Am I a terrible person?  Allow me to take you through my evening.

1700- go home from my boring data-entry temp job.  This is my seventeenth week, and I’ve been wanting to get out for at least twelve.  The agency I’m with tell me they’re looking, but there’s nothing around.

1745- get a call from an agency (not the one I’m working with) re a senior purchase ledger job in Stevenage.  It sounds pretty good, ongoing temp, great company, decent pay in a nice part of town.  The job’s mine if I want it, but only if I can start tomorrow.  I try and negotiate starting a day later, don’t suceed but decide to go through with the new job anyway.

1800- the call to the existing agency to tell them I’m not going into work tomorrow (or ever again).  They are not impressed, and tell me I’m being rude in leaving them like this.  They have a point, but I tell them it’s just one of those unfortunate things: opportunities like this come rarely to me and I need to sieze it.  I don’t officially have to give any notice period, and there’s nothing they can do or say to stop me.

1805- try to call my existing employer and explain it to them.  No reply from the office.

1806- call the new agency to confirm recipt of the details for the new job, and I’ve told the old agency.  Have an admin/payroll talk to get myself set up.  (50% payrise!  Of course income tax & NI will take a third or so of that, but still)

1825- get email from old agency.  They got in contact with people from my (now) old employer.  They feel (melodramatically but not too unreasonably) that I have let them personally and the company as a whole down.  The way I’ve left, they say, is unprofessional and unacceptable and they’re all very disappointed. 

I haven’t replied yet, although I’ll have to make contact to sort out P45, final payslips and such.  I’m not proud of what I’ve done, but I think it was the right risk to take.  I would have liked to give some notice to my previous employer, but I will not pass up this chance.

What are the consequences of this likely to be?

The agency are trying to save face methinks. And the fact they e-mailed you re their disappointment instead of phoning you says a lot. They are going to lose their commission you were producing - boo hoo. And if the data entry work had suddenly dried up, they wouldn’t have to give you notice, and no amount of your disappointment would have made any difference to them. A lot of agencies don’t specify notice periods for their own benefit, but it works both ways.

So, worse case scenario, if the new position only lasts a short while, what are the options?

You can’t go back to the old agency. Let’s think about that. They placed you in an unsuitable position, they can’t honestly have thought you would stick at it for any length of time, they didn’t seem to be doing much to get you a different position (was it up to you to keep chasing for info re other openings?), and they didn’t ensure you had to give a notice period. So overall, no great loss.

You now have a relationship with an agency where you have done them a big favour by filling a vacancy at very short notice. And one who seem to have read your CV and offered you a position in line with your experience, qualification and CIMA studies. So all good.

Yes, it’s not ideal, but you have to do what you feel is best for you.

I would now (as in tonight), send 3 e-mails:

1. To your ex line manager and cc his/her manager, informing them you have resigned with immediate effect in line with the agency’s terms of engagement, and state that you informed the agency of this earlier this evening. Give a reason for leaving - I would be honest e.g. for a position more in line with experience, studies and career aspirations. Also arrange for them to receive & sign off your final timesheet.

E-mailing them direct is courteous & lets you give your version of events. This may make it easier for you to return to that employer if an accounting job were to arise. I definitely wouldn’t rely on the agency to tell the employer immediately, &/or for them to be wholly honest about you/your conduct.

2. To the old agency, confirming what you told them over the phone. Tell them what you expect them to provide (P45, final pay for x hours totalling £y, etc), and ask for a timescale for these.

3. To the new agency, confirming you are accepting the post as per the details sent. State any other details agreed over the phone, but which you don’t yet have in writing - this should give you some back up if any issues crop up later on.

Good luck with the new assignment, and I hope it works out for you.

I feel much better after my first day.  Even if it was cut short by the snow (they sent us home at 2pm)

I’m surprised that the old agency are surprised, to be honest.  They knew even when I started back in September that I was vastly overqualified for what I was being asked to do and what I was being paid.  I saw the first part of the assignment there as a ‘proper’ data manipulation job: complex excel spreadsheets, admin to do with a repeat business planner system.  Dull, but legitimate.  But that ran out after eight weeks and I’d just been doing more basic copy-and-paste stuff.  It would have taken a thousand man-hours to complete. Really the job went from less-than-ideal to deeply unsuitable around early November.

But the agency that sent me there seemed unable or unwilling to get me anything better.  I didn’t even get a lead out of them since the last week of October.  But they still said they’d been working very hard on my behalf and me leaving like this was a real slap in the face (their expression).  I held my tongue and refrained from saying: if you were working as hard as you could, it clearly wasn’t hard enough.

It is true that I’ve done the new agency a fair favour by taking the job at such short notice.  Certainly I think I’ve done them more of a service than I would the old agency by turning the post down.  I am a little worried about the duration of this post, but the girl who was training me has been there for four months and it’s still ongoing (I’m supplementing her, not replacing her).  If they want to keep me on for a while, I might even relax a bit and not even look for another job for a couple of months!  I have been looking for something accountsy with varying degrees of success since about this time last year.

Wow Jamie thats fantastic news! I am so happy for you!

I agree with Mature-Student on this one and am glad you decided to take the risk and do the job - at the end of the day you don’t owe them anything and its sure as hell not something they would do for you anyways!

How is the new job going so far? Do have any idea how long it will go on for?

Jamie, you have done the right thing. Even though you burned your bridges with the old agency, you didn’t break any contractual obligations. Will you remember this in 5 years time when your career is ticking along nicely? I think not!

