Is Contract to Hire job worth the risk?

[fr72]

Hi All,
I am currently working in the US on H1B for a good employer full time. I have Canadian PR and want to move to Canada because I am tired of being on H1B forever, I am very sure I want to leave this year but not without job. I started actively looking for jobs in Canada 2 months ago and not had much luck. I give interviews but in the end, I get rejections because of vague or 'experience' reasons. Its tough, especially because i am not even residing in Canada.

Today I got offer from one of the top banks in Canada (household name in Canada), but it is 2 month contract to hire position. It sounds risky to me, but I would like to know more opinions. It sounds risky because I may leave my job in the US and my H1B visa revoked as a result, move to Toronto and be unemployed after 2 months once again. Also, the interviewer didn't even ask my much technical questions, saying they will do the 2 month contract instead of interview because i am in the US.

Thoughts?

 

[xpressentry]

Contract jobs pay much higher than permanent jobs but it comes with a risk of being terminated. The higher pay compensates for the higher pay. You need to see what is more important to you, whether you want the money or the job security.

My cousin got into contracting and has been making big bucks since the last 3 years and his 6 month contract is being extended each time. His wife is working in a permanent position so if his contract was terminated, they could still survive on a single income.

My friend got into contracting which was a 3 month contract. A month into the contract, they told him that their requirements had changed and that day was his last day and they would no longer need his services. He was left high and dry to take up any other contract that came his way. He eventually took a pay cut as it was better than sitting at home.

Your H1B is quite risky too considering the orange freak is trying to make America great. It's is down to how much you want to move and how much you want that job and how much you are willing to risk.

I know of 2 cases with completely different experiences to contracting.

 

[fr72]

Contract jobs pay much higher than permanent jobs but it comes with a risk of being terminated. The higher pay compensates for the higher pay. You need to see what is more important to you, whether you want the money or the job security.

My cousin got into contracting and has been making big bucks since the last 3 years and his 6 month contract is being extended each time. His wife is working in a permanent position so if his contract was terminated, they could still survive on a single income.

My friend got into contracting which was a 3 month contract. A month into the contract, they told him that their requirements had changed and that day was his last day and they would no longer need his services. He was left high and dry to take up any other contract that came his way. He eventually took a pay cut as it was better than sitting at home.

Your H1B is quite risky too considering the orange freak is trying to make America great. It's is down to how much you want to move and how much you want that job and how much you are willing to risk.

I know of 2 cases with completely different experiences to contracting.

Thanks for your response. I am OK with contracting as long as its 12 months or so. I am afraid exactly of what happened to your friend. May I ask what kind of company he was contracting for? Is it common for a big company (bank) to not renew short contracts?

 

[xpressentry]

My cousin and my friend are both working as IT contractors for 2 different media companies. I dont know about the banking industry. When an employer is giving you a 2 month contract, it means they are sure they need you for the next 2 months. This a test for you too where you can try out a company for 2 months. There is no guarantee that they will or will not renew. All companies work differently. If you plan to move to Canada eventually, you have something for 2 months and during that time you can look at other opportunities while physically being present in Canada. It is better to be doing something while job hunting for something more secure than doing nothing while job hunting. If they can fire you in a day, you too have the option of quitting in a day.

 

[DEEPCUR]

Hi All,
I am currently working in the US on H1B for a good employer full time. I have Canadian PR and want to move to Canada because I am tired of being on H1B forever, I am very sure I want to leave this year but not without job. I started actively looking for jobs in Canada 2 months ago and not had much luck. I give interviews but in the end, I get rejections because of vague or 'experience' reasons. Its tough, especially because i am not even residing in Canada.

Today I got offer from one of the top banks in Canada (household name in Canada), but it is 2 month contract to hire position. It sounds risky to me, but I would like to know more opinions. It sounds risky because I may leave my job in the US and my H1B visa revoked as a result, move to Toronto and be unemployed after 2 months once again. Also, the interviewer didn't even ask my much technical questions, saying they will do the 2 month contract instead of interview because i am in the US.

Thoughts?

Hey what did you finally do? Did you end up taking the 2 month contract or you waited further? I see that you already moved to Canada. If you could share how your job search finally ended, and where (nature of the company) you finally ended up getting employed, it would be great!

 

[fr72]

Hey what did you finally do? Did you end up taking the 2 month contract or you waited further? I see that you already moved to Canada. If you could share how your job search finally ended, and where (nature of the company) you finally ended up getting employed, it would be great!

Sure. So, I negotiated a 6 month contract. When I asked for 6 month, the bank went silent on me, and started re-advertising this position. After 2-3 weeks, they accepted my 6 month demand, couldn't find anyone I guess. But this sneaky behavior told me I cant rely on them beyond 6 months. 1 month into my contract, they let some old contractors go (didn't renew). The contractors who were let go are still jobless after many months because they worked on outdated tech and spent most of their time in meetings rather than coding.

So I started looking for another job at full steam. I got an offer from a small company for full time with 20% more pay. Still I asked the bank if they would give me full time, they refused and so I quit before finishing my contract and joined the new company. I am reasonably happy here. Not as good as the work culture i had in the US, but i am learning cutting edge technology in Big Data. Almost every week I get LinkedIn requests for interviews from Canadian and US companies.

Moral of the story:
1. Dont go by brand names here. They will lie to your face.
2. Get experience/learn the latest technologies, dont get comfortable in a job with old technology or non transferable skills.

 

[DEEPCUR]

Sure. So, I negotiated a 6 month contract. When I asked for 6 month, the bank went silent on me, and started re-advertising this position. After 2-3 weeks, they accepted my 6 month demand, couldn't find anyone I guess. But this sneaky behavior told me I cant rely on them beyond 6 months. 1 month into my contract, they let some old contractors go (didn't renew). The contractors who were let go are still jobless after many months because they worked on outdated tech and spent most of their time in meetings rather than coding.

So I started looking for another job at full steam. I got an offer from a small company for full time with 20% more pay. Still I asked the bank if they would give me full time, they refused and so I quit before finishing my contract and joined the new company. I am reasonably happy here. Not as good as the work culture i had in the US, but i am learning cutting edge technology in Big Data. Almost every week I get LinkedIn requests for interviews from Canadian and US companies.

Moral of the story:
1. Dont go by brand names here. They will lie to your face.
2. Get experience/learn the latest technologies, dont get comfortable in a job with old technology or non transferable skills.

That's great to hear! Thanks for sharing! If you don't mind, can you tell me what was your original skill set for which you got the job? Also site used for job search.

 

[fr72]

That's great to hear! Thanks for sharing! If you don't mind, can you tell me what was your original skill set for which you got the job? Also site used for job search.

I got both jobs for my Python, SQL skills. But the bank was using Hive and the new company uses Spark. Hive is not in demand. Also, in a bank, you dont get much exposure to different things (someone else configures the clusters, and so on).

LinkedIn is the way I get most of my leads and jobs. I make it a point to keep in touch with recruiters even when I dont need that particular job. I pay for the premium service and I wont cancel that subscription at least for the next few years.

 

[DEEPCUR]

I got both jobs for my Python, SQL skills. But the bank was using Hive and the new company uses Spark. Hive is not in demand. Also, in a bank, you dont get much exposure to different things (someone else configures the clusters, and so on).

LinkedIn is the way I get most of my leads and jobs. I make it a point to keep in touch with recruiters even when I dont need that particular job. I pay for the premium service and I wont cancel that subscription at least for the next few years.

One more question.. did they provide any relocation assistance for the contract position? like flight etc.

 

[fr72]

One more question.. did they provide any relocation assistance for the contract position? like flight etc.

Nope, all me.