To not know which job to take

[Donkeydoodles]

I am about to be made redundant from a large company, as they’re closing our business unit. It’s due to COVID. I’m really sad but completely understand the reasons.

I’ve known for a while, so have been applying for jobs. Have been offered a short term contract in the civil service. It’s quite a change for me but sounds exciting and is doing something much more ‘worthwhile’ than the commercial job I have now. It’s well paid but only a 6 month contract. The permanent version of the job is not so well paid at that grade.
If I take this I will get a large redundancy pay out, start this job straightaway and generally be in a good place financially... in the short term.

To add a complication it looks like my current company is going to create a new role for me (in a different department). I also love the sound of this role and it’s a good career opportunity. I won’t get the redundancy pay out but there’s the stability of staying in a company I’ve been in for 9 years.

I honestly don’t know what to do. Stick with the safe and stable option or take the risk, do something new and worthwhile.

If I'm helping friends with a decision like this, I say something like: "if I said you MUST take the civil service job" do you mainly feel relief or panic? It reads to me like that's what you'd really like to do. But it's also worth considering if you'd be ok in 6 months if your contract wasn't renewed. Nobody really has a clue about what will happen next with covid waves and recession. It might all be fine, it might be worse. So risks are maybe higher than sometimes, and your own circumstances will dictate how much risk you can take.

I can afford to take a risk financially. Don’t like the idea of being out of work for too long from a sanity point of view though!

That's fair! Would it give you new skills that would help you find another job if your contract wasn't renewed?

If you are dependent on your regular income then stay with your company and take the permanent job, if not and you can afford to take the 6 month contract but then you will be looking for a new job after that ends.

It all really depends on what sort of job security you require, if married with a family then stick with what you know. If single and only yourself to consider then the civil service job.

With the economy heading for disaster I'd probably pick the more secure job, but then I am risk averse. Good luck whatever you choose.

Yes I think it would. Would probably look quite good on my cv (provided I made it clear it was a short term contract, not that I was fired after 6 months!)

I have never regretted a risk I have taken, but I've regretted a few I haven't. I'm not naturally risk averse but I am (I think!) sensible so will take a risk if I have a safety net, and you say you have a financial safety net. Sounds to me like you both want to, and can afford to, take the new job. So, I say do that!

Once in, the civil service is quite incestuous (probably not the best word!) they like their own. You'll have access to internal roles, across the civil service, is it a role that can be done in different departments? Plus flexible and home working can make it easier working for departments not based by you. Opportunities will likely open up within it, though I appreciate it sounds a bit scary. Plus the pension is awesome.

Be aware that with the civil service job yes you may be able to apply for some roles, but it can take years to actually get a placement. My newest colleague took over 2yrs to get the actual job despite being told early on in the process he had been accepted.
Also, the pension is not awesome as a PP said, it's actually shite. Plus as a new starter you'd have no choice but to join the crappy pension scheme that's been in place a few years now. There has also been sod all payrise for years and this will continue.

If you fancy a risk and it sounds like you can afford to take one, you could try the civil service job. But be aware that you would almost certainly need to be looking for another job after the 6mths.
You should also be aware that depending on which department it is, it can take months to get you fully sorted re IT and pay.
We had some staff swap departments (to Home office) and they still had no IT 3mths later and no one got paid in that time as they fucked up. They were having to apply for emergency payments to tide them over. It was a shambles (as is most things that the civil service do). It's not a progressive place to work.

I'd personally stick with the company you're with now if you enjoy the job and the people you work with. Hopefully it will give you some new skills and you could move on from there when you have acquired them and the jobs market is on the up again.

The civil service pensions can absolutely be awesome. My brother has got an employer contribution of well over 20% in the CS.

Has your current employer given any indicative timescale of when they might be able to give more information on whether they can give you a job in a different department? Would it be permanent? I would be wary to turn down the CS job 'just in case' as you might be left with nothing. Although it's only 6 months, presumably your redundancy pay would be at least a bit of a financial buffer, and in that 6 months you could be applying for permanent jobs. Not sure where you are, but there are loads of CS jobs here. When do you have to accept their offer? I would speak with your current job and see what they can do, it might even be that if they don't require your new role yet they are content for you to come back down the line, although as external you would probably have to apply for it.