I recently changed jobs and ended up fighting with my previous employer for my payslip. They never provided me with one for December last year and when I asked for it after leaving, they told me I had no right to ask as I don’t work there any more. Can you believe it ?!? I am considering asking a lawyer for advice…

Jerushah - February 02 2010 11:12 PM

Jamie, you have done the right thing. Even though you burned your bridges with the old agency, you didn’t break any contractual obligations. Will you remember this in 5 years time when your career is ticking along nicely? I think not!

I recently changed jobs and ended up fighting with my previous employer for my payslip. They never provided me with one for December last year and when I asked for it after leaving, they told me I had no right to ask as I don’t work there any more. Can you believe it ?!? I am considering asking a lawyer for advice…

Jerushah that is terrible conduct on thier part! They have to provide you with a payslip for work completed and I am almost sure that the law would be on your side with this one! At the end of the day when you have done any job and get paid for it you should get a break down of what you were paid! Its your right! Unless off course they have something to hide?

Not professional at all!

Yor employer is obliged to give you a payslip, for one thing he must show what has been deducted including tax & NI. An employer cannot make unlawful deductions, and the only way to check is from your payslip.

Also, you should have got a P45 for handing to your new employer (or the benefits office if you’re unemployed), and this too is a legal obligation on the employer.

If you are having any problems, contact your local benefits office or CAB and they will be able to advise you what to do.

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it I finally managed to extract my payslips and P45 out of them, but not after threatening to take legal action!

By the way - Jamie, how is your new job going?

Jerushah - February 05 2010 12:27 AM

By the way - Jamie, how is your new job going?

Pretty good, thanks.  I’ve been there a little over four weeks now.  It’s all going well: I’ve settled in nicely.  I’m using Oracle, which is useful and I’m working in a finance environment which is fantastic.  We’re a 10-person temporary addition to the Accounts Payable team, trying to get the aged creditors down to a manageable level and clear the massive backlog of unprocessed invoices.  Query resolution, chasing department heads for approval, checking coding, all good experience.

We’re not expecting it to run into March though, so I’m keeping a look-out for my next job.  I’ve not been applying for anything while I was in this placement, which is probably not smart but I needed the ‘rest’ as I;d been jobhunting for over a year by that point!  (Admittedly I was in uni or another job for most of that time)  One person left last week to a permanent job elsewhere, and two of the other temps have been given contracts directly with the company, and the team is being reduced.

Its brilliant that you found something more in line with accounts though Jamie - am glad for you

Definitely keep up the job hunting as with temp jobs you never do know how long they will last unless they guarantee a specific time period to you. its a shame they don’t just make it a permanent thing for you and then you could be settled…. We can but hope I guess, or do you think there isn’t much chance of that?

P.S. Jerushah good to see you got your stuff sorted out too - I can’t believe they were being so awful to you, its almost childish!

Jamie, everyone is allowed a rest every now and again it’s so tiring working AND jobhunting at the same time, it’s so exhausting living in this economy!

Are you managing to save at all? I scrimped and managed to save up two months’ salary which really helps reduce the stress levels a little. At least I know that if it comes down to it, I have two months to find a job - any job!

And thanks Salina! I can’t believe how painful my old employer was being about my payslip. They were probably trying to get back at me for resigning!

Wow Jerushah you are good! Everytime I try and start saving it seems to go awry hehe!

It is something that I should try and do though, even if it is just for peace of mind, its nice t have it don’t you think so?

I must admit, it does feel good having a little bit extra saved up. But in my experience, the moment you have savings, something comes up that you have to spend it on! Last time I built up a nest egg, my car broke down :(

Jerushah - February 18 2010 11:05 PM

I must admit, it does feel good having a little bit extra saved up. But in my experience, the moment you have savings, something comes up that you have to spend it on! Last time I built up a nest egg, my car broke down :(

Hehe well I may work in Finance but my personal finance skills are not so good lol!

I Spend much quicker than I earn anything which is madness!

I like you have managed to save before, but as you said something always creeps in to take that money away from you quite fast! Its sad but true unfortunately!

Jamie Peregrine - February 05 2010 11:05 AM

Jerushah - February 05 2010 12:27 AM

By the way - Jamie, how is your new job going?

We’re not expecting it to run into March though, so I’m keeping a look-out for my next job.  I’ve not been applying for anything while I was in this placement, which is probably not smart but I needed the ‘rest’ as I;d been jobhunting for over a year by that point!  (Admittedly I was in uni or another job for most of that time)  One person left last week to a permanent job elsewhere, and two of the other temps have been given contracts directly with the company, and the team is being reduced.

I’ve been told this week that our team is to be disbanded at the end of the month.  Fortunately (if a little strangely), this doesn’t mean I’m out of a job.  We’re all being sent to either head office or kept at the same site but put in with the main Accounts Payable department.  Which means I’m moving across the building under the AP manager herself (figuratively speaking, you understand)  I’m not sure it’s a promotion or being let out of quarantine.

I’m not quite sure what I’ll be doing over there, but I know I’m not going into the processing team.  Not that I mind doing it as part of a varied role, but I wouldn’t want to just input invoices all day (any more).  With a bit of luck they’ll keep me on well into the springtime, but nothing’s guaranteed.

Hi Jamie

I’m glad to hear you’re still in employment and that they want to keep you on for a bit longer. Is this an extension of your temp contract or a permanent position?

If an extension of the temp contract, why not ask your agency contact if they know anything more about what you’ll be doing? At the same time, you can ask about the state of the market, and maybe mention you want to get a variety of experience for your PER so to let you know if anything more varied and permanent comes up. Same with your line manager - mention your concerns about variety and stability/security and see what they say.

Maybe even send your CV to one or two other agencies as a toe in the water for a permanent position.

Good luck with the move. and hopefully this is the start of a fantastic career.