To think I can get an enjoyable wfh job that pays 100k without working evenings and weekends?

[2kidsnewstart]

I am currently a civil servant earning 80k pro rata'd to my 4 day a week part-time hours. Lots of benefits (pension etc) but due to the kind of role I am in I am expected to return to the office more.

That is difficult for me as last year me and the kids' dad split up (6dd and 2dd) meaning I can't afford additional £65 daily train fares to London on top of nursery fees plus all the other bills. We are 50:50 which I have realised is a very expensive way of splitting up!

Plus I leave before 7am and get home around 8pm so would have to find someone to look after the kids on my days in the office (my ex and I coparent very well but he can't always do childcare around my work all the time and we have no family nearby).

The civil service is great but I am 38 and feel like I could have a whole other career ahead of me and I wonder if there's an absolutely dreamy role that would be challenging but satisfying, well-paid, allow me to wfh and not require evenings and weekends?

AIBNU: No there's definitely that kind of role out there if you open your eyes/ retrain! (and please specify what kind of role!)

AIBU: That unicorn does not exist you should stay where you are!

I have a relative who got a degree in geography and then within 2 years of finishing uni got a very well paid job in cybersecurity. Takes her everywhere around the world and some massive private company perks. It doesn’t seem to matter what subject you get a degree in anymore!

Not as an ex-civil servant at that level. Often wrong skill-set, lack of broad experience and unrealistic expectations ... like hoping for £100K as a wfh job.

I'm on less in cyber security but only 35 hours a week. No after hours unless assessing an organisation in a different time zone. No call outs and salary is usually around £70 to £80 k.

YANBU - I have a job like this. 100% remote, global company, six figures + bonus and equity. It’s a known brand digital company but not pure tech. I do have alot of experience in my specialism but a lot of my peers have more digital generalist backgrounds. You probably have lots of transferable skills and could perhaps look at digital project/programme manager and/or product owner. Lots of courses (free and paid). Only caveat is that there have been a lot of tech layoffs so the market is a bit competitive atm. Consider also a sideways move in the CS to something ‘digital’ if possible and explore what might interest you or be relevant to use to move into the private sector for higher pay.

Yep, came here to say the same, except no on-call.

I'm a career switcher, from marketing director to software engineer, and it Def did not take 10 years to get to 100k, but it did take 4 (all of those working, training was 6 months). It's hard work for sure and not for everyone, you do have to have analytical thinking skills and you can't just expect to refrain and jump into a well paying job but you can expect to refrain and get a 30-40k job, that is flexible, WFH and max 45 hours per week. Since switching jobs I've never worked a single weekend or past 5 pm unless I wanted to and I don't spend all day staring at the clock waiting for it to be over, most of the time the day ends too quickly and I'm surprised when it gets to 5 pm. So I guess it depends what you want. For me it was a combination of money but more importantly, not being miserable, BC I absolutely hated my job before I retrained and just couldn't go through life being so unhappy.

Id love to know how to jump from my role into a well paid tech role. I even have a computer degree but work in marketing!

As someone who has worked in the civil service and the private sector, I have to say that this is so so wrong re responsibility level. It's staggering how much responsibility you can have in the CS for comparatively low wages.

There are differing medical systems here (GB) for GPs, hospital trusts, and other institutes. I had 7/8 years in a GP setting. Our primary GP medical system could code by keywords, so coding/re-coding did not need those reference indexes. Most out of use codes were marked as such, and you kinda learnt a few hundred codes after a while.

Sounds like you have a good deal. Perhaps moving closer to have a shorter/cheaper commute is an option? Perhaps an aupair to cover on the days you go in?

Worked in a tech company for 11 years in a very highly paid role. I have a humanities degree and am very ‘untechy’. However, I stared at the bottom in an entry level role and gained experience, training ect that was quite niche. It was an operations type role - so it’s fine I wasn’t tech savvy! I didn’t have to do the actual coding - Just be able to communicate how it was done.

I would say it is harder the further you progress in your career to make the leap into a tech company as hiring is often very focused on internal and those who have worked in similar companies. Due to redundancies and constant reorg changes in the tech world - there are lots of people looking for roles with plenty of very relevant experience which makes it harder for those without the background to get in. Any manager, snr manager, director role will have 100s of applicants and many recruiters will use software to filter that will basically filter out anyone without the ‘right’ experience.

the best way would be to network, network, network. Find a way to get your CV to the hiring manager before the role is online.

