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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Job you love vs money?

63 replies

Neolibera · 21/02/2018 21:42

I’m posting for advice on my dd’s dilemma of what to do post-uni. She’s 22, and coming to the end of her bachelors degree in History and Politics (she did a year abroad, hence being a year older).

She’s very clever and outgoing, but chronically and infuriatingly indecisive. She couldn’t make her mind up about what she wanted to do after university, so decided to apply for a variety of masters programmes and grad schemes, in order to delay the decision. Her reasoning was that all these schemes are so competitive, she’d be lucky to get one offer, so she would just apply for lots of things, and accept whichever one she got, if she got one at all.

As things have worked out, she has been fortunate enough to get multiple offers, but they are for such different things and she is still incapable of deciding... the options she has are:
1) Civil Service Fast Stream
2) Training contract with a silver circle law firm (so they’d pay for her to do the GDL and then the LPC before she starts working for them) - she did a vacation scheme at this firm and really liked it
3) Teach First to be an English teacher (her degree wasn’t 50% History, so she couldn’t apply to be a History teacher, yet for some reason to be an English teacher you only need the A-level)
4) Masters in ‘comparative social policy’ at Oxford (she also has masters offers for public/social policy-related courses from Warwick, LSE, York and UCL, but if she goes down the masters route, she’ll go for Oxford)

She’s pretty sure she doesn’t want to do TeachFirst, as she’s decided that teaching isn’t for her, but she can’t decide between the law training contract, the masters and the civil service fast stream (if she did the masters, it would be with a view to reapplying for the civil service fast stream next year - it’s not possible to defer her place apparently). While she can’t decide between law and the civil service, when pushed, she has said that she thinks the civil service probably aligns more with her interests, but admits that she’s also attracted by the higher salaries available in corporate law (she loves travelling and wants to be be able to earn enough to afford expensive trips abroad).

Does anybody have any advice on corporate law vs the civil service? And is it better to do a masters at a university like Oxford before entering the civil service, or should she just take the civil service offer now while she has it?

OP posts:

Bluelady · 22/02/2018 14:27

If I had my time again, I'd definitely go for the civil service. Fast trackers can move between departments, make very decent salaries and the pension's as close as you can get to gold plated.

DietCokeGirrrrrl · 22/02/2018 14:35

I'm a solicitor so maybe biased but that's what I would choose. Interesting and varied career, respect, really well paid so allows her to pursue her interests.

CornforthWhite · 22/02/2018 14:41

blueshoes you are hilarious

lifechangesforeverinjuly · 22/02/2018 14:54

Definitely Civil Service.

I also work for the CS and work with a lot of grads who have been through the scheme and they get to see so many areas, they know what they want to do at the end because they've had the chance to try it

I would also consider the Masters at Oxford and then reapply for CS again.

It's not all about the money - you know you're doing worthwhile stuff in the CS (most of the time!) and that's definitely a bonus. Plus, amazing pension.

Etymology23 · 22/02/2018 16:57

I would say that my post saying that the pace can suit some people wasn't supposed to mean everyone should find out if that's them. Quite a lot of people can assess if that's them without committing 4 years of their life to a corporate firm. It was also really meant to say that I don't know many people who aren't damaged by those very high stress levels; even those who want to stay are generally struggling with the stress but have concluded that they want the money and the prestige/feeling of power more than they don't want the stress. But obviously, the people who thrive and like it do tend to be the ones who stay, so there's no incentive to change the environment.

otherdoor · 22/02/2018 17:21

I think it's important to be aware that the civil service is not necessarily this haven of work/life balance where you get to work on interesting, important projects with an amazing pension and mat leave, with the only downside being the lack of pay progression.

Of course there are plenty of people who love it, but there are also plenty of people working unpaid overtime on understaffed, underfunded projects. Projects they don't particularly believe in or even actively disagree with but have to implement because that's what the government of the day want. And nobody's had a meaningful pay rise in almost a decade.

Also the fast stream is not a route to the top - it's an (almost) guarantee you'll get to a middle management grade, at which point you're on your own and competing for jobs with everyone else. Jobs which are more and more often being advertised externally and sometimes even go to people with experience in fields such as...law.

I'm not meaning to be negative, honest. Like any large organisation there are good and parts of the civil service. But I don't always recognise the rosy view painted by some people (partly why I left 😁)

TheVeryHungryDieter · 22/02/2018 18:17

I'd take the training contract. I say that as both a lawyer and a civil servant.

Civil service has lawyers too and honestly being a government lawyer is a great job. Stressful but you can change roles, work in different departments (today you're doing European financial markets regulations, tomorrow you're doing court martials in MoD and after that you're doing school board litigation in the DofE!) the hours and the quality of work are great. But private practice experience will stand greatly to her, and it's a good income.

slashdragon · 22/02/2018 18:21

Civil service all the way.

AmysTiara · 22/02/2018 18:33

Civil service pensions aren't final salary any more and we haven't had a pay rise for about 7 or 8 years. I like my job but it's not some utopia.

Snowysky20009 · 22/02/2018 18:37

Interesting to hear what some of you have to say about law. My ds18 has applied and been offered a place on the LLB (Hons) Legal Practice (Exempting) course for September.

He's done two lots of work experience with solicitors in the last 7 months and has another two placements before September. So far he's really enjoyed them, and has experience a few different areas. He reallly enjoyed family law.

Realistically what is life like as a trainee solicitor?

Snowysky20009 · 22/02/2018 18:39

Sorry that was total hijack of a thread. But thought the question may help OP too.

Skittlesss · 22/02/2018 18:48

I think she needs to decide what she really wants to do. The career in law sounds good, but you need to really want to be a lawyer to make it work.

aliceinwanderland · 22/02/2018 18:51

Snowy - in answer to your question it varies hugely depending on the firm, region and practice area. If you're doing corporate finance in magic circle firm you'll have a different experience from somebody doing agricultural law in a rural practice. And it isn't even the case that all big city firms are total sweatshops. Some have a much better work/life culture than others. At some firms there will be a massive difference between departments. The rollonfriday website is a good source for inside information on the bigger london and regional firms, including culture and retention rates on qualification.

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