Should I go for civil service interview?

[Stones4bones]

I've been looking for a new job so that I can leave teaching. I had an interview for nhs on Monday and another interview for the civil service booked for next Tuesday.

Nhs: 12-5 mon-fri, 3 days wfh. Entry level, will give me broad general experience in the industry I'm trying to join. Heard amazing things about them as an employer, they are top 100 employers in nhs or something like that. Salary will be appx £1100 p/m after tax.

Civil service: sort of the industry I want. Draws directly on current skill set. It is related to the industry I want to join but not the function I want to work in. Heard civil service os good to work for. Full time, not sure whether it is wfh so potentially a 30-60mim commute. Pay after tax is £1900 p/m.

I was offered the nhs job and I've accepted. I'm happy with the working pattern and the type of work. It's not a job I'd do forever but the pay is making the civil service job seem very attractive.

Background is that my DH is v high earner. We don't actually need me to work (he would disagree but he is VERY money driven) so we can afford for me to take the nhs job. We have 2 young children (4.5 and 3 yrs old). Life is busy and the hours of the nhs job are so appealing.

I don't know whether to jist be happy with my new job offer and cancel the civil service interview or whether to keep the interview for experience...but then if they offer the job...

1. Should I accept it?
2. Am I allowed to accept a job after a verbal acceptance of a other job? Is that an awful thing to do as nhs would need to recruit again?

I'm tempted to keep the interview with the expectation that they won't offer me the job as I'd like to know what the interview is like for civil service in case I apply again in a few years. If they offered me the job I'm not sure what I'd want to do and need help with thinking that through

The pay for the nhs job is better paid though if you're looking at it per hour, plus you'll need to factor in travel expenses for civil service job.

Civil Service jobs can take a very long time to actually start - the vetting process often takes ages. I don’t know if that would be a consideration for you?

No harm in being interviewed and taking it from there. There’s nothing stopping you changing your mind about the NHS job.

Yes, it’d be a possible inconvenience for them but they may have a second choice, and you can’t make your life decisions on that.

Re: salary, don’t forget to factor the travel costs into the CS job - and your own time has value too. If money’s not a driver then make the choice on the jobs and employers themselves, and the prospects they bring.

It’s not though , £1100 for 25 hrs vs £1900 for a 37 hr week

you will probably be able to wfh for a couple of days with civil service role and there are so many opportunities available once you’re in the door

Will you have childcare to cover all the nhs job hours? If not, don't take it as WFH and looking after children during those hours is not going to work.

Do the civil service interview and use it as an opportunity to find out more about the role. In my experience civil service job descriptions are pretty vague. Once you’re in it’s also easy to move between roles.

You’ll almost certainly be able to work from home in the civil service. My department expects 2x days per week in the office but many people don’t go that frequently. You can also negotiate more flexible hours once you’ve been offered the job.

Civil service process is ridiculous. Online tests and interviews. Jump through hoops and then be left waiting around. It’s really not worth it if you’ve another offer and to me it looks good

Our role with the civil service is 2 days in the office if you are full time. Most are flexible now.

As for the interview process, I found out the day after that I'd got the job and started about a month later. My son was about the same.

I started in November last year

I've worked for the NHS.

Do the civil service interview. It'll take so long that you can start the NHS one and then leave once you know what it's like there.

DD works for Civil Service having left teaching. It has been a great job. There has been training, mentoring and lots of flexibility. She says lots of her colleagues do a school run or work flexibility in some way. She is in the office 1 day a week.
I would go to the interview and see what happens.

Thanks everyone. I'll do the civil service one. If I can do the school run I'll be happy and wfh 2/3 days a week even better. Plus the money is hard to ignore!

I do 24 hours over 3 days so 8 hours a day, totally my choice how many hours I wanted to do and the days I wanted to do them .

Works great for me as ds goes to breakfast club and I log on any time from 7.45 then he's in after school club so i log off any time from 4- 4.20 and pick him up before it finishes at 4.30

My office day I tend to leave at 3-30 to get back to do pick up which is why I try and do a bit more than 8 hours on the other days

I could do drop off and pick up without breakfast and after school club though they don't have a problem with that it, would just mean logging back on after I've done the school run

And I know lots of people complain about how long it takes from job offer to starting but I think it depends what area and probably pay grade, I didn't have to wait long at all