Dropping an NHS band - go down to go up?

[OlafLovesAnna]

I'm clinical band 5 but would love to move into education/ practice development. I currently do 30 hours over 3 days and spend 2 hrs per day traveling. Unfortunately my husband is military and will be away from September for 6+ months which will make my current hours very difficult as I leave before 7am and get back at 7pm x2 days and 9pm one day.

Anyway, lots of education or training positions are advertised locally at a band 6 but I don't get interviews or don't progress as I don't have recent experience of teaching and learning (apart from being a mentor). There is a job advertised locally as band 4 ft about 1/2hr drive away and more likely to be office hours which would give me the necessary 'education' experience but it seems counterintuitive to drop a band and essentially do more work for less money.

Has anyone done this? How has it worked out for you? If you're an interviewer for these sorts of roles would you frown on it and how would you suggest I then progress to band 6?

[tinytoucan]

I did a similar thing; I dropped from band 5 to 4 in order to get enough experience to apply for an NHS funded training course. No one really commented. Often NHS job applications ask you to give a reason why you left each post on the application form so I just put to broaden my experience. I don't think it would be frowned upon unless by going down a band you give up a lot of responsibility I suppose. Good luck!

[OlafLovesAnna]

Did they ask you your rationale in the lower band interview?

[tinytoucan]

Not that I recall. It was a few years ago though. They asked my rationale for changing jobs (it was in a different area of healthcare), which was a similar answer I guess.

[boredwithabrokenfinger]

A friend went from a band 7 to a band 5 position to change direction. Sounds like she is going to do another sidestep as specialism wasn't really what she thought it was.

A friend is encouraging me to go into the NHS. She gave me the impression that you have to take a step down to go up. She is successful. Was a band 7 then retrained by doing a masters and is band 7 again.

[Hotbot]

Any chance you could do it as a sabbatical?

[OlafLovesAnna]

I've applied for a band 5 role secondment into an education role so I'm going to see what the feedback is from that if I get invited to interview. My current role isn't something I can change the hours of sadly as it's a fixed clinical session and it would be trick to replace me halfway through a day (not impossible but my boss isn't open to it).

But the band 4 trainer role is in a neighbouring trust that I don't know well and is advertised as 37.5hrs and whilst I'd prefer to do 30 really I could do the ft role if it was flexitime or mostly office hours.

I'd probably stay on the NHSP books to do ad hoc clinical work at my current band/salary to keep my skills up.

It's interesting to see that a few people do it in the NHS in order to move into different departments, I have found that in recent interviews the feedback is positive but the job goes to a candidate moving up in the same department so perhaps you need to get your face about a bit and get known for doing good work.

[HaPPy8]

Our local uni often asks for staff to help on interview days, for OSCEs, and things like that. Could you approach them and see if you can get some experience of education that way without having to lose your current job and band? You might be able to do some teaching sessions with them? Or you could offer to do some teaching to students in your department? Possibly student nurses or medical students on a given topic?

[boredwithabrokenfinger]

My friend is of the opinion that you need to get your foot in the door. I guess if you get into the right department it is then easier to move up especially if there are lots of band 6 jobs advertised.

Best of luck

[OlafLovesAnna]

Happy: that's a great idea, thank you for the suggestion.

[dalmatianmad]

I currently work as a band 7 in professional development, I really miss being clinical and the financial aspect is having a massive impact, worse than I thought. I knew I'd lose money by working 8-4, but this is ridiculous, was better as a HCA!

Was previously a band 6 sister, I'm looking to go back to my old area but as a band 5.
The money as a band 5 will still be better than what I'm on now, it's a massive shock losing your unsocial pay!

[OlafLovesAnna]

That's really interesting dalmatian, I'm an ODP in theatres so we don't really get unsociable pay unless it's an on call shift.

I do private bank work now and then for a bit extra which pays considerably better ph than the NHS