Agency Nurses! Come and talk to me...

[TomboyFemme]

I'm a band 5 nhs staff nurse, and am getting increasingly frustrated with how much and hard I work, how infrequently I see DD, and how little I am paid for it. I'm really struggling financially at the moment, and I'm just not around enough for DD. Am a single parent with no family around so it's hard.

I ran into someone I went to uni with who quit her permanent job to work for an agency at £20 an hour. I'm very tempted although would obviously worry about losing my pension (having to sort out my own isn't attractive!) and continuous employment record, plus harming future job prospects.

I'd also worry about e.g. shifts being cancelled last minute, not getting enough hours, having to take shifts I didn't want or risk being blacklisted.

Agency work is portrayed (by the agencies!) as being a perfect solution which of course I know it wouldn't be. I do know I can't continue how I am forever though, it's soul destroying

There is a lot of pressure for trusts to set up their own banks and only use agency as last resort for cost reasons.
In my trust, if a bank person becomes available, agency is cancelled.
I am on the bank after resigning my band 7 post 4 years ago.

Pros: regular work in a familiar environment
Can maintain NHS pension contributions
Access to training (I'm a midwife so a lot of mandatory stuff)
Reasonable pay
Holiday pay
Cons: Irregular income
No sick pay

A lot of nurses where I work have dropped their hours and do NHSP along side.
They get to work in the same place, get holiday pay and can choose their hours.
They seem happy.