To hope/ think a 35 or 37 hour week is 'normal' for some people

[Quibble123]

I have a senior job in higher education. I average 45 to 55 hours a week - cannot remember the last time i had a proper weekend or holiday. I'm really, really tired and have burnt out. The hours and stress impact my health, my homelife, time with my children, etc. I'm done! I've the opportunity to change careers. Similar wage, but different sector and promises a healthy worklife balance. Can I please be reassued, is there anyone out there who can earn an OK wage and still have a life outside of work?

I wouldn’t go third sector. You’ll halve your pay, get 5% pension contributions and be exploited. I moved into the civil service and I do my 30 compressed hours, and don’t think about anything from the moment I switch my computer off. Salary range is 36-41k.

I get paid for 35 hrs so I do 35 hours. I sometimes do a long day or work at the weekend for a couple of hours but only if I want to. I don’t do it for them. I always take the time back. I don’t earn mega bucks but £50k ish.

If you are in HE on £55/£60, I'm guessing you are at Reader level? Assume you also have the following benefits:

Gold standard pension
Public sector sick pay
35 days hols plus extra days at Xmas/Easter?
Flexibility re wfh when not teaching, meetings, etc.

I'm not so sure you will match those benefits in the charity sector. However, I empathise about the nuts environment and pressure of work.

I earn about this in higher education and have a 35 hour week and rarely need to do overtime.

Until I retired this year I was doing a 36hr week and earning £45k. Private sector, office based role.
No expectation to work extra hours for no pay, if you didn't want to work longer you just didn't and if you did, it was paid at overtime rates.
It really was a case of leave work and don't think about it until the next day and/or Monday morning.

Managers got the short straw.
They WERE expected to put in the extra hours but earn barely as much as the staff they manage (less if the staff are doing overtime) but have to stick at it as it is the only way to get to the next level. Even then they could get gazumped by a graduate entry going straight into a middle management role.

I am on£65k in higher education professional services (research office). 35hrs contracted and rarely do more.

For sure. I earn £78k and do 37 hours.

Charity sector is brutal. I wouldn’t go there if you think it’s the answer to work life balance. IME they think that because they’re a charity you should work 50% extra hours than you’re paid for for free.

DH earns more than you and works a 38 hour week. (He does the odd hour here and there in the evening if he's had to to the school run or a busy day). I earn approx £35k and work 37.5 hours, I don't do an hour extra than that, and if I do I can bank it as Flexi so I take it somewhere else.
We are both management positions (he's senior management).
It's definitely possible to be on a good salary and have a good work life balance.

I would say...don't be fooled by the promise of the charity sector. I took a pay cut to join from a Big 4 consulting firm and I have less work/life balance than I did in my previous life. More flexibility, yes. But that comes at a price.

40k for three days and on the other two I run my own business which is about £15k turnover yes it's possible. I'm in social media marketing

I work in the media, probably do about 45 hours now which is much better than it used to be..

A good coach can be helpful I found

£70k 37 hours a week flexi, if I work over my hours I claim it back but my current role is quite chill. Never work weekends. Civil service. It is a bit unusual though, I'm in a specialist role, most my grade are more stressed than me!

Part time senior consultant doctor in the right speciality (rheumatology or dermatology, for example) : 4 days a week = £100k plus pension.

I do earn quite a bit more than you mind you, but not megabucks

I’m salaried in a decent IT job for 37.5hrs plus unpaid OT of around 5-10hrs a week and also involved in two other unrelated start-ups so maybe 70+hrs per week on average?

Do you manage to stick to that? If so which charity because I clearly need a job move 😂

Would you stay if you could work more sensible hours?

If so you need to start being stricter with your time. Stop working so many hours. If it doesn't get done...as long as you have warned whoever is higher up the chain that this may happen let it happen.

Are you trying to do too much with the hours you are supposed to work? If so just let things slide. You will probably be surprised at how little people notice or care.

I know (also work in education) easier said than done.

I decided not to work stupid hours this year.

I am contracted to finish at 4.30pm
I have an alarm on my garmin watch that goes off at 4pm and this is when I start packing up to go home. I do not dismiss the alarm - just put it on snooze - until I have left. So every 10 minutes I am nagged to get my arse out of the door.
At 4pm I start to shut things down and write a list for tomorrow (I am using bullet journalling - this is working well too). So rather than thinking "Oh, I have 20 minutes, I will quickly just do x before I go...I write it down for tomorrow.

I found it fucking awful the first few weeks. And still leaving sometimes at 5.30/6.00pm.

But overall, 8 weeks in an I am better. Not brilliant. But I have left work probably at 4.45pm more frequently in the last 3-4 weeks than I did for the previous 3 years. All down to bullet journalling and my watch buzzing at me.

37.5 hours and take home £1600

You are not comparing apples with apples.

There will be people on your money, working less hours, just as they’ll be people on less money working more hours.

Some many variables to consider- qualifications, experience, location, sector, priorities, culture, other commitments, etc, etc.

Decide what you want and make it happen.

I was on a similar wage as a Programme Manager in FE. Regularly worked 65-80 hours a week.

Now work 35 hours for £50k.

Yes it's definitely possible but it all depends on what industry you are going into tbh! I would say 35 hours is on the low side but 37 definitely.

I'm contracted to 37 hours and mostly do around that unless a particular issue but I have flexi time so get it back.
Previous positions I was contracted to 40 hours and did 60-70 hours a lot of the time.

I would echo that. I moved from public sector to charity sector and my wages haven't kept up with inflation to the same extent as they would have at my old employer, my pension is absolutely rubbish and I work my ass off including lots of unpaid overtime (I am entitled to flexi-leave but realistically I accrue too much time working in the evenings to ever be able to take it all off). Stress levels are through the roof because there's no way I can adequately cover everything that is my responsibility and I am currently in fire fighting mode addressing whatever looks like it will be the next big crisis. I do have flexibility, but no more so than in my previous job. Many charities are massively underfunded compared to the demands on their service so be very careful if you are moving because you think it will be an easier ride.

Top of my pay grade is around 45k for a 37 hour week. No overtime and very much not expected to work over contracted hours.

I earn 60k in the HE sector and work 35h a week, mostly from home. I also get 35 days leave, plus bank holidays.