Contract extention: Am I in or out?

binarysoul

My contract ends by end of March and I have yet to learn whether it's extended or not. I have sent an email asking to let me know and I haven't heard back (it's been 2 weeks). I am in a dark. I'm applying for other jobs in the meantime, but really don't know what is going on.

Is it the norm that they will extend it towards the very end. Maybe I am out of the loop, which is fine, but at least they should let me know. My contract was extened once, but they let me know on the first of the month.

Anybody been in this situation, please give me your thoughts. Many thanks!

Kaminsky

I am a contractor at the moment (have been for 4 years) on 3 monthlys which have been extended a few times so far on this contract. There is no norm here. If they need you, they'll extend. If not, they should tell you though most line managers tend to find the whole process a little awkward for some reason so try to put it off if it's bad news.

You need to be direct. You need to know what their plans are. Don't be pushy if you like it there and want to stay but you need to know either way. If it's a no then you need a good couple of weeks to line up something to follow on. This isn't down to them, it's down to you to find out.

As a contractor, finding out it's a no at the last minue is disastrous. Don't let yourself get in that position.

binarysoul

Thanks Kaminsky. It's amazing how employers emphasize the importance of communication and responsiveness, but when it comes to doing it themselves; they are often the first to fail the test. Thanks for your feedback (you proved your responsiveness)

famosbrown

When I was a contractor, my contract came up and I didn't even relaize it. At month 5, I finally realized that my 3 months had been up. They extended it and never told me anything. I only received a couple of raises here and there, but nothing regarding contract period.

Kaminsky

hehe