Decision, decisions...

[Salazaar]

So I've been contacted by an agency to have an interview for a new job out of the blue. It's in the private sector rather that the public, where I am at the moment, and it seems like a very good match for my current role but they want decisions very fast.

Pros:
The public sector sucks at the moment and won't be getting better in the near future, progression is stagnant right now.
The job looks like it'll be more interesting, or at least fill my time better.
The wage is much better and my mortgage isn't easy to pay.
Possible car allowance.
Health plan and private pension.

Cons:
I'll have to drive 35 miles along the A34 twice a day - no more cycling to work .
Based at a depot at the A34/M4 interchange.
No more LGPS.
45 hours per week rather than 37.
No flexitime.
7.30am starts.
Despite the dull job, I really like the team I'm working with.
Less Hexus time...?

[g8ina]

What field of work is this in ?

Thats a wicked early start as far as Im concerned and the 70 miles round trip would bore me to tears. U say pay is better, but Id expect it to be for an extra 8 hours a week.... How much better ?

I know public sector jobs are dodgy right now as our lodger (care worker for autistic kids) has just had to take a pay cut of £1k, but the job is fantastic, she gets on with everyone, and I cant see her wanting to change it for anything.

Having a good team to work with is also worth its weight in gold.

Whats LPGS ?

(You spend FAR too much time in here anyway )

[Salazaar]

What field of work is this in ?

Highways, at both ends. Works planning and administration. The job I'd be looking at is roughly the private sector equivalent of the job I'm doing now.

Thats a wicked early start as far as Im concerned and the 70 miles round trip would bore me to tears. U say pay is better, but Id expect it to be for an extra 8 hours a week.... How much better ?

38% better before tax. Plus benefits. Or to put it another way, I'm currently counting the pennies each month, on the higher wage I wouldn't have to.

I know public sector jobs are dodgy right now as our lodger (care worker for autistic kids) has just had to take a pay cut of £1k, but the job is fantastic, she gets on with everyone, and I cant see her wanting to change it for anything.

Having a good team to work with is also worth its weight in gold.

This is a concern. Obviously I'll never get the job satisfaction you'd get from doing care work, there is a very good working atmosphere here.

Whats LPGS ?

Local Government Pension Scheme. It's a pretty good pension as they go, or at least it is until the current government have their way with it...

(You spend FAR too much time in here anyway )

[kalniel]

Cons:
I'll have to drive 35 miles along the A34 twice a day - no more cycling to work .

So an excuse to drive a nice car instead? Turn cycling into a hobby, and see if you can carshare if you want to be green.

Despite the dull job, I really like the team I'm working with.

How do you know you won't like the team you'll be working with in the future? It's always sad to leave behind a great team, but chances are you'll find other teams to be just as good.

[Saracen]

....

How do you know you won't like the team you'll be working with in the future? It's always sad to leave behind a great team, but chances are you'll find other teams to be just as good.

Or not. It's a gamble.

I'd say a lot depends on age, and family circumstances. That drive would sure put me off, and it's more time, every day, away from family, if you have any. What appeals to the young unattached person is less appealing to those with, say, a young family. It also takes a chunk out of leisure time, of course, and you could perhaps regard the current cycle to work as leisure activity, if you enjoy cycling.

And for all that the public sector is facing hard times, things aren't that much fun in much of the private sector, and public sector cutbacks are going to have implications for large parts of the private sector too. Very few of us have anything like actual job security these days, but the public sector is generally less deceitful and underhand in staff management than much of the private sector.

And, of course, many private companies will look to get get rid of new staff before older ones if cutbacks do happen. If nothing else, it's usually cheaper on redundancy payouts.

Only you know quite how you feel, Salazaar, what you sense, about this new offer. It may be a great opportunity and a really good move, but it also sounds like a lot less home time, because not only do you have the travel, but the extra hours at work too. You also ought to be aware, if you aren't already, that sometimes private company offers aren't what they seem to be. It's not unknown to poach someone to solve an immediate problem, and to dump them when that problem is solved .... or their brains are picked.

In other words, try to balance the fact that the increased pay would make the mortgage easier to pay if it works out, with how much harder it would be if it doesn't. As you point out, the public sector isn't looking like it has great opportunities right now, but add into that that at least you're currently in it. There's no guarantee that you'll be safe in the public sector, but ... if you leave the public sector and this new job doesn't work out for whatever reason, how do you rate your chances in the current climate of getting back into the public sector? With all the cuts that are coming, I'd guess they'd be minimal. And what of the mortgage then? It might be a struggle now, but what if that happens?

In other words, how risk averse are you? How do you rate whatever current security you have with the possibilities of what could go wrong?

