Husband failed interview for own job, panicking!

No - I know someone who did 26 years of one-year fixed contracts, at the end of that the position was eliminated and at the end of their last contract they got nothing, no redundancy, no pension payout, nothing.

At the same place 4 others with 24, 20 and 18 years all ended on the same day too.

I've been in the public sector for over three decades and I have, temp contracts usually though not fixed term.

This is what I was going to say. He needs to speak to his union and/or get legal advice.

• The Four-Year Rule:
• The Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002 state that after four years of continuous service on successive fixed-term contracts, an employee is deemed to be on a permanent contract.
• Objective Justification:
• The employer can avoid the automatic permanency if they can demonstrate a genuine need for the continued use of fixed-term contracts. This justification must be objective and reasonable.
• Employee's Rights:
• If an employee believes they have become permanent, they can write to their employer requesting confirmation of their permanent status. The employer has 21 days to respond, either confirming the change or providing reasons for their position.
• Employer's Responsibilities:
• If the employer fails to respond within the 21-day timeframe or fails to provide sufficient justification for continued fixed-term employment, an employment tribunal may deem the employee to be permanent.
• Workplace or Collective Agreements:
• Employers and employees can agree to a workplace or collective agreement that varies the rules surrounding fixed-term contracts, potentially allowing for longer periods of fixed-term employment or defining specific circumstances where objective justification is required.

They won’t be continuous contracts though will they surely ? They will likely be renewed at less than 104 weeks continuously so that no such rights are attracted. My DH worked for a well known UK telecoms company on fixed terms contracts. He was there over 7 years on renewed 52 week contracts. They still let all of the contractors go when they decided to move the whole operation to another area of the country.

The law applies to the public sector in the same way as to the private sector. There is no exemption. After 4 years on fixed term contracts he is protected against unfair dismissal. Unless there was something wrong with his work, interviewing him for the job he is already doing and then giving it to someone else is likely to be an unfair dismissal. He needs to consult a lawyer who specialises in employment law.

Your claim that those who don't secure permanent academic positions “aren't good enough” fails to consider the broader systemic challenges within UK academia. The academic job market is not solely a meritocracy; structural factors significantly influence employment outcomes.

More than 30% of academic staff in the UK are on fixed-term contracts. This underscores that many qualified and highly competent are in precarious positions, not due to a lack of ability, but because of limited availability of permanent posts.

There have been significant job cuts across UK universities “due to budget shortfalls”, resulting in massive job losses. These cuts are not reflective of individual merit but are responses to systemic financial pressures.

And, institutional priorities influence hiring decisions, often favouring certain research areas over others. This means that even excellent academics may struggle to secure positions if their expertise doesn't “align with current institutional foci”. It's not all about personal failings.

Thanks for clarification about the fixed term contracts, as there has to be a specific reason as to why it is fixed term. I think he needs to get some legal advice, as being in continuous employment with the same place for 4 years should give greater protection. Also seems a strange set up with interviews and waiting lists......

Poor guy. He must be feeling dreadful. Failing at interview for a job you are already doing must be such a slap in the face. He needs all the support you can give him. I cannot imagine he has sabotaged this on purpose.

I’m usually dreadful at interviews but am a very good worker. It was why I used to go through the agency route. I used to get offers to go permanent without ever having to interview. It was a lovely way to get a job back then.

I think you need to be supportive. He will know he screwed up, and feeling like his life partner isn’t on his side won’t help him get it together and find a new job.

Rant on here and to your friends, but try not to be angry to his face. It won’t get you closer to the result you want - which is for him to find another job or contract asap.

YABU and should be a lot more supportive! Imagine a man posting about his wife like this on here. Well it works both ways imo.

Yes that could make sense.

I’ve known jobs which are just basic admin that still require an interview even though an agency worker has been doing it just fine and would like the job. Maybe in public sectors they have to do it (this was nhs) but apart from a short stint there myself I have only ever worked in the private sector. I deliberately chose agency work to get permanent roles as I hated interviewing - this was in the 80s/90s. Simpler times I guess and it was admin not managerial.

OP I think you need to keep your anger and dissapointment to yourself or direct it to his employer. See it as a redundancy and beyond his control and focus on supporting him to get another, hopefully permenant role. Linked in is a good place to seek out jobs and find decent recruitment consultants who may be able to help place him.
Separately, as others have said if he has been there for four years he may have accrued employment rights so may be eligible for notice pay and redundancy pay. ACAS could advise on the first instance.