Even the new CS pensions are good compared to a lot of private ones, and the 'benefits' ie 6 months full sick pay, flexi, opportunities are actually really good compared to most.

I'd think about it like this - the new job in your current company doesn't exist. There's no guarantee that it is going to, no matter what assurances you get. I've been burnt with promises that XYZ will happen and it never eventuates due to things "out of their control".

So personally I would take the role that actually exists now. If the job in your current company does eventuate, you could apply for it then. If it doesn't then your not stuck without a job.

Honestly, I'd take stability over anything else at the moment.

You found a new role quickly this time, but who knows where we will be in 6 months.

Couldn't disagree more with catfeets post above. The CS pension is really good - it's not as good as it used to be, but is WAY better than anything you'd get in the private sector. Sometimes people who've been in the CS a long time can be incredibly complacent about the benefits.

It also IS a progressive place to work, although it massively depends on the department - some cultures are way better than others. I'd never choose to work for the Home Office based on what I've heard - more traditional, hierarchical and stodgy - although obviously there will be better teams in some bits of the department than others. It is easy to move within the CS though, so you could find a place where you feel you fit better.

As you don't know whether your current company are actually creating the position or not, I'd go for the CS job, and see what the lay of the land is in 6 months times - might it be that your current company would have you back then? How quickly will they be doing this re-org?

@catfeets the Alpha civil service pension scheme pays in 26% that is AWESOME compared to what is standard these days, yes it may not compare to the pension of years gone by, but by today's standards it is excellent, plus we have to pay so little in ourselves. Have you experienced pensions outside of this?

It's very hard to talk about the CS broadly (though I except I have done so myself!) what you describe is not my experience, in my department when you're in, you're in, it's amazing to see the progress made by those who came in on a temp or junior basis.

If the CS job is really what she wants over other jobs I think it's a risk that could be worth taking, but yes I'd struggle with the security of 6 months.

If you stay at your current company will it count as continuous service so you would still get your payout if made redundant in the future?

If the new job at your current employer hasn't been created yet, you could probably negotiate a 6 month sabbatical as and when it is? It won't be urgent if it's only just been created and if you asked for one, they might bite your hand off given current economic situation. Means you could take the 6 month role and then go back to your current company in the new role. Does mean you miss out on the redundancy pay though if you decide you don't want to take up the new role in the meanwhile but might be worth a shot for the job security? Depends how much the redundant package is

I'm very much of a "devil you know" person so would like to stay put with the current employer if possible.

How definite are your current employer about the new role though? You need to press them to be certain about that, telling them that you would like to stay but need to make a decision now because you also have another opportunity and need to let them know your decision.

I do understand your dilemma. I've just been made redundant too. No prospects on the horizon for me yet though. Just hoping for a breakthrough.

@notheragain4 yes I have been in a couple of other pensions which would have been better. I ended up pulling my money out of them as I worked there for so short a period it wasn't worth keeping.

I don't agree that the pension is great having just received my latest statement. The payment if you die in service is good, but hopefully not needed . You now cannot have your pension until state retirement age, where before it was 60. So I have to wait another 10yrs-ish.
Seems most new starters have nuvos pension which isn't as good as alpha.

@catfeets you must have been in a very high flying role with incredible pension benefits if you think for even a second that a 26% employer contribution isn't excellent. It eclipses all my private and public pensions.

@notheragain4 not particularly high flying, no. But my pension is shite, I got the calculation that shows how little I'm due. I'll be dead before I reach pension age anyway (not in great health) and I'm pretty sure I'm not getting 26% contribution on mine. Before they forced us all on to the new pension I was happy with what I was going to get and happy I would get it at 60 with the possibility of reducing it to 55 or 50 dependant on my health. Now there is no provision to reduce further than my pension age which is 69. I think the alpha allows it though.

Won't comment further as it's derailing the OP's thread. But I'm glad you are happy with your pension.

@catfeets if you aren't getting 26% then you aren't in the Alpha scheme. The Alpha scheme is the new CS pension scheme people were moved onto, but it isn't shite- I defy anyone to think a 26% bump in salary into their pension is shite. It's your pension, I suggest you look into it to understand it better, when I didn't understand my pension it nearly cost me thousands as my employer was paying into it wrong for over a year. Now I make sure I know exactly what should be going in, so I've developed a bit of an obsession with pensions which is why I appreciate how good this one is.