AIBU to discourage DC from entering public sector careers?

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DD17, DD14 and DS12 have all been talking a lot about jobs they’d like to do lately. They are all very different fish, 2 very academic girls and one creative but not so book smart DS. Their schools to introduce a broad range of careers, but their teachers (understandably) seem to know more about public sector roles such as teaching, legal aid law and health professions (there’s a special ‘get into medicine course DD was encouraged to do).

When I started out, there were good options for people looking to work in the public sector. I headed into a helping profession in a Local Authority (but struggled with the inflexibility and have since moved into private practice). Friends were looking forward to careers in medicine, teaching and the civil service. A couple were pretty snobby about the moral superiority of public sector roles ( I remember an physio friend asking a trainee actuary friend how they got up each morning with such a boring job). Others headed into law, banking, consultancy etc. We were all very well educated and had many options.

However, at 45, things have all come out in the wash, and (with a few exceptions, notably two doctors who are independently wealthy, and a diplomat), those who chose private sector jobs are not just much wealthier but also seem to enjoy more flexible, varied roles and just seem happier in their work. Friends in the public sector complain that they are burnt out, struggling financially and stuck in their jobs with few other options.

AIBU to at least encourage DC to consider that public sector careers might not be the best idea any more? Obviously, they’ll choose what they choose, but to me, the difference between private and public sector roles (especially in London/SE) nowadays seems pretty stark.

You must be joking. Quite the opposite I’d say. Nowhere else do you get the same level of protection and such amazing pensions.

Good lord you are so wrong it's shocking

I’d still encourage civil service.
Teaching and medicine, you have a point.

I work in the civil service and have way more flexibility, holiday and a great pension compared to my friends in the private sector. My pay isn't too bad either for the role I do.

You may be wealthier now, but you most likely won’t be in twenty years. Even a modest civil service pension is worth over £1m for the lifetime annual income it provides.

Yes, public sector is often more stressful, demanding and has more regulation but the reward is at the end in retirement.

My DH works in the civil service and oh how I wish I'd done the same. His working conditions are so good for family life, he works in a role that is very interesting with great projects and the people he works with are lovely (judging by what I overhear/see on his teams calls). He stops work at 5pm and doesn't think about it until the next day. I would recommend civil service to everyone!

I don't think they should be differentiating between public sector and private sector jobs at all, just following their interests and talents then choosing which jobs to apply for based on terms and conditions in the vacancies they find once they are in the job market.

Most people end up going for jobs they had never even heard of as teenagers

For DDs, civil service is far less sexist with a teeny tiny gender pay gap.

I wonder if the previous posters work in the public sector? I think that's relevant to answers! There's no way I'd encourage my kids into public sector roles unless they were the type of people who would benefit from it taking two years plus to get rid of if they are poor performers!

The pensions point is fair, but I need cash now, when I have a young family, what's the point in being comfortable at 67?

I agree with avoiding the NHS or teaching, but once qualified your DC could work for private companies instead.

The civil service (and the governments arms length bodies) have good conditions of service and great flexibility and I'd highly recommend them.

I would never be as rude as your friend but I enjoy working for organisations that should be making the country a better place and not just making fat cats fatter.

I agree. Im public sector. Masters degree. 20 tears in. There is no money to move without significant pay drop. And ive had a promotion without losing a second of my main role so is basically quite demanding and having to be done on my own time. An absolute disgrace.

My dh has far fewer qualifications, has only in the past 7 years moved into a new private sector career from a completely different area, and is already out earning me.

i wouldnt recommend public sector to anyone.

I think yanbu to want your kids to consider a wider range of jobs than the average teacher is aware of. But many people work in public and private sectors during their lives it isn’t one or the other. Your anti public sector fixation is unreasonable otoh.

I think you should let them make their own choices. It's important to remember that many of the elements which will have helped contribute to your friends' success - UK membership of the EU, low energy prices, low interest rates - will not be there to benefit your children. There's also a whole new range of challenges for them to deal with, including accelerating climate change, and AI changing the jobs market.

As such, they will be operating in a very different world to you and I think it would be foolish to assume what worked in the past will work in the future. They need to look forward and think about what is likely to happen for them, not back at what worked for their parents' generation.

There was a thread the other day about how a public sector worker couldn’t get their head around what were considered normal working hours in the private sector. Work life balance is better, the pension is literally gold.

Having said that I think some people struggle, DH lasted a few weeks in a public sector organisation because he was just bored. He’s much happier in terms of his work in the private sector.

I agree-the friends I’ve got working for the public sector are unhappy, generally not well paid and certainly, the ones who are older and teachers are all gone. They either quit before they were got rid of because their lives were made so uncomfortable or had to leave with an ‘agreed’ reference. Teaching is not a place for those over 50 any more. They are working in other jobs now-supported by spouses, luckily. The ones who are nurses are still working, but part time due to bad backs! The pension may be better in the public sector but if you can’t spend much of your working life in it-it’s just theoretical. The recruitment and retention figures are often dire!

The private sector friend I have mostly work from home very flexibly so have little commuting costs. All are much happier.

What amount of annual pension do you consider to be amazing?

This.

At their age you should be encouraging them to follow their interests. You can switch between private and public in your working life in almost any career/ specialism.

It is more important at this stage that they get qualifications and experience in something that interests and excites them, whatever that is.

What amount of annual pension do you consider to be amazing?

Any direct benefit schemes are likely to be light years better than direct contribution ones.

That’s really interesting. I agree that there are many interesting public sector careers, I did one for years. But I would definitely not encourage choosing a job just for the pension benefits that you might or might not reap at 68. You can easily make enough to match that in investments in a well paid job.

I wonder if I’m perhaps comparing apples and pears. Ambitious friends (with the exception of the diplomat) generally went into high-level (City) careers and have done really well. They’ve worked and travelled all over the world, have made a great deal of money (several now discussing early retirement/ buying a money drain vineyard plans) and have had the flexibility to move between employers to follow better roles. My DH law firm has much more favourable sickness and maternity benefits than I got in a Local Authority. Whereas friends in roles like teaching, medicine and LA management are no less able and work no less hard but the financial and career rewards are different. And they definitely feel they work harder and seem exhausted.

Apparently the average age teachers retire in the UK is 59. Ive gone through the pension calculator (many times) and it is an great pension if you retire at 75.

It is a known issue in education that expensive teachers get pushed out. And expensive in teaching is over £40k. That’s a starter salary in some industries. And don't forget that is for a post-graduate level entry career.

so when saying it is a great job, look at the pension. Look at the pension value at 59 before you'd be sacked / pushed out, and replaced by a trainee.

My kids are younger but I agree OP sadly. I think the public sector in this country is in a sorry state - just look at the strikes - and unless things improve radically for workers in the next 15 years, I’ll be encouraging my kids to think much more ruthlessly about themselves and their income than I was raised (which was essentially to follow my heart and do what I love).

that wasnt the question.

It depends what you/your children see as important. Certainly the chances to earn very large salaries are not as forthcoming coming in public sector roles but as others have said the protection, potential for family friendly/flexible working, generous holiday entitlement and pension benefits should be taken into consideration before dismissing these roles as a career choice

I joined the civil service at 21. I had a 30 + year career across different departments doing various roles ranging from health to criminal justice.

I never earned a huge salary, I topped out at 65k but I was able to take an excellent final salary pension for life (although I believe pensions are now average salary based) and retire at 55. For me the long term benefits significantly factored into my career choices.

I did twenty years in the public sector. There is huge variation in jobs though. I’d agree teaching isn’t the best profession for generating wealth…but that’s true private or public. CETV of my defined benefit pension= £2.6m