To think a 6 month contract is a bit of a joke?

[gambeeno]

I’ve worked for my current company for 2 years on a fixed term contract. I have been getting great feedback all along and my manager and head of department was very very keen for me to stay on permanently.

She promised me I would be getting a full time position and she was very excited to have me. I didn’t bother applying for any other jobs because I felt secure.

Fast forward to 2 months before the end of my contract and HR said they can only offer me another 6 month contract. Apparently the department isn’t that strong financially. Funny that the 6 month contract also overlaps with a 6 month maternity leave in the team.

I am absolutely furious. It is now too late to look elsewhere as recruiting happens every 6 months in the sector. HR keep telling me it is 6 months with a view to making it permanent but that sounds like BS.

I would he annoyed too. Even 12 months would have been fine but not 6 months.

And yet after 2 years you have the same rights as a long term employee.

At least you have more rights after 2 years service

https://www.gov.uk/fixed-term-contracts/renewing-or-ending-a-fixedterm-contract

It’s annoying for you OP, but from the company’s perspective, it’s also the logical decision. If they have a mat leave in the department to cover and can offset the cost of your contract against that when the department is otherwise struggling financially, maybe with the hope of making you permanent at the end of the 6 months if the financial position has improved (or not, as the case may be) that just makes good business sense. You obviously don’t have to like it, or show them any loyalty when the 6 months come to an end, so make your future decisions accordingly.

It is horrible, OP, but consider it a life lesson. Never bank your future on someone else's word - especially when that someone is effectively just a stranger you work for. Nothing is set in stone unless you have a signed contract. Even those can be broken. If they wanted to make you permanent, you'd be permanent already. Right now, they know they can string you along, at no risk to themselves. Keep you cool, do an outstanding job for the next 6months but keep looking for a better opportunity.

And exactly the same risks. They could have been dishonest and given you a "permanent contract" (which doesn't exist anyway) then made you redundant in 6 months. You would have, leagally speaking, been in exactly the same position. No better. No worse.

Quite seperately from that, you make decisions based on what is in your best interests, because an employer always will.

Nothing is set in stone unless you have a signed contract.

Quite right!
I have worked for more than 10 years in academic research on fixed term contracts after fixed term contracts, so I know the drill. My advice to @gambeeno is to accept the 6-month contract, as you have nothing else (remember it's easier to get a job when you have a job) and keep insisting within your company that you have a permanent contract. In the meantime, keep applying for a long-term contract elsewhere, starting now. Then sign with the first company that offers you a long-term contract.

Sounds like you’ll have to take it, but make sure you show them no more loyalty.

This 100%. It’s a lesson I learned the hard way early on in my career. I kept being promised a promotion, the goalpost kept changing - after this campaign, after Christmas, we need to sort X. I found a different job and when I handed in my notice everyone crapped themselves, suddenly they are able to offer me everything they’d been promising. Too little too late - I left and never looked back.

Sorry this is happening to you. I was in a similar position, where I signed a 6 month contract and was told they’d be in a position to offer a permanent role once a new contract was confirmed. Guess what happened when the new contract was signed? That’s right, they still couldn’t offer a permanent contract for some really woolly reasons. It was a hard lesson to learn, as unfortunately I turned down a permanent role for this contract, believing their word.

I found a new permanent job quickly afterwards that turned out to be a lot better, but I was lucky. I have been wary of companies going forward - always do what’s best for you as you’ll be let go in a heartbeat if that suits the company.

Please join a Union for support etc over possible issues.
Also, check why they have only given you a 6 month contract. Generally there has to be a good reason for it (ie maternity leave cover) rather than just random 6 months......

If your position ends after this six months, your employer will have to pay you redundancy based on your 2.5 years at the company. As PPs have said, you now have the same rights as someone with a permanent contract.
If you leave this job for one elsewhere, you will most likely only have the rights that go with the probationary period in your new contract, even if the new job comes with a permanent contract.
Since employment law changed a few years ago, employees on short-term contracts are treated far more fairly, as PPs have said.
HR were a bit daft to demoralise you for no gain for the employer, although as a PP has said they were at least honest.

