Work stress- what are my options ?

[BonjourCheeky]

I have been in my present workplace for 16 years. 8 years ago I moved into a more senior role,though I did not get a new pay rise or new contract. This is just the way things work in our ( public sector) department.

There are many things I love about the job and in most respects I do it very well. I get very good appraisals and inspection results. In other respects I am extremely unhappy with it. It is a part time job but requires full time hours to keep on top of it. The worst thing though is that I find it extremely stressful sometimes and often spend time crying at work and not being able to sleep or eat.

My manager is very supportive and has given me lots of time and support and has recently arranged a mentor for me. However I have broken down a few days ago and said I just can't deal with it anymore.

I don't want to leave my workplace as I like my job in most respects and I don't think I will find another similar one ( I have been looking for a couple of years now,actively) I would like to step back to my previous position. The problem is that there is nobody else in the department with my experience or training and they would have to employ someone new. I know there is no budget for this.
What do you think I can realistically ask for ?

[bunchofposy]

Sorry to hear your job is so stressful. I wondered if there was any way that you could train up someone else in your department to take on some of the role, and take the burden off you? After all you learned how to do the job once, and there may be someone in your existing team who wants to take on more responsibility.

[BonjourCheeky]

Thanks for your reply. In fact we will be training someone to do the job starting in July. However, the rules for the role are fixed by the awarding body and he will be a type of apprentice for two years until he can take over.

[flowery]

Is there actually a vacancy for someone doing your previous position? Or would you be asking them to create one.

What about asking to increase your hours to make the job more doable?

Is there anything else they could be doing to support you that they are not doing?

It's difficult to answer the question "what could I realistically ask for" without knowing the ins and outs of the organisation - it's impossible for us to know what's realistic really.