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Original poster

does anyone work for their local council - need some job advice!

26 replies

locala · 07/04/2021 16:41

I've recently started a job at my local council - was delighted when I got the job but I absolutely fucking hate it! I am on the verge of handing my notice in! it's already typed out and just needs the date adding!
I only work in admin - nothing fancy but I was wondering if councils have a thing where you can move to another department temporarily if they need an extra hand or something. I guess a bit like an internal agency type thing. I like working for the council but not the department I'm in and I don't actually want to leave the organisation but just the department if you see what I mean. I've looked online at their internal vacancies but in all of the 6m I've been here only seen 2 jobs both of which weren't relevant to me.

OP posts:
Blueskytoday06 · 07/04/2021 16:45

I do and in admin. Here they can move you about (within admin) so work is covered. Can you speak to your manager? It might be a case of waiting for an opp and swooping in.

Councilworker · 07/04/2021 16:48

In my council we have internal redeployment and also we still have Covid related jobs that are being advertised. However for both you would have had to have completed probation in order to apply and would need to discuss with your manager. However every council will work differently how they operate internal redeployment so what happens in my LA could be very different to you

Original poster
locala · 07/04/2021 16:53

Blueskytoday06 so can you move around to another department? How does it work? I wouldn't even care if it was temporary. I just want to move!

I can't speak to my manager or the head of the department as they're part of my problem. They would be really pissed of if I was thinking of leaving as it's really not a good time - we're in the process of moving to a new system and we will need all hands on deck plus overtime for several weeks. But to be fair the system is so shit I don't know when it will go live. Was supposed to be April then May and now they're not sure!

OP posts:

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Jobs
Emma2021 · 07/04/2021 16:55

The manager may take a dim view, so do not bang on about "i hate this fucking job." Managers may assume that you may f-ing hate the next one and so on.

Then you get the little gangs and the bullies and the lickers.

You need to bite your tongue, work even harder and be covert about bending over backwards to help out and trust me you will be head hunted but a lot of neptunium is rife in councils from what I've seen first hand and heard.

Slag of the same people the gang slags off and support the manager openly and watch out for the two faced friends who wish you luck but worried about you doing too well and them being shown up a as lazy B's.

Keep your feelings to yourself unless you have a real friend.

do hold some good work, tricks up your sleeve

soon you will get the job you want, better pay and a lot of flexi time.

Btw, try not to defend anyone that may be right but is despsied by the little gangs

TheGriffle · 07/04/2021 16:55

You can apply for internal jobs as a secondment but you have to inform your manager and they have the final say so on whether you can go for it or not I believe.

TheGriffle · 07/04/2021 16:55

Or you can just apply for internal permenant jobs and leave that department entirely.

Original poster
locala · 07/04/2021 16:57

Hi fellow Councilworker ! We have redeployment vacancies but I thought that was for people whose jobs were at risk and facing redundancy. They've had a massive budget consultation recently and my department has had a rejig with a few people taking early retirement / reducing hours so we're all safe here for now.

OP posts:
Shinesun14 · 07/04/2021 16:58

Your manager would have to agree a secondment.

Its easier to get a job in the council when you're already working for them. Make sure your manager likes you and hit all your points in interviews and you should be alright.

Original poster
locala · 07/04/2021 17:03

Emma2021 do you work with me?! Grin

I haven't been whining at work how much I hate it. Noone knows. I do my work and go above and beyond but just want to get out. A lady started at the same time I did and she left after only 3m. Didn't even work her notice! So I know it's not just me. This place is pretty toxic.

OP posts:
Original poster
locala · 07/04/2021 17:04

Shinesun14 sorry for being stupid but are secondments basically internal posts or would they be advertised as such?

OP posts:
Original poster
locala · 07/04/2021 17:06

TheGriffle well that's my plan to apply for internal / external posts but they've had none! The 2 internal posts I've seen were non admin - nothing I can do.

