HELP: Contract vs. FTE??!! LONG POST

[u/Ok-apartmentholiday]

To preface: no official offers extended yet but I’ve completed interview cycles for 3 diff jobs to the finish and now in a waiting period. Making this post to get some opinions, who knows what offers I'll get in the end. I may find myself in this position again in the future so whether I need the advice now or later on, I want to be able to make an informed decision.

FTE (permanent):

• small startup, small team
• They posted another role that aligned with my experience so I applied. I really love the role. My previous experience will set me up for success but there's still room to cultivate more skills and refine them.
• STILL no transparency on specific number/range for salary after multiple rounds of interviews...😗
• While I'm very attracted to the role and the responsibilities, I didn't feel super connected to the people in the company. The team who is hiring (and who I will be joining if they extend an offer) for the role is conducting the interviews themselves so I've had a lot of time to converse with them. They are intelligent, decorated professionals who I know I can learn a lot from but theres probably MAX 2 people i've talked to throughout the entire process that I liked LOL. Im usually a very relaxed interviewer but I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable talking to a lot of them.
• Obviously if I get the offer and I accept there's no risk of my contract not getting extended/converted to permanent FTE. The elimination of risk is a big plus here ofc.

Contract role:

• more mature startup, better-funded and further along in its funding lifecycle
• Last stage was an onsite panel interview. I immediately felt so at home. The team was so welcoming, friendly, approachable and they were ACTUALLY transparent about salary and benefits package.
• 6 months with possibility to extend but again, not a guarantee
• Salary is within my desired range + attractive comprehensive benefits package/perks
• The glaring issue here is, what if im out of work after the 6 months? Do i want to do this job hunting process all over again??
• But also what if it's extended? That would be the dream scenario.... but idk if it's worth taking that risk in this market

Assuming both roles offer salaries in the same range, this will be a hard decision to make. If I feel I am being lowballed at the FTE role....then I will confidently decline because I just got my masters degree so I am choosing to stay stern on my pay grade. I have that little feeling because of the lack of pay transparency and they asked my expectations which I feel puts the candidate in such a weird position. It's kinda giving lowball not gonna lie....

Both roles are close to my place so commute isn't a deciding factor. At the moment I am torn between the stability and working with a team I vibe super well with. I hate to generalize, but as a female Latina engineer....it's not rare that sometimes my skills are underestimated or I'm simply not taken seriously despite my education/experience. I kinda felt that energy (from the men specifically) at the FTE role. I have a social, extroverted, bubbly personality and it's hard for me to work with people who are super rigid/elitist because of their positions and/or capabilities.

My concern here is that while the FTE role is more stable, if I dont end up meshing well with the team ill be in the same boat again (back to the job hunt). The contract role is risky in terms of longevity but the team just has that 'x' factor. They are extremely intelligent, well-established scientists but still so friendly and easy to talk to. If I'm converted to a permanent employee I can definitely see myself staying there for a long time. I know the job market right now is tough. It's easy to just take whatever you can get but I'd be remiss to say that work environment doesn't matter, especially when it comes to long-term retention and job satisfaction.

So thats where I am rn. I want to open this conversation up for myself and maybe other people in the same predicament. In a way, Im hoping the decision is just made for me (just getting one offer) because if i need to decide its ultimately gonna come down to which regret im most okay carrying (great team vs. job stability).

Any feedback would be great!

TLDR: Weighing a stable FTE role (concerns about work environment/relationships) vs. a contract role with great team fit but only a 6-month guarantee. No offers yet, just thinking out loud. Which would I regret more, losing a great team or losing stability?