Contract or Permanent?

A permanent or a contract role - Which is best for you?

Do you crave job security? Or do you hate being stuck in a rut? Do you like the idea of belonging to an organisation, and advancing up the ranks, or do you like the thought of working three months, taking three off? Are you chiefly motivated by money or job satisfaction?

Contract or permanent - how do you decided which is best for you?

It may be that you have little choice in the matter, as many organisations employ only contract IT staff, because of the project based nature of IT. In the world of rapidly changing technology, driven often by consumer demand, there will always be a high need for technical professionals on a contract basis. How permanent is a permanent job anyway? Times have changed. There is no longer such a thing as a job for life, and less and less little gold clocks adorning mantelpieces across the nation. However you may crave job security, and simply hate the thought of having to make new acquaintances every few months.

The following lists the most obvious pros and cons for both contracting and permanent work. What is most important to you?

PERMANENT WORK
PROS	CONS
Company benefits	Less money
Paid Holidays and sick leave	Paid standard salary even if you work consistently extra hours
Career advancement and promotion	Inflexibility – may not be able to take time off when you want
Job Security	Lack of variety - potential boredom
Training and development	Less opportunity to try/learn new things
Job satisfaction and sense of achievement	Office politics
Feeling part of company/team spirit	Feeling owned by the company
Trust factor	Easy to get stuck in a rut