applying for full time when hoping to get consultancy or part time (without really really annoying the HR people)

[reawakeningambition]

Hi mumsnet,

I'm a consultant solicitor in a specialist field. I've got a portfolio of work as some of you know (earned £50k gross, £45k net last year but no travel costs etc) and I'm scaling back up towards 4.5 days/40hrs per week.

There's less of my type of work up here than down south.

The odd in-house job crops up round here using my skills. Realistically, I think it's sensible for me to apply even though it would have to be really really good to persuade me to risk losing what I have now.

If I apply for full time jobs but say I'd want £75K to risk losing what I have now, does that seem a reasonable approach? And if they say my skills are right but the salary is too high is it ok to say "well in that case please bear me in mind for consultancy if you recruit a generalist who needs backup in my area"?

My ideal work pattern would be a portfolio of clients bringing me their difficult problems in return for about £100k a year but that may never happen if they don't know I exist, and recruitment points are a good way for them to find out I exist.

I'd be grateful for the HR perspective on this. Realistically, i won't fit most job descriptions because I'm too senior. But I see no reason why I should be shut out from the local workplace just because they don't know I'm available as a consultant.....

[Allthebestnamesareused]

Why not send some CVs to some of the larger firms on spec. Where oop-north are you? If near to large centres such as Manchester, Leeds or Sheffield there are some fairly large regionals in those areas. Have a look at the Legal 500 to see who are the main players and who are therefore most likely to want a tax/pensions/pfi/planning (?) (do I need to guess further) specialist.

These large regionals will not raise an eyebrow at a £100k salary for a senior associate with a following. You could even sell it to them as a consultancy.

[reawakeningambition]

loving this positive thinking!

Would you agree that I need to first make sure my online presence tells a story of seniority? I think that as women who've been party time scaling up to full-time more demanding roles, it's only fair to acknowledge that businesses can't be expected to know what it is we want to achieve. They aren't psychic.