Need advice- local authority or NHS admin - which is best for career progression?

[razorlazer]

I've finished having my kids and being a sahm and now I really want to start looking at jobs. I've always worked in various admin roles but I want to progress from the basic roles I've always done.

I'm really interested in the NHS but also can apply for my local authority which always has jobs going.

Which one is best for career progression / pay/ training if Im in admin?

Bump

In my area the LA pays a little better than the NHS. I've worked in both and I would say progression paths are more open ended in the LA than the NHS. But I've progressed quicker and been paid more now I'm within the higher education sector so I would recommend you look also at local colleges/universities too if you have any local to you.

Wobblington my local university is in bottom 10 of the country and hardly have any jobs! It's terrible. The pay isn't exactly brilliant either.

NHS. You'll be in charge of a Trust in 6 months if mine's anything to go by!😂

Seriously, the NHS is full of administrators promoted to one position higher than their abilities.

Haha Miljah

Well so far it's a draw 1-1 NHS Vs LA

Bumping for the evening crowd

What pay are you looking for and the speed of progression?

Tiscold oh I don't know how long. But I would be happy on a band 5.

if you work in a LA you get a good pension and there’s lots of opportunity to move jobs within the organisation. You could start in admin then move to a role within a specific department then progress from there. I would therefore have a look at what departments the admin jobs are in especially if there is an area that interests you.

Band 5 is quite high for an admin role - you'd be a team lead or maybe a PA to a director. What skills/experience do you have?

I was going to say as well band 5 is quite high up for an entry level aim in admin.
Unless you're willing and able to start straight off as a team leader /manager.

Just as an example most receptionists in my local nhs trust are looking around 18 to 21k, pa 21 to 23k and then you progress to stuff like team leader, exec pa or specialise and move into finance, hr, project

postitnot Tiscold Sorry when I said band 5 I meant my local authority. I should have made that clear. Band 5 is around 22-23 ish.

I've just looked at the NHS band 5 and no wonder you thought I was aiming too high!

Haha it's all good, i don't think band 5 is aiming too high for a permanent career but definitely as your first role it probably is.

What kind of admin job really interests you?

Due to lack of funding from central government local authorities are losing staff. We seem to be going through a near permanent state of 'restructure' redundancy.

though, of course lack of funding will be affecting the NHS too

There is definite restructuring that is happening and has hapoened however admin is in a near constant hiring process tbh, so i think op should be ok, for example in the last 7 days my trust has already psoted 6 admin positions including a team leader, a band 8 manager, an executive pa, pa and the rest are receptionists

Sadly not the case in mine, definite end of jobs in all roles. As teams become smaller there isn't the need for admin/business support either.
Depends on the OP's LA, I suppose.

Different LAs have their own pay scale banding even though they will all cover the NJC scale points. In some authorities this means in practice that there are only a very small number of roles that are available on higher scales and that although there is about £5,000 difference between the bottom and top of the grade, new starters will begin at bottom and pay increment freezes mean that it is no longer possible to progress up the scale.

I think I'm better off and have got a better chance of getting into the NHS. My local trust definitely has more jobs going for admin than my local authority. Ill aim for getting a band 2 job and work from their and see where it takes me.

Don't just limit to band 2, band 3 is within reach.

What type of role are you thinking of applying for and maybe i could give you a hand?

Tiscold ive been out of work as a sahm so I think starting on band 2 is realistic. I'm not sure what type of areas interest me but Im fed up of doing just "general" admin. I want to get into a specific niche/ area.