To worry about new job offer

[Surelyunsure21]

Hi all, I just need some advice as I am not very good with the new and unknown so I could do with some support.

I have been a full time member of staff at my current role for nearly 6 years. It is in the contact centre so the role has been pretty much the same for the last few years. The money is okay for what we need as a family (just over £21000)

I have been applying for new roles and I accidentally applied for a part time role as a housing officer. The money hourly is better than my current role but per annum it is only just over £16000 so it’s a £4,000 or £5000 drop.

The money is good at my current role but the hours are 8-6 and I work this over 4 days to get 35 hours. The current role is just under 25 hrs so will be better for work/life balance which may help as I have been struggling at my current role to be a good mum to my two children and be a good employee.

I am really interested in becoming an officer however I am worried that I am not knowledgeable enough as ive never done this role previously and I have no qualifications.

What would you suggest? Stay at current role or leave?

Sorry to drip feed the role would open lots of doors for me and eventually if the hours were increased the role would lead to more income but for now it is less hours more hourly rate and more responsibility

Definitely take the housing officer job, as you say it will open doors for you. Don’t worry about having no experience and no qualifications- if they wanted qualifications they wouldn’t have made you the offer, and none of us had experience when we first started in a new field! They will have looked at your transferable skills eg customer service, dealing with difficult people etc.

Unless your family really can’t survive on the reduced salary, I can’t see a single reason why you choose to stay at your current role other than it is daunting to move on when you’ve been somewhere a while. Take the plunge!

If you can afford it (check benefits you’ll be entitled to on a lower wage) I would always say work less.

You can make money everywhere (side hustles at home) but it sounds like this job has growth opportunities

Thank you for the advice.. I was really surprised when they made me the offer and most of the responsibilities for the role I have had experience in however the difference is I’ve not done it face to face & I’ve not had much experience in what happens with customers when the issues need escalating to an officer and in this role I would be the officer 😅

We can definitely survive it would just make things a bit tighter but not leave us destitute. The good thing it is in my home town where we are looking to move back too so that means less of a commute however where we are now is only 20mins away anyway

I was thinking of applying for a night shift or something at the local supermarket or there is a next factory which always has lost of shift patterns and hours going..

That might work to get the wages back up to what they currently are.. I’ve never claimed benefits of any kind so I don’t how I’d feel changing a career to then claim from the government when I am currently entitled to some money but don’t claim it (not judging benefits in any way I’ve just never done it and I hate complicated forms etc blush])

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Also does anyone have any idea how currently being off sick from my job would affect this new job offer? I’ve not said anything to the new employer but I am worried they will ask for a reference and work will say I’ve been off for the last 3/4 weeks due to stress.

I had two difficult labours and I’ve had 3 major surgeries and my other half lost his job last year (he managed to get a new job fairly quickly but I still had to return from maternity and leave my baby sooner)