OP posts:
Shinesun14 · 07/04/2021 17:51

@locala secondments are advertised as short term contracts or secondments in my LA.

You can still apply for new jobs that aren't secondments. With a secondment they're usually short term in a different team and you go back to your old post after.

Waterfallgirl · 07/04/2021 17:57

I work for a large council and we have a large admin support function who move around services. Yours sounds like it’s quite a small council with only 2 jobs advertised recently. We have always got a few admin roles recruiting and as a pp said we have a few Covid roles too currently. Is it worth a call to HR ( privately) to ask about their recruiting process internally / secondment and how it works ? That way you will know where to look in future.

Cipot · 07/04/2021 18:06

Would it not be worth biding your time to see if something comes up? My job wasn't very nice but after 2 years I got a really good job in another department using the experience. Does the council have any services shared with other councils? If so there might be vacancies advertised at the councils they share with. Secondments are usually emailed round where I work but your manager has to agree.

ProfYaffle · 07/04/2021 18:09

It's really difficult to generalise as each Council will have it's own policies and schemes. You really need to speak to HR (or at least have a look at the policies) to find out how your own organisation works.

Emma2021 · 07/04/2021 18:28

@locala

Emma2021 do you work with me?! Grin

I haven't been whining at work how much I hate it. Noone knows. I do my work and go above and beyond but just want to get out. A lady started at the same time I did and she left after only 3m. Didn't even work her notice! So I know it's not just me. This place is pretty toxic.

@locala

lol, just shows most council places are full of ...... types.

Glad you keep it zipped.

I got in for longer than a couple of life sentences got in via the temp route as years ago it was an even more closed shop, ie family and chums first. I was asked often "who got you the job." WTF I thought I knew no one and my hard work paid off and i did genuinely get on with most of my managers but did have two very close co-workers takes time to build trust.

I was a care manager and like you said, its "toxic" well the place i worked in was worse as they bunch of b's looked through my reports when the had no right and did it to others so i grassed them up and told them how to check who was accessing which records but it was a closed shop and the outcome was a memo to all and mention in the departments regular/long team meeting that any clown found to be looking at records they should not would have to leave.

Must try not to LOL's but when I covered duty, we could access others work and boy did i have a rofl the hypocritical piles of ......

I'm sure you will - be honest, be genuinely nice as much as possible ignore the clowns, do your work well and you will make a a couple of good chums.

Caution advised - don't go out on the get togethers with the team as they are bad i never did other than the few close friends and was called names behind my back but then almost everyone stopped going as people often fell out after a drink as things came to a boil, lol.

Emma2021 · 07/04/2021 18:32

@ProfYaffle

It's really difficult to generalise as each Council will have it's own policies and schemes. You really need to speak to HR (or at least have a look at the policies) to find out how your own organisation works.
Trust me you can "generalise" to a great extent EG - long tema meetings, reular tm meetings that get nowhere and are broken records, the coming and going of managers and directors with great plans often full of S to make them look better for their next promotion - regualr changes to polices and procedures to suit your leaders and their cronies, etc ,etc.

Trust me, I've been there but I won't really tell you how bad it was as its hard to believe but facts is stranger than fiction.

ProfYaffle · 07/04/2021 19:13

I think you've misunderstood Emma. I was talking specifically about recruitment practices, secondments, moving departments etc Each Council will have it's own procedures. I can tell you what the policies are where I work and where I've worked in the past but that's not going to help locala as her authority could well allow totally different things.

Original poster
locala · 07/04/2021 21:16

Shinesun14 ah ok so looks like secondments aren't really advertised then - maybe it's just within departments or something. Not sure. Never seen any jobs advertised as a secondment.

Waterfallgirl that's interesting - so do the admin workers move to wherever they're needed or do they apply for the job like you normally would? This is what I thought my council might have but if I've not heard of it then it probably doesn't.

