To leave a job after 5 months for an £8,000 pay rise?

did you even read the o/p?

moving for a jump in salary was not the question.

@Barnsleybonuz the OP already said she doubts the pension will be enough - I meant she could start another. Not limited to one and also usually no issue to have both defined benefit and defined contribution pensions in place. Anyway this is over a month ago so I’m sure it’s all done and dusted by now.

Local gvt pensions don’t work like that. You don’t have a pot, you have a 1/49 scheme. For each year you work you get 1/49 of your salary as a pension. If you are on £49k your pension is £1000 a year. After 10 years it’s £10k and after 20 years your pension would be £20k Pa and it builds up like that. There’s no pot

Hi, did you do it?

Don't think my current contract was even ink, just pixels...

for sure I would go if money is a priority. One short stint on the CV is no big deal imo. Loyalty to an employer is wasted - remember they would get rid of you if it suited them.

I’d say go for it. I’m in my 20s and pretty much every job I had after university came with jumps in salary:

2021 Graduated, earning £28k
2023 Got promoted, £45k
2025 Left for a £70k role
Now - working on securing a £100k role elsewhere (successful interviews so far).

I started off in the civil service then transitioned into private sector.

Yes I would without a doubt.

Why wouldn’t you?

You have a good explanation for anyone who asks - significantly better pay, presumably reflecting a more challenging role, so interest in progression.

With jobs, always think; if you were in the new job, would you look at your current job and think ‘yes I’d love to move to that’? If not, move to the new one!

Just looked it up and the difference isn’t as big as I thought, I always thought my LGPS one was only 14% equivalent contributions but apparently it can be closer to 20% (CS is 27%).

Go for it.

you signed your current contract in ink, not blood

Can’t say I am fully up to date on how they compare, but both are miles better than the standard statutory minimum DC schemes offered by most private sector employers. I don’t think the difference between these two schemes would be enough to keep me in a significantly worse paid job with significantly less flexibility. Though the concerns expressed by others about job security at local authorities would give me pause.

The CS one is miles better than LGPS, I have both.

I was going to write virtually the same thing. It's not just an 8 grand jump, it could be 24 over three years, 40 over 5. In your position I'd do it but make sure I was there for a while, unless you get a huge rise elsewhere...

Its fine just leave and take the new job ...no contest

The LGPS (which I presume is the one OP would go into as the job is with a local authority) is one of the better public sector defined benefit pension schemes so I wouldn’t be too worried on that score.

I’d go for it, it’s a big jump from where you are. As for pension, you could put an extra £50-100
a month into a pension without noticing given the big rise. That would likely grow over many years, too. If it were a smaller rise, yes, people might think you were trying it on to getmore money. I had someone give notice after a fortnight because they got a much better paid role which we couldn’t match. He was mortified, but I didn’t bear any ill will or think badly of him. I did put my head in my hands at the thought of having to replace him though …

The grass isn’t always greener but 100% I would go. How long would it take to get to that increase in your current role? If you think of a general annual raise of 4%, it would take a while. Also, just make sure you look at the full package, pension, time off, extra commuting expenses, and most important of all, whether it’s a role you’d like, in a good work environment, and it aligns with your goals.

Go for it and stick at the new one a bit longer.

Tell me you’ve never worked in the public sector without telling me…

Why shouldn’t you hop? If they want to keep you, they match the pay and the terms!

Definitely move if you get the job. Forget about looking like a job hopper. If you were a contractor you would potentially move every 6 months to a year. A lot of companies look past that and you say you want career progression and that's your reason for moving.

Times have changed in my opinion. Loyalty on CVs means little these days. As long as you haven't changed jobs every 5 months for the last few years I'd say go for it. Several thousand more, plus better benefits - it's a no-brainer.

I left my last role after 5 months. I left because of micromanagement, but the fewer hours, no no-call, far shorter commute and 38% payrise certainly made the decision easier. I've now been in my current role for 15 months, and previous jobs for years, so unless you're leaving lots of jobs quickly, it won't look problematic.

Not really, Alpha is seen as 27% LGPS is only around 14% I think? (It’s been a while, unless it’s changed).

That said I’d still do it OP, for the home working mostly!