I know some people who have moved from g7 and g6 roles to local government consultancy (think almost bankrupt councils) who are only required to travel a day per month. Personally the stability and pension of the civil service means you might almost have a unicorn job, but don’t quite realise it.

Speaking as one lucky enough to have made a transition out of the SCS into a 'unicorn' role, and having read the whole thread, I think the best piece of advice you've received was to keep your CS employment but apply for digital/tech roles within the CS. You will have lots of transferable skills that the CS will be quicker to recognise and a level of seniority that confers some credibility. Pivoting to a year or two in a CS Digital role such as tech programme or stakeholder management would create an adjacency for external tech roles that might pay more.
The other really good piece of advice was to re-engage about the % of time required in the office. Make your case for support!

I would strongly recommend having a few sessions with a careers development coach. You can start with where you want to end up in a few years time whether that's a particular role or related to work/life balance and they'll help figure out how to get there. If you find the right one it's should be transformative and there are probably a lot who specialise in public sector. Perhaps your work will pay for them as personal development?

Clinical Coding does exist as a career in the UK. It's how hospitals record activity so they can be funded (im)properly by ICBs/NHS England. Does require a lot of training, and the pay is likely not fantastic. Not sure of the scope for WFH.

You're a civil servant. The clue is in the name. To support which ever government is in power. There is too much WFH, it's not productive. You should go back to the office and do your job. The tax payers expect and deserve this.
DD

WFH is more productive. Presenteeism is a menace.

This simply isn’t true. Civil servants have colleagues and stakeholders spread all over the country. Being in the office doesn’t mean being with any colleagues that matter. It also doesn’t mean better productivity. My office is a noisy and distracting place to work with people taking calls all day long at their desks. I am significantly more productive at home.

Lol! Many, many civil service organisations have been WFH for a very long time - far longer than 2020 when the rest of the world started adopting it.

I worked from home 4 days per week in my first civil service job, starting in 2009.

For my job back then, and for my job nowadays, it makes not one jot of difference where I am based, home/one of our offices because as a civil servant I work with people spread all over the country.

As a taxpayer, I don't care where anyone works from as long as they're doing their job.

im phd in sociology and I LOVED my work and its so bad in academia at the moment

The salaries and benefits for civil service jobs always look very good plus they tend to keep up with inflation. Im not sure private sector is always so great.

DH works in tech for a decent company and earns between £80k to £90k. He's WFH five days a week. He's well regarded and works in current emerging tech BUT has twenty five years experience and is constantly having to re-certificate every year or so to stay current. His holidays and pension definitely aren't as good as CS!

Can you side step somehow? It's bloody hard retraining and starting from scratch.

In addition to the NHS there are only a small number of private insurers. The bill goes directly to the insurance company and any dispute is between the hospital and insurance company.

The Insurance companies set their own rates so a hospital might charge £12000 for a procedure and if you are self funding that will be your bill.

But the insurance company might have a price list that the procedure is £10000, the difference between the two is usually absorbed by the hospital because the hospital doesn't want you to go to another hospital.

Some NHS procedures are carried out by private providers, most cataract operations are, the NHS will agree a price with the provider and fund it directly.

Sorry for the derail, I thought @GoawaySunrise might find it interesting.

Also bear in mind that it's estimated a public sector pension is equivalent to a 50% greater salary, such would be the cost of getting near to the same pension outcome in the private sector.

You’re right. The post you quoted is an example of “tell us you know nothing about the civil service without telling us…”

People think civil servants are all the Sir Humphrey characters who work directly with ministers. Obviously those sort of people would need an emphasis on office working. They don’t realise what a broad spectrum “civil service” covers.

Personally, I prefer hybrid as there are some (most) tasks I can do most productively from home, and others are better approached in the office (certain meetings etc)

WFH - mon-fri 9-5. Occasional on call (rate is crap though).
£120K - IT Consultant.

It is contract though - so rolling 3 months. Been doing this sort of thing 30+ years now. (not always as contractor)