To feel like a failure for leaving the Civil Service?

[Lookingforanewjob34]

I'm in an EO job that is making me ill with stress and I'm looking to leave ASAP, I'd even happily downgrade back to AO.
I asked about returning to my old AO role in another department but I was told they were not recruiting.
I am applying for other CS roles but anyone in the CS and even maybe out of it will know what a slow process this is.
People are telling me I'd be foolish to leave because of the pension. I do understand this but there are other places with a respectable pension, even if not as good as the CS, and for me this is not a reason to stay in a job you hate.
I've seen several interesting roles I like the look of and currently applying. Some of them need a DBS which I currently have in progress so it won't be months and months of waiting. Even if I stayed, there's no guarantee I'll get another CS role, I know they are competitive.
Has anyone else left? Some people are insisting i stick it out because leaving the CS is not the done thing.

I left local government. I would not stay in a job I hated for a pension. You might be dead before you get a pension! Don’t listen other people and suit yourself.

Exactly, tbh I am a very long way off pension age and it's really not guaranteed as you say!

I left a similar level CS job, as I felt trapped and so (after many job applications) got into something else I enjoyed far more. It is possible that had I stayed I would be earning more than I am now but I never think about this or regret my decision. It is not for everyone.

What I decided about other people’s opinions was that it wasn’t them who was actually doing the job every day.

I think that the Civil Service can be great but you need to be at the right grade. It is very hierarchical and promotions can be bonkers. If you are at a lower grade then I would recommend getting experience elsewhere and then returning to the Civil Service at a higher grade (if you want to!). I used to work in the Civil Service and found it very frustrating - there would be relatively lower grades doing all the work while the SCS doing very little but having meetings and promoting themselves Having worked mainly in the private sector it seemed a bit mad that these people still had jobs I think if you are the right personality then the Civil Service is great. Horses for courses!

Ideally it would be better to sit tight until you find another role to move to, whether it be CS or not. Only you can judge how badly your current role is impacting you.

I would be cautious leaving CS though. The benefits / pension are amazing and lots of people find the private sector a culture shock and don’t realise how good they had it in the CS until it’s too late. Just make sure you’re not jumping out of the frying pan into the fire in your haste to leave.

From my friends in the CS another huge benefit is the flexible working which exists in a more defined form not a sort of "hour swap here and there if it fits with others" which many private sector businesses have.

If you have family I'd imagine that's a real benefit.

Life is long.
Admittedly I 've only worked in Public Sector jobs I've got a bit of a teaching pension, a bit of a LGPS one a bit of a different LGPS one, never quite sure whether to pull them all together but I've got 30 odd years of working left why stay in a job you don't like for money that you may or may not get depending on how long you live but almost certainly for less than 30 years.

Oh yes I'm definitely not leaving until I have another job offer. Just mean that there will be jobs you can start in the next few weeks/month, not 7 or 8 months after applying if you're lucky.

See people say the benefits are amazing, but other places offer them. I'm not even allowed to use much flexi for the first year, my annual leave is heavily restricted and tbh, even flexi isn't worth me staying atm.

I do sometimes get a what did I do pang when I see my husbands pension forecasts from local gov. But I earned more over the years. I think I would have been in a mental hospital, unable to work if I stayed. Some one once asked me if I had “tried to get a job”. My profession is 90% of people employed in local gov. I am self employed and love it.

I left and didn’t look back. I think CS suits some and most people I know in the CS have been in it from young.

I found it incredibly bureaucratic, every task had a rigid procedure and process and the endless meetings that just wasted time almost drove me insane.

However, there were many colleagues who thought I was mad too for leaving thanks to the incredible pension and benefits… for me there was a better balance and I’m glad I didn’t stay, so go for it OP and be open minded.

Having been on both sides of the fence, comparably paid private sector jobs can be as demanding and stressful and a lot less secure.

Stay put until you find a different or an AO role. That gives you the security to think about what direction you want to go in

There's no guarantee I'll get another role anytime soon and I'm not prepared to put up with potentially another year of stress, the CS is not the be all and end all sadly.

I left the CS 10 years ago. I am thinking of going back for the job security and to build back my pension.

The non public sector is much more difficult in terms of expectations.

Why is your EO role so stressful? It really shouldn't be given your grade and relative pay. Are there ways you can try and make the role more manageable?

Have you told them how ill it's making you? Are you in the union? I think you could get some help to stay in your current job or a managed move somewhere else. Obviously if you want to move that's also fine!

If there are AO roles in your department and the stress is affecting your health, you could ask your head of unit (DD?) to ask the HR business partner about the possibility of regrading you to AO on compassionate grounds?

Sadly not all EO roles are the same. Some like mine expect 18 months of rigorous training. There are HEO roles that are much more easygoing.

I have emailed about a managed move twice but sadly got no reply.

You’re not a failure. And you can always come back in the future if you find the right job!

On the pension front, it depends on your age. I joined the CS later in life with a bad pension pot, and I know I would be mad to leave at this point. I’m also staying for the flexibility as PP have mentioned.

How about applying for a HEO role then?

That's not to say you shouldn't leave if you are unhappy, but explore all the options first as it might be difficult to get back in and the corporate and even the charity sector is fairly cut throat quite now.

So follow up. Again. And again until you get a response. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Talk to your GP if the stress is that bad. Get a referral to Occupational Health and have them recommend a managed move or similar. Sending two emails is not going to resolve this for you.

I left and enjoyed working in the private sector for a few years. Few years down the line, life changes meant I appreciated the benefits of the CS more , and what I found frustrating when I was younger, I'm able to tolerate better now im older because I need the flexibility of working hours more now and the generous policies. I have serious health conditions for example.

But at some point I may leave again when it no longer suits me. I agree with the pp who said you can't stick out a job you dislike for a pension you may never see etc. But equally just because you leave doesn't mean you can't go back in future.

My pension would have been looking pretty good if I hadn't left, because I joined in my early 20s so would be set for 40 years of contributions. But I don't regret having the time out.

What is particularly stressful about your current role OP?

Keep looking at Civil Service jobs. You could well find something more suited to you in another department. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.I did that once when I was much younger and I ended in a much much worse chaotic and traumatic situation. It damaged my mental health and limited my earning power and confidence for some time.

It did all work out in the end over the years, and I now have a good CS pension and excellent work life balance. But I would have counselled my younger self not to leave as hastily as I did.

Maybe you have older friends or relatives who have been through similar.

I left the CS a few years ago. Life's too short to stay in a job that makes you ill. There's no guarantee about the next day let alone many years down the line.

It was really hard to take that step at the time. I lost a lot of sleep over it. However, after I left I was able to earn more money in a job that gave me more flexibility than what I had at the CS which meant I could then get a mortgage which i wanted. I was fed up of renting.

Everyone talks about flexibility in the CS, but I was put on a warning because I had used all my annual leave for looking after young children who were off school sick.

You won't get these years of your life back, even if you make it to pension age, so don't fill them with stress and hardships. Make your life as easy for yourself as you can now. Noone has seen tomorrow.

I’ve just joined the CS and one of the perks (imo) is the sick pay.. I’d make the most of it if I were you and keep an eye out for new jobs while off.

You haven't said your age. Are you close to retirement? Or have you plenty of years to top up your pension. I was listening to a podcast on the science of quitting. And when you know you have to leave, then you need to leave. Your own wellbeing is always the priority.