I am on a zero hours contract and have worked at the same company for 4 years. I would love to go permanent but they only offer full time contracts and I work 24 hours (3 days a week).
I would take the 6 months contract and look elsewhere for a permanent role. My sil is desperate for a permanent job but has just had to accept another fixed contract (lecturer).

The above poster is right , but in the end they made a logical decision based on the fact that your role will be paid for by the government for the next 6 months and they can say officially that you are cover so oh firs. You are essentially free for them for this next 6 months. In fact they get 10% on top. Then they can recalibrate. It was a sound business decision. Take it and look further afield.

It seems this is becoming the new norm for a number of businesses/ roles and it's taking the p* to be honest. I spent several years in contract roles but eventually (and thankfully) I found someone willing to take me on as a permanent employee. It's quite shocking who is using this contract approach whilst dangling a carrot. My experiences were with a multinational consumer goods corporation (making enormous sums of money), a national housebuilder, a national distribution company, a company contracted to deliver NHS services (with no real competition). Lots of false promises and it was infuriating working with colleagues in the perm roles who did sweet FA all day. I really learned my lesson the hard way with the NHS contract - if you leave within 2 years the employer pension contributions are written off. Absolutely disgusting. I'm incredibly grateful that my current employer makes a pretty good pension contribution.
If contracting is a last resort (ie it's the only option to get the relevant experience in a depressed market) then do it but go into it knowing you ought to move on after 6 months if they don't offer a perm role. Otherwise, I'd strongly recommend seeking out employers offering perm roles only. Yes, things can change even in a perm role - it doesn't mean it's a job for life. But it does give some piece of mind and if you ever need a loan (mortgage, car etc), being a perm employee makes things a lot more seamless.

Until you get an offer in black and white. Nothing is guaranteed.

@Philbobs shocked about the NHS pension contributions! Ds is about to start a permanent job with the civil service and it states a £10.5k pension contribution. He has only just graduated so might not stay long.

Having looked it up, it seems some are given the option to transfer out employee and employer contributions. For some reason, I wasn't given that option. I had to withdraw my contributions. And they didn't even tell me this. I had to reach out to them after I'd left to find out where the pension contributions were. If you don't claim them within a certain time period they even write them off!
Re: the 10k contribution - look into what the options are after a year for example. It will differ if it's not an NHS contract.

The company seem to think they can just end your contract after the end of 6 months. You will have been employed by them for 2.5 years so you have the same rights as every other employee. If they choose to dismiss at the end I presume there will be a redundancy situation then and you may/may not be the one chosen. Don't allow them just to chose you because of your temporary status because they think it's easier for them.

This isn’t strictly true anymore. You have slightly more rights.

How so? Any employee who has two or more years of continuous service, regardless of contract type, has exactly the same rights.

This happened to me. I was fuming at the time. Howver it worked out in the end as i wanted to end thebtole anyway. Match their level of loyalty and keep your options open.

If this is the case then I am shocked. There should be the option to withdraw your contributions (you lose employer contributions) or have your pension frozen there until retirement. How long ago was this @Philbobsif you have all the comms could you raise with the Pension Regulator? It makes NHS contracts under 2 years very attractive for the employer as essentially they don't have to cost in any pension contributions if this is the case.

Worth remembering that even if they'd given you a permanent contract, you could have been made redundant after 6 months

I'd suggest keep on looking. And remember you owe them no more loyalty than they owe you

I usually take the side of the employee but in this case the business has done nothing wrong. Their financial situation is not great so they have made a sensible decision based on their needs. Until you have something in writing any discussion about the possibility of being made permanent did not mean much. I would take it as a warning that the company is never going to employ you permanently. So take the 6 month contract but start job hunting for a better option now. They showed you they have no loyalty to you so you need to return the favour.