Cipot I don't think I can last anywhere near 2 years. I think as I've got older my tolerance living with crap has decreased! Maybe another month or two.

I joke about it but it is actually affecting my mental health and it's not nice to live with that long term. I get told off in front of the whole office for making a mistake which is minor and rectifiable. A complete non issue. It's utterly soul destroying being in a job where you're treated as incompetent when I'm doing my best.

OP posts:
Emma2021 · 07/04/2021 23:01

@ProfYaffle

I think you've misunderstood Emma. I was talking specifically about recruitment practices, secondments, moving departments etc Each Council will have it's own procedures. I can tell you what the policies are where I work and where I've worked in the past but that's not going to help locala as her authority could well allow totally different things.
My apologies and thank you.
Emma2021 · 07/04/2021 23:12

This thread was fun and i hope OP has gained some insight.

Admin where we were was being scaled down and some tasks were being outsourced and they were trying to amalgamate departmental admins into one group as far as poss.

With faster it systems etc admin role was being reduced.

Before I leave this thread and I'm not joking, the BBC's Apprentice programme, the bit in the boardroom before some clown/s are fired, the bickering, the bitching, the snide comments, two faced comments, throw them under the bus and more, no jest it reminds me of our team meetings. One of the two people I trusted most could not watch the Apprentice for that reason because it reminded her too much of our team meetings.

It was good to start with then i had a gang of c's chasing me and then i found out others were in the same boat and together we gave them a shock.

if you have a team like the one i worked in and need help, please feel free to pm in confidence as I passionately hate lazy b's that do f all other than back stab others and cause other staff untold misery and work on getting you marginalised, belittled and make you appear incompetent when all along they are the incompetent, lazy, good for nothing clowns that suffers from delusions of self worth.

Waterfallgirl · 08/04/2021 17:09

@Emma2021 that sounds truly awful. I don’t think it’s as bad as that here, hope you escaped!
@locala yes we have admin staff moving between teams as demand and needs arise. They can stay with one team for ages - and become part of the team and others will do shorter term support as and when. We are a large council though. The other thing is to look at other local council recruitment - so I work for a county council but we have recruiting links with local district and borough councils through West Midlands employers - their website lists all vacancies in councils in the region plus NHS roles and schools and I think charities too.

Original poster
locala · 08/04/2021 17:25

Waterfallgirl yes that's what I'm hoping my local authority has - admin staff moving around to wherever they're needed but don't think mine does this. Is this Birmingham council who do this?

OP posts:
Emma2021 · 26/04/2021 23:35

[quote Waterfallgirl]@Emma2021 that sounds truly awful. I don’t think it’s as bad as that here, hope you escaped!
@locala yes we have admin staff moving between teams as demand and needs arise. They can stay with one team for ages - and become part of the team and others will do shorter term support as and when. We are a large council though. The other thing is to look at other local council recruitment - so I work for a county council but we have recruiting links with local district and borough councils through West Midlands employers - their website lists all vacancies in councils in the region plus NHS roles and schools and I think charities too.[/quote]
@waterfallgirl

Yep, I left the b's, ie me a few others refused to work with the sh...ts and i can't say what happend but it worked. we still spoke with eachother via phone when needs must demanded contact but poeple said I was funny when I got a call and noted their number i never answered it. When i had to ring their duty line and one of the b's was on duty and i recogned their voice i'd put the phone down, no kidding, i made sure i dialled with an external, witheld number.

The funny thing is when the operator puts a call through to anyone in the office if the suty line is busy and a caller goes into a serious rant, i just put the hone down, happens about once every two, three weeks.

I sound awful but when I meet nice, genuine clients i do go the extra mile for them as i do for my colleagues.

btw, i was not admin but on a senior payscale

to this day I would cross the road if I say one of those B's.

Kpo58 · 26/04/2021 23:57

Are you able to apply for jobs at a different local council? You can transfer any Pension that you may have accrued.