I started 6 months ago at a software consulting company, with a temporary contract for 9 months. Last week, I was contacted by HR, and they said that I would be having a meeting with my manager, the head manager, and the executive director, at the end of this month, where I will have a performance review and then be given a new contract to be signed once the present one expires.
I've been told by my colleagues that this is standard practice in my company for contract employees and that a majority do do get the new contract. Also, I've been told by my manager that the same will happen to me.
But I am seriously considering leaving the company due to
- certain facts that cannot be changed on their behalf since they are a part of the company's business strategy.
- difficulty working with some colleagues.
I've already started applying, but I find it unlikely that I will get any leads before the end of the month.
I have a hunch that in that meeting, I will be asked whether I want to accept the contract. While the answer will not be binding, any answer forces me to take a stand, which I don't want to do just yet.
Ideally, I would just continue working until I secured another job, and exit cleanly, stating better opportunities as a reason. I might even leave with recommendation letters from my current employers, which would help me a lot, since my formal education is not in IT ( instead it's Mechanical Engineering), and this is my first job.
My question is: how should I handle this? Should I just bite the bullet, take the initiative and quit, and not reply to any questions? Or, is it OK to break the implicit agreement, after, say, 1 month?