To take a job at my dream company while waiting for the Civil Service checks to come through?

[Needadoughnut]

I was offered a job at a company I love. Pay for the first three months is fairly low (16k) but then after what they call the trial period (3 months) it goes up to 18k.

The job at the civil service doesn't may that much on top (19k) and is a very "computer says no" type of job. I think growth is also fairly limited.

However, I'm planning to take the job that I have in my hands (start date next week) see how it goes and of I doesn't work out take the CS.

By the looks of it, I won't start til April, so I think that's gives me some decent time to test the waters.

No reason not to take it, although check your contract in terms of notice periods during what will presumably be a probationary period.

In terms of the civil service, your first role may be quite basic, but once you're in there is huge scope to move onwards and upwards as most roles are advertised internally first

Thanks @Jager! It's with the DWP for universal credits. I think they hired around 30 people to start with. There aren't that many Civil Service jobs where I live, so I think growing would only be for the most part within my office.

I think you would regret leaving your dream company to work dealing with Universal Credit. That will be utterly soul destroying

@Ledehe I think the same but a job is a job!

I agree with Ledehe - in fact I was already in Team Dream Company even before I read that it was universal credit! For the sake of an extra grand a year, it really isn't worth having your soul destroyed.

I was going to say the same as Ledehe about UC, it will suck the soul out of you.

Go for the dream company. Look at other ways to make up the £1K difference and save your sanity.

What makes you think the civil service one is a better option if it has no potential for growth and the other is a company you love?

I have the idea that technically it's better job security and it's seen as a good employer by mortgage companies/brokers.

Mortgage brokers don't care who you work for as long as you've worked there for over a year. Take the job you think you'll love or you'll regret the decision every cold morning you're dragging yourself out of bed.

As a civil servant I'd say stick with the dream job. Security checks can take an age to come through.

There's no job security at the DWP. In fact, of all the civil service employers, they have the highest rate of employment tribunal claims against them, a good amount of them for disability discrimination too. They treat their staff (almost) as badly as they do claimants.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/21/dwp-department-work-pensions-acted-perversely-sacking-disabled-woman

Go for the dream job! It sounds better anyway as there is potential for promotion and you sound like you would enjoy it. A full time job is a full time job as far as mortgage brokers are concerned. The civil service probably has a better pension but you’d have to stay there ages to take advantage of that.

Is the dream job in an industry likely to be harmed by Brexit? That’s the only cautionary word I would sound. Universal credit will be a boom area after Brexit so the civil service job would definitely be secure. Would the dream job?

I think it's as Brexit proof as it comes. The company is an online music distribution company. Their clients are indie/garage/bedroom artists from anywhere in the world.

The last CS job I applied for the checks took 7 months to come through. Take the dream job! CS is great and all but the work (especially phone work) can be utterly utterly soul destroying. And yes there is scope to move upwards, to an extent, but a lot of people get stuck on lower grades, especially in operations.
I gave up a great job in insurance to join the CS and do regret it a little (though the pension is excellent).

I know the pension and maternity leave are excellent, which is the only reason why "sensible" me is not completely giving up on it. However, I think I'd only give the minimum to my pension pot until I have a much higher salary.

I'd always take a job in the civil service over a private company. Purely for the pension, not to mention in this case the salary is higher too. They're usually also way more flexible with working hours too if needed.

Working for the DWP is not soul destroying at all and I HATE it when people have this opinion. I don't work for them but have friends that do and my organisation works alongside them from time to time and they are passionate and caring people. You can't blame them for what the government decides. What a ridiculous opinion to have.

I would take the interim job and then move to CS.

Sherlock - two of my team (as in sit in the same bank of desks, chat to daily) are from the universal credit office and they both got out fairly quickly. There are great roles in DWP but the UC offices seem to have a fast burn out rate, especially now everyone is a call handler and case worker in one. Plus it's shift work and they're not as well paid as their HMRC colleagues but arguably have more to deal with (suicidal calls, people putting their crying kids on the phone for you to tell them why santa isn't coming, threats - these are one lady's examples from working there for 3 months).

Civil service isn't the be all and end all, and you don't get to choose what you put in your pension. My personal contribution is the minimum and it's nearly £100/month, my salary isn't much more than OP's.

@Divgirl2 that's such an eye opener. I thought the shift pattern in the job description was more about covering their backs than the reality of the post. £100 a month towards pension is too much for my pocket, I wouldn't be comfortable with that at all.

My pension contribution is almost £300 a month.. I'm on SMP at the moment and still paid almost 10% of it to pension

It will be worth it one day though.