It depends on the contract. My first contract allowed me to give my notice to my permanent job (pretty sure it was 4 weeks IIRC). I'm pretty sure some of my oth

It depends on the contract. My first contract allowed me to give my notice to my permanent job (pretty sure it was 4 weeks IIRC). I'm pretty sure some of my other contracts didn't start immediately -- it depends on the job. Also, if you have somewhat specialized skills they might be prepared to wait for you. It's definitely a high risk strategy to quit your job before you've found a contract.