To not want a permanent job

[mistybluebellwoods]

At present I am employed in two positions on something of an ad hoc basis - I only intended to do this temporarily, but having done it now for nearly a year, am discovering I love it.

Concerns are regarding career advancement - I used to be quite ambitious - pension (I am unlikely to live for very long after turning 68; just the same I can't of course swear to it) and I suppose it can be a lonely life in some ways.

I am wondering if I am BU or not, I suppose. I love the flexibility of my life just now (though not the manicness!) :)

Many people aspire to this. Myself included, am actively pursuing same. Boaster.

What, you think I am boasting? No, I'm really not - I'm quite concerned that I am setting myself up for a huge fall, as effectively I am on two zero-hour contracts.

Yanbu.

I am employed by two agencies, I am available for work 3days per week. I don't always get an offer and I don't always accept it when I do.

I have done this pretty much my whole career and I love it. Through the agencies I've had long- and short-term work, full- and part-time.

It's very flexible, I can refuse to return to a place if I hated it (it's rare but has happened) and the money isn't too bad; and if I accrue the required amount of weeks I'm entitled to the same benefits as other employees: ssp, smp etc.

Fair enough, there's no job security but even if you had a permanent post there's still no real security these days anyway. I have had the occasional permanent post but I've hated it - that feeling of having to go to work every single day, whether you wanted to or not; that feeling of being trapped in a role you don't enjoy and not being able to walk away...

My mum used to have this attitude to work, she was a temporary worker for years.

When she decided to get a permanent job one of the questions she asked was how much notice she had to give in case she didn't like working there.

She had that particular job for 20 years

Yes; at present I have a moral of not legal obligation to stay somewhere until July.

I hate it!

Can I ask why you think you are not going to live long after the age of 68? Do you have any saving or financial plans for the future?

Just to warn you that if Ed Millibajd gets in you will lose both jobs ! He plans to ban zero hours contracts.

Me too. I'm a freelancer and a long contract is anything over 4 months. The downside with a small child is that nurseries are generally not so flexible and need 4 weeks notice of anything. I hence me applying for more normal jobs - I'd forgotten how much I hate filling in job applications

I won't lose them as such. One is supply teaching - ad hoc - I doubt EM plans to do away with supply teachers :) and one means the nature of the contract would change.

What would probably happen would be that I would agree to (say) 16 hours a week and then do extra as and when.

Mostly, not as such. I do have a pension I paid into for ten years (only stopped September last year) and I do own my property outright. Family history indicates I will probably live no longer than my mid-70s so while I don't plan on going into my dotage completely penniless, I also am not prioritising my pension at the moment.

Hell no yanbu.

Back before I had kids (11+ years ago) I temped for years. I loved it as it was a change of scenery, when I got pissed off with the place or the people I could just leave, and no one bothered involving me in office politics as I was just a temp.

Since the dc I've run my own businesses from home so I still have flexibility (more so in fact).

Currently studying for a degree but my plan is to plough money from student finance into building my business up to the point where I can comfortably live off the earnings, and then I won't actually need to get a job working for someone else. The thought of doing a 40 hr week in the same place with the same people with 4 weeks holiday a year is not tempting.

Yes, I have to admit, I have similar feelings about working for other people!

I think a lot depends on how old you are etc. Will things change in the next few years that will affect your availability? Could you get a permanent part-time job as a compromise so your 'prospects' etc. aren't compromised and you will be getting employer's contributions as well.

A permanent part time job is impossible just at the moment (I travel) - I haven't made my mind up about the future but it will be difficult obtaining one, as most PT positions were full time originally then became PT after maternity leave and so on.

I honestly don't know about the future. I just know for now a permanent fixed term post is the last thing I want - I just really don't want it.

Dh spent many a happy year working as a chef for an agency. He loved it. He got a better per hour rate than any permanent job he had and worked to suit us and dd. He tended to end up in the same 6 or 7 places as they would always request him. He finally took a permanent job for one of the companies but not as a chef, as manager in a different area of the businesses.

We now own our own business. Its risking, if the business tanks, we are both out of work. But right now I am getting ds settled for bed and he is working. Today we have been to gym, the park and a walk with ds as we wanted to make the most of the weather. Wouldn't swop it for a permanent job in a millions years.

I did this for a long time. My mindset was so much better when I knew I could leave if I wanted. The flexibility allowed. I found I had less time off. Working in 2 jobs really suited me as well. Different people different days.

Yes, strangely, knowing I can say 'no thank you' means that I rarely do.

I am unfortunately trapped until summer in one job. Theoretically I could leave tomorrow, but morally this wouldn't be right. I loathe it though.