- Limited perks: I get that TVCs can't have the same perks as FTE, but as a TVC you are constantly reminded of your lack of privilege by both Google and your peers. True story: as a designer at Google, I once had to design a t-shirt for a team outing I could not attend (because of my TVC status) and then I wasn't given a t-shirt (despite having designed it) because swag is a FTE perk only. Really guys?
- People: depending on the team you get, people are extremely cliquey and treat TVCs like second-class citizens / borderline work slaves. I have been disrespected and downright mistreated many times at Google.
- Growth: as a TVC you do not get to have growth and management does not care about it.
- Work: the work is boring and repetitive. I was hired to do a job that sounded interesting, exciting, and creative. I ended up getting a series of the same tasks because that's what my team needed from me. Despite having asked for different projects and complained about being burned out, I am still asked to perform the same tasks.
- Design: as a contract designer, you will not get any portfolio-worthy projects. I know many contract designers at Google and they all feel the exact same way that I do. We feel like the help and it's awful.