at a huge corporation hoping to win my way in.

 

What bugs me about the job? (I like the work.. as much as anyone can like their job, I guess.) Well, a few things...

 

The money (lack of)

NO benefits

My age (mid-40's) and being a 'temp'

Having an almost completed college education and being a 'temp'

 

Most of all:

 

Feeling like a stepchild everyday

Fear of losing my job at someone's whim

Being left out of the loop to an extreme and nearly a physcial danger at times.

 

And my overall reason is:

 

The inability to plan further than the end of the day. That stinks.

 

I have had some pivotal moments in the last few days. I learned that this company is not allowed to have temps past one year. Wow, that was shocker. I was a little ticked at the time but after thinking about it, this is a good thing to know. The reasoning is somewhat stupid but I can see their point.

 

The fact that I can be a contractor (their word) and not a temp and stay past one year. No biggie, I can do that. Guess that would mean more money and no middle man. It is probably stressful to make that decision for them at this time.

 

I am paid at approx. 2/3 of what others with the same responsibiities would have anywhere else. Of course that creeped up on me in the job, but at first I was paid pretty much according. Well for the first week.

 

I am paid at less than 1/3 to 1/2 of what the majority of the lowest paid company employees make there (before benefits). Ummm, I am kind of the equivalent of system admin. That one stings a bit.

 

I just don't get it. Why do I even have to think on this one? It seems pretty obvious that I need to look elsewhere. What keeps me there, or at the very least keeps me from looking elsewhere?

 

Any ideas or similiar probs.?

[Outcast]

I have had some pivotal moments in the last few days. I learned that this company is not allowed to have temps past one year. Wow, that was shocker. I was a little ticked at the time but after thinking about it, this is a good thing to know. The reasoning is somewhat stupid but I can see their point.

 

The fact that I can be a contractor (their word) and not a temp and stay past one year. No biggie, I can do that. Guess that would mean more money and no middle man. It is probably stressful to make that decision for them at this time.

 

I was in just such a situation. They figured out a way to hire me and I went from one of my worst wages ever to one of my best. You can often make quite good $ as a contractor so if you can wing that and like the job, I'd give that a shot.

[yeformerballandchain]

Outcast, thanks for giving some positive reinforcement and congrats on your success.

 

Ye

[Beth]

Have you talked to your supervisor and/or HR about coming on permanent? If you are uncomfortable about that, talk to the agency that sent you there and have them do a follow-up to see about hiring you on permanent.

 

I've worked 'temp' jobs too just to make ends meet while I was looking for permanent employment and ended up being hired. I also worked for 18 months on a contract basis knowing that it would never be a permanent position and I left before the contract ended (after one year there was no financial penalty to me - the 'contract' part ended I just stayed on as a 'temp'. Most temp agencies have a certain number of hours one must work before they can be hired without additional cost to the company. Some companies will buy-out the contract to bring someone on permanent.

 

Eight months is plenty of time for them to decide if you are the right employee for the position, and time enough for you to decide if its the right job for you.

[yeformerballandchain]

Hey Beth,

 

Sorry for the slow reply to your reply. Busy, busy, busy, no staff at work due to holiday break, pretty much just lil ole me.

 

Yep, we had the permanent hire discussion at the same time I posted the first message. All the reasons for 'them' not being able to hire me as a permanent worker at this time, are believable. It is something 'they' are looking into.

 

Most of all, in hindsight, I don't know if this uncertainity bothers me as much as I thought. I have never been a temp more than a few weeks. There are advantages. With all the pre and post divorce stuff going on in my life, I guess I feel that there are certain freedoms that this position gives me. Maybe this is why I have not really tried to look for something better, besides the money I could make if I was hired there.

 

My contract was up in October with my recruiter, so I know there is no issue there. Just kind of floating around, gaining more knowledge of the corp. each day, wondering if 'they' realize how hard it will be to find someone to replace me.

 

I have caught myself being complacent in the last few months, so I had better get a handle on that before the start of the new year.

 

Most of all, time to stand back, assess the situation and make some real decisions, or at least plan on it for 2006.

 

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

[justagirl1121]

I was a temp for a job for 9 mo. then they let us go. then i got another temp job with teh same company in a diff building...learned things but hated it...then got a perm job by a company that is authorized to sell the company i temped for's stuff......nwo i just got hired on directly for the company. so i think a little experience helped.

 

the only way you will prob get hired for most places, at least big corps, is to go directly thru being hired by HR. No one is going to come ask you to stay on perm, so they have to pay you more and give you benefts.

 

but good luck!