I don't envy you this choice. Is it a great opportunity, or disaster in the making? I've no idea. All you can do is weigh it up, consider the implications, make a decision and never look back, either way.

[TheAnimus]

I'm toying with the notion of taking a 15% hit to break out early of this absolute idiot infested hell hole.

However, I will still be saying monies and such, so its not too much of an issue for me (I really don't fritter that much money away, I don't even have a car!)

My point is good working life, helps with good mental health and happiness, which is something money alone can not afford.

[Salazaar]

I think, on the whole, I'd be foolish not to at least take the interview. Looks like that might be Monday.

My main worry is the time scale this is all running to, it sounds like they've been looking for a while and they want to get someone in the post ASAP. Which doesn't give me a lot of time to think the whole situation through.

[oolon]

7:30 am is a wicked early start. 42 hour weeks are not "unusual" in the private sector. Just start taking a maximum of 30 minutes for lunch (if work require you to take more than than that make sure they pay). I think a 1 hour trip (each way) to work is not bad (my current one is 10 minutes). Jobs can be stepping stones, a job with a 30%+ pay rise, gives you access to jobs which pay more and perhaps have better conditions. You could move closer to work to cut the journey time.

[kalniel]

My main worry is the time scale this is all running to, it sounds like they've been looking for a while and they want to get someone in the post ASAP. Which doesn't give me a lot of time to think the whole situation through.

But it gives you a whole load of salary/benefits haggling room

[scaryjim]

I'd be very wary about leaving the public sector at the minute, tbh - particularly if you're on a good team that you get on well with.

You say it's a 38% pay increase, but once you factor in the 22% increase in hours, the (I assume) greater time spent commuting, and the extra cost of petrol + wear and tear on the car, are you actually going to be seeing enough of that money to make it worthwhile? And as you say, the local government pension is pretty much the best out there currently.

On the other hand, yes, you'd be daft not to at least try the interview. You'll be able to get a feel for the commute, an impression of the working conditions and the team, and ask them all those awkward questions that you'd need answering. If you like the place and they like you, don't be afraid to ask for a higher salary than they're offering either - remember you have a good job with (just about) enough money coming in, and you don't *need* to move: whereas they *do* need to appoint someone. You can point out that it's going to involve a lot more time (both in terms of the extra hours and the longer commute) and expense than your current job. And don't be afraid to tell them that you need some time to make the decision. If they're going to be worth working for, they'll have the decency to give you at least a few hours to think it over. If they won't give you some time to think about what would be a fairly major change, they're probably not going to be very understanding as employers...

[Salazaar]

Arses, third time trying to reply to these and I've managed to dump what I wrote from the clipboard. Doh!

Anyway, thanks for all the responses, it's a lot to think about in a short space of time!

[usxhe190]

What, its only at an interview stage? Get the offer first and then think about it.

[Saracen]

Another little thing to consider. You say it's 38% more before tax,. What about after tax?

Looking the pre-tax figure is a bit like looking at RRP ,.... doesn't matter much.

Obviously, I don't know what you're on now, or what it'll change to, but for argument's sake, if you're on just shy of tripping into the 40% tax band, then you could find that all or almost all of that 38% more will be charged at 40% tax, not 20%. If so, the difference in take home may be a lot less than you think, especially given the extra hours and costs of commuting.

Or, you could be on 40% marginal tax already, in which case, 40% of your increase goes to the government anyway.

Ignore the gross salary rise and work things out based on net take home.

[Salazaar]

You say it's 38% more before tax,. What about after tax?

Don't worry, I'm in no danger of hitting the higher rate... And most of the commuting cost is covered by the additional car allowance, wear and tear not withstanding.

[jim]

If you decide that you almost certainly don't want the job, and you're still going to go to the interview, then you might as well be frank with them.

I would tell them that I was interested to see what the place was like, but the commute and so on was probably going to put me off and so on. If they offer the job "as is", then fine, you can turn it down. Or if they really want you to join they might try to compromise on something.

Obviously if you're really interested then I wouldn't risk irritating them, but if you don't particularly want it then I don't think you've got much to lose.

[usxhe190]

If you decide that you almost certainly don't want the job, and you're still going to go to the interview, then you might as well be frank with them.

I would tell them that I was interested to see what the place was like, but the commute and so on was probably going to put me off and so on. If they offer the job "as is", then fine, you can turn it down. Or if they really want you to join they might try to compromise on something.

Obviously if you're really interested then I wouldn't risk irritating them, but if you don't particularly want it then I don't think you've got much to lose.

I really think he should try it and get the offer first. Don't need to second guess everything now. They might change terms once offer is out.