Temping for Life!!!

murkinrg

Hi all

My name is Robert, i'm 41 and live in Surrey.I'm an AAT member and CIMA p/q.

For the last 3.5 years I'm been temping and contracting.I always wanted to give it a try and I confess to loving it.The main reasons are:-

The freedom,variety of work,meeting new people, learing new systems,working in a variety of locations.
When you look at sites like gaapweb there seems to be an awful lot o contract work and it seems to pay well.

I'm considering staying a temp/contractor for life and the workds perm job now mak me fee claustrophobic!!

Does anyone agree or have any veiws?

blobbyh

I've just started a new one to two month temp contract after spending the last fortnight twiddling my thumbs, moping over my redundancy just after Christmas. I'm learning an entirely new accounts system which I'd never even heard of before starting the contract - Microsoft Great Plains aka Dynamics (on which the jury is most definitely out!)- as well as hoping to pick up some valuable management accounting experience. Plus the pay's great at £14 an hour plus travelling expenses which is quite a bit more than I've ever earnt before.

Not sure what I'll do when the contract finishes so I'll just have to see what comes up...

Jan

Glad to know you are putting your skills to good use Robert (blobbyh).

Temping is not something I have tried myself - I find the uncertainty of a new job quite stressful - although if it was a choice of being unemployed or temping it might be a different matter.

I was once in the situation when things weren't too good for the company I was working for and the external accountant assured me I would be alright as I would always be able to temp. It really boosted my confidence! Couldn't make a career out of it though! Well you know what they say - one mans meat is another ones poison.

sarahwilson

I had a colleague who had temped in accounting roles for nearly 4 years, mostly 1-2 month contracts not the sort where you get a day here and a day there. She then started up working for herself, she said the experience she had gained was invaluable, using every kind of software you can think of and seeing every way of working there is. I don't think I'd have the nerve for it, my mortgage worries me and I have a steady job!

Good for you Robert with the job, a whole new more lucrative career may be beckoning!

jorja1986

Temping wasnt for me but I do know someone who does and loves it.

They meet so many different people and have much more varied experince of different systems.

I prefer stability (After being made redundant twice from perm jobs she says!!) because I dont really understand how the temping situation works.

If was I was confident I would probably look into it.