Which job would you choose?! please help me decide

[ricksha]

I am in the extremely fortunate position of having been offered 2 jobs this week. Could you please help me decide which one to go for. I work in admin - nothing high-flying!

Job 1
NHS
Commute some days (45 mins) with some homeworking too.
Will need to work weekends too on rota
Project is for about 12 -18m and most likely won't be extended but who knows?!

Job 2
Local authority
Permanent
Zero commute as in my local town and is only 10 min walk away
Pay is 3k less than NHS job.
Homeworking most likely not happening as a long term thing, only right now.

Which one would you go for!

Second job looks easy but a bit boring.
NHS job looks interesting but lots of minuting of meetings which I hate!

I would take the second one, just because the first one involves lots of what you hate. What with that, the time and cost of the commute and weekend working ask yourself is it worth it for 3 grand.
Picture yourself in each role.

I go for the second one for security, little stress and short commute.

Go for the first one only if you're looking to climb the ladder or get into the NHS.

Well done on the job offers! X

The second one for a short commute and they fact it’s permanent

The second because of the lack of commute and it's permanent

Job 2 as its permanent plus no weekend working.

Definitely the second one.

2 - security, no commute, no weekend work.

Job 2 - there may be better scope for advancement.

Life is short, I would go for the one you would enjoy more.

Absolutely the second one!

Job 2 definitely! Nhs rarely pays well particularly for admin! I suspect the 3k difference in salary will be due to high expectations as well as unsocial hours

Probably the second one due to security and less commuting. What you save in money and hours of your own time will trump the £3k less anyway

Job 2. Most local authority jobs seem to allow you wear headphones - brighten your day with a book on tape or radio!

Second one. No commute, no parking issues, no weekends, better opportunities within the council to move/progress, permanent for security. You'll spend the 3k just on fuel and parking.

Council doesn't need to be forever, just for now.

Second. Limited commute a permanent role (done contracting before and hated not knowing if your job still exists in a month etc). Yes it’s 3k less but you will spend that + ££ commuting.

Diverseduvet Hmm - you're right. It does have minuting meetings as the second part of the job description. And I currently minute 5 management meetings at work which I hate!

I think the NHS jobs will keep me on my toes, definitely. It's actually for the track and trace hub for our local region. Which is what drew me to apply as it looks interesting.
But I can see myself maybe being bored of the work at the local authority. It looks a bit samey and not stressful, an easy no stress job.

Landlubber2019 Yes I was very surprised at the salary, its a band 4. Usually it's medical secretaries and coordinators at this band. The job spec didn't really look too taxing. It's inputting data, dealing with queries etc with a main element of minuting and arranging meetings. It's for the local track and trace hub.
Even with this experience, what worries me is that I don't think I'd be able to get into another band 4 admin job..

Definitely the second. Do you think you could negotiate the salary up a little though? You're in a good position with another offer. The first time I negotiated on salary I found it hard but also effective and I'd always recommend it now!

Remember it's £3000 after tax, not £3000 in your hand - then take off fares/petrol - then you could be out of work again in an economy that maybe even dodgier than at present.
Job 2 sounds like a nice life/work balance.

Which one has better opportunities for other roles (possibly better paid or more interesting) with same employer?

No2

Is the 45min commute each way??? Thats 90min a day or 7.5hrs a week!!! Thats an entire days worth or commuting. Not to mention the cost of either petrol/wear and tear on car or public transport!

Imagine doing that commute in the middle of winter, in heavy snow, storms, traffic jams etc etc

I work in healthcare via an agency, and at 1 point, due to things changing so often, I was doing completely seperate things from week to week, as each was disbanded.

I'd worry that track and trace might stop long before your contract ends, and you'll be moved somewhere else, or made redundant.

Congrats on getting 2 jobs at once though, well done.

Job 1 will potentially be more interesting but the demands and stress will be high. It may lead to new opportunities but you may need to put your life on hold as the job is likely to infringe on your personal life. If you are bored, want a challenge and have no care commitments (parents or children) go for it. Personally I would still take option 2.

No 2. Less commute. Permanent. No weekend work. Pay gap would be eliminated by the increased travel costs and tax.

The second, no contest.

No 2 because it's permanent!

Bonus no weekend working and able to walk to work.