Work WWYD

[Spidey66]

So, a bit of a background….

I’m a Registered Mental Health Nurse. I qualified in 1993, so very experienced. I’m now 57 and at 60 will get a substantial NHS pension.

Until last year I was working in a Community Mental Health Team. It was very stressful, the role and team kept changing and in the end I got burnt out. At the same time me and my husband decided we’d like to move out of London and put our flat up for sale. I decided to take a career break and requested a 6 month break with the option to return.

The flat has yet to sell due to the state of the market but is still up for sale. I did not want to return to my old post and resigned but didn’t want to keep living off my savings so decided to go back and do Bank work in the same Trust. Bank work in the NHS if you do as your only job is basically a zero hours contract. I thought I could work as, when and where I want and just leave when we sold the flat.

So November I started working Bank. I have been in the same team all time (different team and different role to my previous job). I’ve actually enjoyed it far more than my previous job. I was 30 hours a week in my last role and have been working the same in my new role as they’re short staffed. I could easily work more if I wanted.

The disadvantages are no sick pay and (for now) no AL. I took a week off Jan and it left me short, if I want to take more time off I need to add extra hours to get more pay ( I have money behind me but don’t want to use it up).

im not one who goes off sick for no reason but I have to be aware I’m no spring chicken. While I was on my break I both broke an arm and on another occasion strained my back badly. If I’d been at work I’d have had to take significant periods of sick leave for those injuries. And in the 2 years up to my break I broke my other arm (needed 3 months off) and had my gallbladder removed (thankfully only 2 weeks!)

so anyway my current team are recruiting for permanent posts and my manager wants me to apply and knowing the job I would easily get it. I said I wanted 30 hours a week instead of 37.5. She said she’d do her best to get this.

the advantages of me staying Bank are:
a) flexibility re hours (I can turn down days I don’t want to work)
b) if/when the flat sells I won’t need to give notice
The disadvantage of me staying Bank are
a) I’ll stay on a lower increment but will likely be on a higher increment if I went permanent
b) the whole AL and sickness thing

WWYD?

I'd work three more years at 30 hours pw if that's possible, OP, on a contract. Having sick leave etc is a massive advantage.

@MILTOBE but what about when we sell our home and move?

Go for the job. It'll be an income until you move. Just because you've got a job doesn't mean you can't leave it. It sounds like a win to me.

I'd take the contract, if you're band 5 it's only a months notice anyway I think?
But you should be getting holiday pay, our bank keeps it for us and if I want I week off I just request my holiday pay. Have you definitely checked this out?

I'm band 6, I'd need to give 2 months notice.

I've been in NHS 23 years.

I'd get a permanent contract back. You're losing all your rights and benefits on the bank - life insurance, sick pay etc.

There's only 52 weeks in a year and you've only 3 years left.

It seems psychologically you like the emotional disconnent with being on the bank - can walk away at any time. I can understand that with NHS being so pressured. But you end up back there anyhow and without all the benefits and rights.

If you sell your home and when!

I'd get the permanent contract back and keep your options open.

You can easily resign at a later date. You never know what's around the corner

Just to be clear when I said to @MILTOBE my question was responding to her suggesting I work there for 3 years. While I'm happy enough in the post I don't want to be there 3 years as I want to move!
@Dotdashdottinghell I need to get onto HR, i've not taken any leave as yet.

I would take the job. When you sell it will presumably take quite along time to go through so time for working your notice.

Realistically you’re unlikely to sell your flat and be ready to move in much less than 2 months from finding a buyer etc so I’d take the job and when you sell your flat you can give the 2 months notice.

I was kind of thinking along the lines of @Bobbybobbins and @MolkosTeenageAngst , ie even once we get an offer (finally) it would take me 2 months for it all go through anyway. But while I'm leaning towards a contract my brains full of "what ifs" eg "what if I apply and within a month of being offered it we end up with a buyer?"

But I suppose life is full of What Ifs!

Won't having a permanent contract for the last three years, even if split between two separate periods of employment, be slightly better pension wise? Or am I horrendously out of date having left the NHS ten years ago.

I'd go for the permanent job, as with new staff there may be less choice of shifts anyway. Your flat sale has already taken time. Once you do get a buyer it may not be straightforward and is likely to take 3 months depending on how long the chain is etc. The last time I moved it took 5 months from our offer being accepted and there were only 3 in the chain. It may also be easier to get a job in equivalent team when you do move, if you've had a permanent contract. Good luck

Is there much of a difference in taking your pension early?

I'm still paying into my pension even though im on the bank. In fact when I took the break, I still paid into it. I'm very aware that (a) the NHS pension is excellent and (b) I'm close to being able to collect it so I want to make the most of it.

If a week sick leave left you short of money it seems obvious to go permanent. Sick pay and AL. (Do you build up AL at the same rate as permanent?) At the real worst couldn’t you Air b&b a month if things did move very fast (cant imagine it would be that quick.)

I'd go perm.

I’m only asking as a colleague had a prediction and the difference was minuscule so she took it early.

Do your enjoy work? Even if was a small pension difference do you have plans of what you would like to do with your retirement?

I'm NHS, work on a stroke ward. We have a patient at the moment who is a bank nurse in the same trust, it's an absolute nightmare for her as in addition to a major unexpected health event, she has no sick pay. I know it's unusual, but she's mid 50s, not much older than me, and it's put me off ever going on bank with no permanent contract at all, you never know what could happen so even with having to give notice (and often offer to exchange complete will take longer than 2 months) I would take the permanent role!

I like the role I'm in now, though don't love it. I found the last role I was in very stressful and the role I'm in now, while very busy, isn't as stressful. When I took the break my plan was to move though of course this didn't happen and after a while I started to get bored at home.

When I move I plan to work part time, mainly to meet people.

@Bloatstoat that does worry me. I do have savings but don't want to use them unnecessarily. Like I said earlier I'm no skiver but I'm no spring chicken and have had some health issues and injuries over the past 3 years, 2 of them were during the break and I was kicking myself as I'd have got sick pay if I was working! (Broken shoulder and back pain,)

I'm leaning towards applying but can't find the advert on the website. I hope I've not missed it (only heard of it Friday.)

I’d definitely apply for the role. Stability of income, paid AL and sick pay if required, plus employer pension contributions make it worthwhile. You’re already doing the job anyway, why not do it under better terms and conditions?

And 2 months notice is really not that long. Even if you got an offer on your flat that went all the way to a sale, that period is likely to be longer than 2 months.

I agree that your best option would be the permanent role, not least because of the benefits. The NHS will also be paying employer's pension contributions, which is an advantage.

If you sell your flat, at the worst, you could move into a rental, until you were able to buy a new place. It would be a bit of a pain, but doable, I think.

You’d be mad not to take the perm job.

I think they're already paying pension contributions. I certainly am!

I think I'll apply.🙂