If 4 years and no break of more than week between contracts, he should be given 3 months notice they are not extending the contract (civil service rule) and will be eligible for redundancy pay (anything over 2 years is eligible for redundancy pay).

He needs to get over himself – of course he has to go back and finish the contract and the projects. And at the same time, start applying for jobs – six weeks would usually be ample time to line up the next thing. Currently, everything’s taking a bit longer because advertised positions are receiving upwards of 500 applications so sifting is slowed down – I just did the job hunt thing and lost track of how many employers weren’t able to match their specified timeline and had to push back interview dates. The job I got, I applied to in week four of looking but wasn’t offered until week nine, and I start two weeks from offer, paid monthly in arrears from start, so 15 weeks on from first idly googling “jobs” – so I’d also start looking at cost savings and get advice on redundancy pay so you can cover the gap, if there is one. He may well (with a change in attitude) walk into a job.

Why is the process so formal if he’s done 4 back to back contracts? Surely if they liked him enough it’d be a no brainer to keep him on? Sounds like he was never really in the running

It sounds like it's personal and his boss doesn't like him very much. So she's kicked him out.

Do you have a union or a place to talk to for some legal advice. I'd not presume anything, even though it sounds like you think you don't have any chance. You might do. I'd definitely talk to a solicitor.

He may have deliberately flunked it subconsiously because he's fed up of working in a place that doesn't value him.

this is a scary time but he may go on to better things. Try not to be too emotional if possible. He's probably pretty confused himself.

It's hard to walk into an ego battle and go back to work but if he wants good references and to leave on a high, head held high, principles rock solid, he should go through with it.

Many people experiences rejections and knock-backs. It's how you cope with them that defines you and your level of success.

I would suggest he starts creatively looking sideways at where else he can be employed. This may be the start of something better.

One door closes, another door opens. Find it. Stop dwelling in the past.

Please explain how exactly is OP being awful? She clearly stated her partner has the ability to pass the interview but through his own negligence didn’t adequately prepare and so underperformed at the interview so losing his job. She is also being supportive of him but struggling internally for him risking their family’s financial security hence her reach out here - especially galling for her given how hard she worked to get her own job. Whether the interview itself after 4 years is right or not is academic - that’s not what OP was venting about.

some people find interviews hard but it doesn’t mean they can’t do the job. It may just be a fear of interviews which he experiences. You’re unfair saying he’s ’not good enough’.

The long and the short of it is both you and your husband didn't appear to agree on a plan B knowing that there was a risk of unemployment in 6 weeks time.

There was always a chance that this would happen and you put all your eggs in one basket which was short sighted.

He has six weeks to get a new job so he needs to start working in plans B, C and D right now.

Neither of your current attitudes will help you right now so you both need a change of mindset.

I think you've just failed your interview as a caring and supportive wife sadly.

woeful thing to say. Don’t mind these comments@UpsetAtInterview

You don’t appear angry at him for not getting the job, you appear angry at the choice he made of resting on his laurels and not putting the adequate effort in to put himself in the best position to pass the interview, when he has demonstrated he us well able to you.

His poor decision making has jeopardised family livelihood and for that your anger is legitimate. Best way forward is to encourage and onwards and upwards stride.

As a customer, I would say he’s become complacent and could do better.

Many in the Civil Service could do better and the public have been suffering at their hands.

It’s about time for a bloody good clear out of personnel and give jobs to those with drive and service commitment.

I think you've just failed your interview as a caring and supportive wife sadly. I know you thought it was a full time role but it was actually a rolling contract. Best not burn your bridges and try to interview elsewhere?

I understand you're angry. But in fairness to your husband, he may simply not be competent for the role by comparison with other candidates, which isn't really his fault. I get he did no prep, but in all truth, if he was able for the role, he should have been able to give a decent account of himself regardless, given he does it every day. You may be right and prep would have swung it, but reality is, you don't know. I'm sure he's feeling pretty gutted anyway, so I don't think screaming at him is going to help, and certainly won't change your situation.
As to whether you help him get a new job or not, realistically, what can you do that he can't? He's an adult who should be able to find and apply for jobs within his capabilities without help. There isn't any point in you helping him to get positions that would be otherwise out of his reach, as you can't do the job for him, so he needs to find the level at which he can succeed on his own. If it were me, I'd be a listening ear and supportive of his efforts, but be encouraging him to act for himself.

Then that's what @UpsetAtInterview must do asap Fresh meat so to speak.