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?