To wonder why the Civil Service is so worshipped?

@LondonPapa I'm WFH pretty much full time at the moment, I don't think I'd be likely to replicate that in an SCS role, unless I was already established in that org. I'm interested in SCS as I want to be a senior leader in the CS, private sector doesn't interest me. I'm already on nearly £75k so I'd get a 10% bump on top of that to SCS which I appreciate is a poor jump for the responsibility, but it's not salary that's driving me at this stage of my career.

Getting to SCS doesn’t equal a loss of WFH. In my department, every call I’m on with SCS of varying levels shows them at home. My DG appears to wfh a disproportionate amount IMO. The WFO mandate doesn’t appear to be an issue.

I wouldn’t go for SCS as the pay relative to the private sector for the level of responsibility is not good. If I were to go private, I could command £100k v. £75k for SCS. It’s absolutely bonkers the difference. What is worse, is some departments G6 is already closing in on SCS (DD) pay. May as well move across than go upwards.

@TeenLifeMum yes it's soul destroying recruitment! But haven't seen many roles recently. Lots of freezes and restructuring going on I guess. I'm a G6, I'd like to progress but SCS would likely mean loss of WFH, so a bit stuck at the moment!

Dh does wfh, which works for him (he’s an introvert) but also, the more senior you are the less opportunities there are to job hop. An applicant is 2-3000 words and interviews are 3 stages. It’s exhausting.

@TeenLifeMum sounds quite similar to me, I have a flexible working request to WFH due to my personal circumstances, but feel quite trapped now, would have normally changed jobs by now but the change in appetite to WFH makes me nervous to jump ship.

I see, yes if you're not in London or Sheffield and specialist it is harder.

He’s quite specialist and most jobs include commuting to London, which he doesn’t want to do (we don’t live anywhere near and relocating isn’t an option due to dc and my own job). He has applied for a few but there isn’t much at all - I’m in the similar field but not government and have been looking too as I’m bored.

Worship really? When I was a Civil Servant I tried to avoid telling people what I did as most people think what a bunch of skivers we are/ were and how unfair it is for their taxes to be paying our "gold plated" pensions.
On a personal level I went the direct entry route in after university. I loved working in the field where I knew I was making a difference but less so when I got promoted and dragged into head office where everyone seemed to be overpromoted for what they actually achieved. T&Cs were pretty good though, we were doing 9 day fortnights and 1 day a week working from home in the late 90s, but I was very happy to take a career break then eventually leave to move abroad. Never had any desire to go back on my return. I'm one of those "gold plated" pensioners now.

He has applied for a couple of things but if made redundant he’ll use the opportunity to go into consultancy work, but they keep saying redundancies will be next month so he waits for his pay out (which will be enough to live on for a year while he sets up - without the pay out we can’t pay the bills). It was supposed to be by summer 2023 then they wanted them for an extra year, July 2024 they started the consultation but it was such a shit show it was moved to September, then November and now it’s actually happening it’s still a shit show and unions are rightly unhappy by lack of transparency. It’s a whole organisation restructuring not just his team with hundreds being made redundant and all recruitment internally has been on hold for a year.

Agree. Its a fairly safe job because in that 2 year process you can apply elsewhere in the civil service. In a private company that may not be so.

Yes but they're also full of people trying to get other jobs. Tbf it's a popular option for parents with young kids as you can be part-time without the stigma that often goes with that.

He’s still likely to be let go but it wouldn’t have taken so long so he’d have received his redundancy pay and moved on.

2 years! I've change jobs twice in that time in the CS, why doesn't he just apply for something else, something must have come up in 2 years?

Maybe they just don't know how to do it.
The NHS was similar - merging of two trusts was a right cock up going through the pretence of interviewing, spending all the redundancy budget on the first round then bullying others so they left.

Why hasn't he applied for something else?

It's a really good option if you find yourself in mid life in need of a decent job with a good pension. It's not ageist and there are plenty of opportunities once you manage to get in. That's why I think it comes up on Mumsnet fairly regularly

He’s still likely to be let go but it wouldn’t have taken so long so he’d have received his redundancy pay and moved on.

I haven't found any. Admittedly, it was quite a quick scan, but if the boards are "full" of them, you'd have thought I'd find one or two.

Well in the private sector he'd probably just have been let go. The redeployment pool is a big soft landing for most people.

I think people assume this is a “safe” job but dh has been going through a restructuring process that has dragged on for 2 years! 2 years of uncertainty with lots of carrots, lies etc. it’s been really draining. Having worked in private sector, they’ve made it painful!

It's quite hard to get into and the barriers don't always seem very logical so I think a lot of people are a bit bitter about it as an employer.

I work a 35 hour week and not a second more unless I feel like it. I earn 90k plus db pension (in Scotland). I do work I'm interested in and I don't have to bill clients or pander to morons (I don't think politicians are as bad as corporate clients before anyone says anything!)

I get 30 days annual leave plus 12 days public holidays. I work from home mostly. I don't have to go to after hours events and I just don't go to Christmas parties etc and nobody moans about me not being a team player. My colleagues are mostly nice and interesting people and very few of them are Ambitious in that exhausting linkedinny way.

It's a brilliant place to work ime.

Lol at the idea that it's for people with no other options.
Tell that to the many people I work with who graduated from top unis and left prestigious employers to work in the CS - BBC, UNESCO, the V&A and other cultural institutions, think tanks, some of the best universities in the country etc. Or came through the graduate fast stream, which is really competitive to get into.
We definitely don't sit around twiddling our thumbs either, the work can be very demanding and if you're in the project delivery or policy space it's fast paced.
There's a huge range of jobs, departments and organisations within the CS. I work in a specialist role, am highly educated and definitely have other options, but the CS has been the best employer I've been at, for reasons others have already mentioned.

I don't think it's worshipped. However there are many varied interesting jobs. There are promotion opportunities. I've seen people from all backgrounds go from EO to DD or director. I think its difficult to find that elsewhere.

I feel I have to interject here on the pension examples. The numbers earning over average wage are very small. Most are at EO grade on about 32k so a lifetime aged 20-60 on that grade would give more like 12k pension at 60

I believe average CS pensions are under 10k.