Applicant Services

Permanent

Overview
Most IT professionals are employed in either a Permanent or Contract capacity. In day-to-day terms this distinction can often be quite small, with Contractors and Permanent staff working alongside each other on the same projects performing essentially the same tasks.

However, in terms of life-style, there are some major differences which mean that whether you are better suited to Contract or Permanent, is primarily a question of how you choose to balance work and the rest of your life.

It may well be that the decision as to whether you pursue Contract or Permanent as an option may vary depending on what stage you are at the time in your career or life in general. For example, it's not uncommon for individuals who have been happy contracting in the early part of their working life, to look for the greater predictability of Permanent employment later on.

So, the decision Contract or Permanent is one which will depend, not just on your own personal lifestyle but also your circumstances at any one particular time.

To help you decide, we've summarised what we believe are the Pros and cons of Permanent Employment


Permanent
Permanent employment is the normal mode of employment for the majority of IT professionals. In this case the IT professional is employed directly by the end client on an open-ended basis, with a contract of employment in place which sets out what each party can expect of the other. The employee will also have various protections under employment legislation, which will provide the context in which the contract of employment operates.

Permanent employment is underpinned by the implicit assumption of a commitment between the employed and the employer. In other words, unlike a Contractor who will generally be regarded as a tactical resource, a Permanent employee is an integral part of the organisation for which he or she works and will be party to all of the long term benefits such as pensions and promotions that go hand in hand with permanent positions

Advantages/Disadvantages
Permanent employment generally has a degree of security and consistency which is hard to achieve through contracting.

Similarly, because a Permanent employee will be viewed as a medium / long term prospect on the part of the employer, there will be a greater willingness to invest in the individual, with training being a key example of this.

Likewise, the potential for meaningful career advancement and promotion is pretty much monopolised by Permanent employees and they are also likely to be assigned the most interesting work in an effort to gain their loyalty and commitment.

Permanent employees receive other benefits that are unavailable by definition, to Contractors. Some of the most basic examples are Sick Pay and Holiday Pay but a whole range of other 'perks' from Pensions to Bonuses, from Company Cars to Sports and Social Clubs.

The downsides of Permanent employment are largely the flip side of the advantages of being a Contractor. The ability of a Permanent employee to juggle non-work interests and ambitions with a career is difficult. For example, an employee requesting an extended holiday (even unpaid) will often be deemed to lack commitment and to be taking their responsibilities to the company less than 100% seriously. If they choose to take the trip regardless, they may well be 'burning bridges' they would rather not have to burn. During downturns in the IT market, permanent employees will be “last out the door” giving you more security.

Also, despite the added perks available to Permanent employees, it is still (generally) the case that a Permanent employee will struggle to earn as much as a Contractor doing the same job>