What would you do - work situation

[5amisnotdaytime]

Eldest DC is 9. I had him whilst at uni. When he was about 1 I registered unemployed and they put me on a pilot scheme where I basically did some part time work in a civil service department in return for the unemployment benefits. Then I had another DC and have basically been a SAHM since then. They came back to me several times asking me to freelance but I had to turn them down as it turned out one of my DC has Sn. A year and a half ago, I accepted. It was a nightmare as it was a fixed hours contract with no provision for holidays /sickness etc.
I did the work, told them I was interested in working for them, but not an a temporary or freelance basis.
One of the three projects was sent to publication, rejected and sent to another journal just before I left. They've now had the comments back and I've had an email from them asking if I would be willing to edit it, but they suppose I'm not. It would be unpaid, they are not able to give me another contact as a private person. I know DH will be very against me "working for free". I would probably have to go into the offices, again on my own cost, for a day to use their programs. I could ask MIL to sort the DC.

I had a call from the boss of the department last week saying someone will be leaving in May and encouraging me to apply. (It would be a continuation of one of the pilot projects I did). The job is open to everyone so it is absolutely not 100% sure I would get it especially as they want a 60%er and I can only do maximum 50%.

If I refuse will I risk my chances at interview? It's not the same section, but is the same department.

Or would I be an idiot for effectively working for free?

How long would the work take you? If it's a few hours, you would be bonkers not to do it - think of it as a cost of adding something valuable to your CV. If it's several days, then not so much.

They sound like they really like you - good luck with the interview.

I'm not sure. Certainly a few hours, potentially then a day if I have to go in to the office, plus travel costs.

If they need a 0.6 and you only want 0.5, how could that work? Is there any scope for flexibility?

You need to weigh up the 'value' of this work for your future employment.

I'd see if they would be able to reimburse travel costs at least. Either way, I'd do it this time to keep the goodwill going, and then retrench if you don't get the role. The difference between 0.5 and 0.6 is unlikely to be, IMO, enough of a difference for them to discount you from the role, given your experience with them so far.

Even the smallest Civil Service departments are large organisations, so if the job you are going for isn’t directly with the same person/people asking you to do unpaid work then it won’t even register as a goodwill gesture tbh. Additionally CS recruitment is quite strict and ultimately it comes down to meeting the specifications for the role (I’m assuming it will be Success Profiles by now, but in old money we’d be talking competencies). Primary focus is to get over the line during selection to become appointable; if the job was with the people you’d be doing this favour for then that may work in your favour in return if they want to bring you in permanently, but you’ve already said you’re looking for 0.5 and they need 0.6, and this isn’t counting whether they have internal candidates they also might prefer.

Based on your post, it doesn’t sound worthwhile. I also think it’s really cheeky of them to ask you, they’d be pushing their luck if you were a permanent civil servant who had moved teams or departments and might be able to negotiate a couple of hours for winding up a project, provided your new line manager was fine with that, and in that scenario you’d be getting paid!

I'm hoping there is flexibility and I have been honest with them right from the start, 0.4 would be perfect (but new rules, min is now 0.5), 0.5 I could organise, 0.6 is too much.

I don't know cubes. Originally I worked for X (X) collaborating with Y. X has now been promoted and is in charge of several groups.
This time around I did a project for Y (the one which needs work done on it) and then worked on the green pilot project, X's pet project that everyone else refused to take on. It was successful so he wants it to be expanded and the team who would manage it is Z's team, where the vacancy is, in partial collaboration with Y.
So whilst Z has little to do with Y, X is essentially overviewing both and will be involved in the final interview process. and X and Y are the only people I can name for references

X has told me he cannot think of anyone internal who could fill the role, but that I can only apply when the position is advertised publically.

I doubt I would be reimbursed for anything. Although my ex-colleagues would probably insist Y buys me lunch!

I would do it, you would spend more than a few hours job hunting and going to interviews (all unpaid and a hassle) if you don't get this job.

I'm assuming you want to go back to work, it isn't clear. If you do, this is a good opportunity.

It sounds like not much more than the effort you’d need to put into applying for a different job in research, applications, interviews etc. If they’ve kept coming back to you over 8 years you must be very good!

Do the work, make sure you get references for it. If nothing else, it is something else on your CV and a recent reference.

Yes, do it.

I would.
It gives you something to talk about at interview / put on your CV as recent work.
It isn't like it will be days and day of work. If you are looking to get back into work you will be competing with people who are already working, which naturally gives them the edge - this shows you are 'up to speed' and would really boost your CV / application from.

Ah ok that makes a bit more sense (love the diagram, I can see you fit in the Civil Service ).

I’m still of the mind that they’re being cheeky, but, if you’re really keen on the role, excited by the prospect of working in the team and looking for permanent work then I would think about taking the gamble. However it’s worth considering how much you realistically think they’d go for 0.5 - where I work there are some people historically on 0.4 or 0.5 or term time contracts, for instance, but 0.6 really is the minimum that is being agreed now for new appointments/changes to working patterns. Even most of our job shares are 0.6 each, where job share partners overlap on one day. Or, if you’re really keen whether 0.6 would work with a particular arrangement (eg one day working from home). Whatever you do, it’s worth a chat with the vacancy holder before you put in an application.

If you decide to go ahead, I’d be asking that they can help with your travel expenses for the day at the least. I understand why they can’t offer to pay (it’s not just about being cheap, you’d basically have to invoice them as you’re not on payroll, and as you’re not a current contractor on an approved order of work I imagine their commercial team might not be easy to persuade). However they should be able to sort travel costs.

Ultimately however, if you’re good and they like you then provided you’re appointable they’ll hire you regardless of you doing this favour. It sounds like you have a good set of skills that they want/need, and that isn’t always easy to come by in CS recruitment (and given they appear to be recruiting externally then they must really need particular skills which they’re struggle to find internally).

I changed my mind mid-post and forgot to delete a sentence I’ve gone back to my original position and don’t think it’s worth working for free. I started to entertain it on the basis of if you really want the job, might it be worth it etc, but then it dawned on me that for you to get the job they must be recruiting externally in which case they really need those skills and if they can hire you and you’re the top candidate, they will, they won’t say ‘Ah, but she didn’t edit that project for free earlier in the year’. I snap up a good candidate when I get one and particularly enjoy being able to bring someone new into the department.

I think whether you doing the job for free depends on whether or not saying you had done the work would be valuable on your CV or not. We all do some stuff for free at the beginning of our careers. It's not at all the same as doing free work once you're established - which I would never do.