To think my colleague has messed it up for herself?

[TwistedBirkenstockBlister]

So until recently I worked with a lady I got on well with. I was a permanent staff member and she was agency. She was on a significantly higher wage (due to being agency) even though we were doing the same job.
I heard on the grapevine that her time was almost up (part of a push towards getting rid of agency) and they were going to advertise her job as a permanent position. I tried very hard to get her to apply but she said over and over that she wouldn't work for such a low wage. I kept trying to 'sell' the good parts of the job, like it was local to her and school hours and there was room for progression.
When they recruited and told her that they weren't going to need her after a month. She reacted badly, getting angry and acting as if the company had been disloyal to her. I think she thought that they'd change their mind and offer her a huge salary to stay. They didn't.
We've stayed in touch and I've been sending her many jobs but she's not interested unless they're really good money, school hours and in her local area! She also keeps asking me if there's any jobs going at ours and there are but a lot are internal. I think she would have done much better to apply for the job, take a pay cut and then waiting for a secondment or promotion (which happen quite frequently.) Instead she's unemployed and has no contacts within our company anymore.

@TwistedBirkenstockBlister sounds like you’re in my dream company! I’d love to work somewhere that is flexible and values their staff. What industry do you work in?
As for your friend, I agree with other posters it doesn’t sound like she wants to listen to advice she just wants a shoe in to more money without actually putting the effort in. Sounds very awkward that she’s earmarking a job you’re hoping for and to be honest she’s not showed any commitment to the company by refusing to go for the permanent role so by going for the higher role they’d probably be very interested to hear her reasoning for not going for the perm role... and if she’s as entitled as she sounds she’d probably completely fluff the answer to that...

I thought the agency rate was set at x and the agency impetus was to get people who would accept as much below this as possible whilst still doing an acceptable job. Sadly, this method probably works so much better in female dominated employment areas.

What is this well paid job during school hours?

So she's cut her nose of to spite her face then.

She'd rather have no money then take a pay cut for stability, flexibility, perfect hours, close to home, good promotion prospects, nice work ethos.

Start keeping a little distance from her, stop doing leg work for her and do.mention.any.other.jobs.you.may.go.for.

Pretty much the exact scenario has just happened with a colleague of mine. They found out they were being made redundant, I put them forward for a (guaranteed) job at my company, which they didn’t go for, and now find themselves jobless angry and disillusioned! Wouldn’t mind but equal pay to old job and same hours.

You really need to encourage her to become self sufficient with her job search rather than relying on you to do all of the work for her. Some sites will allow you to set up searches and will alert you to vacancies based on the criteria you set.

She also isn't a good friend if she expects you to give up a potential promotion for her. Remember, whoever the organisation appoints is out of bot of your hands.

No she hasn’t. I do agency work because it suits my lifestyle. It allows me to take all the time off I want in terms of school holidays, I can make the hours work with school and it pays more. A permanent role is the last thing I want and I would have to resign every July which would look bad and mean that I lost a significant amount of money as a result of the lower wage.

If she’s asked you to send her jobs great. If not stop it. You’re being totally offensive.

@WeWantSweet not necessarily. All our agency contracts were based on a percentage of salary. For some roles it can be a fixed rate but that generally relates to exclusive relationships with an agency for mass roles.

I don't see why your getting so involved. Her finances are none of your business, and she can sort her own life/job out

It's her life, why does it matter to you?

If she can afford to hold out for a better paying job, why not? I wouldn't take a job that paid less than my current one unless I had no choice.

Why are you trying to control her actions

Tell her you have applied /are applying for that job too and hope one of you will get it. Tell her how over your time at that company everyone/ most employees look for this sort of opportunities and tell her how you and other were moved up in the past. This way, you've been up front and won't have to go through that awkwardness of both being interviewed for the same job. She can't expect you not to apply because she's going to! That would be extremely unreasonable of her and definitely not keeping her close at all. I hope she'll grow up and face the world the way it is and really appreciate you as a very good friend to treasure. You've gone a long way to help her but I wouldn't do any more of it for her to let her learn in her own time and way.