Should I consider job offer?

[Firefumes]

I am 28 and studied maths to masters level and work as a tech professional. I previously worked in government in a hybrid technical & management data role, senior level for several years.

I left Civil Service last month for a consultancy role (paid via an agency and inside IR35). My salary is almost £70k but it’s a 6 month contract so would be pro rata. I adore the new role, my new team is great and I get to work on projects that will boost my career further in terms of cloud solutions, coding, training an AI model etc. I also am no longer a line manager (which I prefer), but seen as an expert in my profession. New role is going well, already had great feedback and they’re happy with my output. This is my first ever contracting/consultancy role.

I had a job interview today for a similar role in a top law firm. Interview went well and they offered me the job. It’s a permanent/PAYE position. However the salary is negotiable, at best I think it would be like £55k max. Secondly, the tools and work won’t be as desirable as what I’m currently working on and there may be management responsibilities in future. The main benefit to taking this role would just be getting back into stable employment/PAYE, plus the team seems really nice. If it was a choice between my previous Civil Service role and this, I’d probably take it!

But now that I started the temporary contractor role, should I just see it through? I guess I’m not sure how to navigate this, as I would want a job lined up in a few months in case the contract isn’t extended. So it’s a mix of wanting the current job, but being worried about stability.

I think it depends on your financial responsibilities. In my 20s, I could afford to take a risk on a short contract as I didn't have a mortgage or kids and knew I could go back to my parents if I had to. Stability was less important than the opportunity it opened up.

You only left the civil service a month ago and yet you’re already considering walking out of your current contract for a different perm role. Suggest you take a breath and think through what you actually want before jumping again. if not you’re putting yourself at future risk of being seen as “job hopper” (where I work that’s the shortcode we use when rejecting candidates).

You want stability? So why move into contracting? You’ve got a 6 month contract, is that not enough? If not, why did you accept it in the first place?

So I have my own house, don’t have the opportunity to live with parents. I really like current role, but the better I do in role, the less likely they need to extend the contract so it’s a bit of a catch 22!

I applied for both roles at the same time, the contractor role landed first. It’s obviously much better paid than the alternative.

Is there a chance the 6 month contract could be extended or made permanent?

Well they did advertise the role with a view to becoming permanent - and other contractors have been kept on long term, but I just think there’s some risk there as the better I do at my role, they won’t have an ongoing need for it if that makes sense. At the moment their current setup is not ideal, but ultimately I could bring it to a self sustaining setup.

I'd stay where you are. You have desirable, employable skills and experience which you will only build in the contracting role. I'd stick it out and see where it leads and would expect that you'd be able to command a similar/ higher salary when it finishes (if you don't get made perm)