Public sector to private sector. Would you?

[gaelicsheep]

I have an interview for my dream job - hooray! But I have nagging doubts in my mind - the same ones that have kept me in the public sector dealing with crappy politics, lack of progression and generally being taken advantage of for years. Because it's still more secure than the private sector isn't it? And then there's the pension to consider - while not gold plated is certainly a better deal than I could get in a private pension scheme for anything like similar contributions.

But then there's the promise of occasional pay rises, maybe a bonus, overtime pay etc. And no more fawning to jumped up councillors, dealing with useless government agencies, maybe I would actually get to do the job I enjoy doing with appropriate resources and support.

So, if you were me would you jump ship given the chance?

PS It's a very small sector. Once I jump there may be no chance to go back for some time.

Oh, I should add I'm the sole breadwinner.

With hindsight, I wouldn't.

If youve worked a long time in public sector the attitudes in private are very different. I'm thinking of less stringent procurement, expenses and the like. There's also a lack of consideration of family friendly practices (imo).

But it depends on your version of public sector, what you can learn to ignore, and how much the money matters over and above that!

I do appreciate that you can't know the other side of the fence until you get there, but since you're asking, don't expect it to be greener.

Hth.

Thanks. I fully expect that one set of problems would likely be replaced by another. However I know the company concerned quite well, they're pretty flexible with home working and the like and seem to take quality of life pretty seriously. I guess my only concern really is security, since there is (notional) job security in the public sector. But honestly I'm so sick of the red tape, the incompetence, the money wasting and the total lack of resources to do the job.

So often one's reaction to an answer on MN is very telling. I'm bristling at yours (no offence intended!) which is kind of telling me my own answer I think!

I've gone from public to self employed & private sector in the past year and can honestly say it's the best thing I've ever done!

I love that my days are spent on Mumsnet are no longer spent fighting against systems that will never change and spending most of the day engaged in conversations about how hard it all is! I realise that in your situation there will be slightly different in a company but the thought of being full time in the public sector again fills me with dread!!

Your existing pension will be frozen so will still be there anyway.

I would say go for it

Not to mention the lack of progression as I'm now at the top of the scale and that is it forever basically, unless I want to move out of my specialism and into management (god forbid frankly). And the sheer amount of unpaid overtime I do is just not funny any more.

I think if the draw of public sector is security, but you end up moving into the private sector, the way to improve your security is to focus your energy on always developing and enhancing your employability. So that means keeping track of the market for your skills and what aspects appear to be growing and in demand and developing yourself in that direction. That's where private sector security comes from.

Good point, thanks. And thankfully the direction I would be taking - IF I were offered the job - would make that pretty much essential as the company is dynamic and constantly developing to meeting changing needs in the sector. In fact the ability to grow and develop is another big reason why I want to move on. There is just no opportunity to do that where I am. I am the only person in the entire organisation working in my specialism. There is no one to learn from, bounce ideas off, the practical support for my role is just woeful. So I think the need to keep constantly in touch and ahead of the game in the private sector is something I would welcome with open arms!

Plus, the "job security" thing is a red herring really. What it means, in practice, is that if they decided they no longer needed what I do - unlikely but not inconceivable - I would be able to be redeployed. To what? To a hellish bog standard, non-descript pen-pushing role. No thanks!

I think I know the answer to my question!

I'm sorry that you bristled at my response! It was not intended in that fashion.

Everyones situation is different. I moved from top of my scale and for the resulting pay rise I now have to "accept" practices that we would not have been allowed to do in public sector. Your speciality may well be different from mine. It's been an eye opener for me, and for me personally, 5 years down the line, if I could turn back time I would not have done it. But everyone is different. You must weigh up what is best for your family, as I did mine.

Oh gosh I didn't mean it was your fault! All I meant is that clearly I had in my mind what I wanted to hear, and it was the opposite from what you said! That was really really helpful, so thank you!

You're totally right that it depends on the specialism. I would be moving towards best practice, rather than away from it. And more importantly working with people who actually understand and give a monkeys and actually have some clout in setting and maintaining standards.

In that case - very best of luck for the interview!

Grappling with a similar decision here, up to now the private sector seems to offer a lot more, however there is the feeling it the company could vanish one day. Best of luck for your interview

You say it's a small sector you're moving into. Have you any other contacts you can talk to before making a decision?

In any case, good luck!

Thanks for the good luck wishes. I realise I really do want this job and I am starting to really feel the pressure...

Tbh I think I'll get a better idea when I actually attend for an interview. The company is pretty well established. Pretty hard to speak to anyone without it getting back to the potential employer - it's tricky!

Don't know if this will help or not but I don't know if the public/private sector thing is that relevant tbh, I think it is just one job compared to another.

I left the private sector 2 years ago as I was increasingly being asked to compromise professional ethics for profit, I moved to the public sector and it is the best thing I ever did, not because it is in a different sector but because the job is the perfect one for me. My new role is dealing with saving budget without compromising standards so is quite challenging and not the wasteful old public sector stuff people imagine.

I would say if your gut feeling is that you want this job then go for it. It sounds like you will regret it if you don't as you seem emotionally ready to move on

Do not underestimate the pressures that a dynamic and constantly developing company will bring.

I have worked alongside teams in both public and private sector and can honestly say HOH that private sector employees are put under far more stress than public sector employees in the situations I have encountered. If you then combine that with a company where everything is growing and changing you could be looking at a far more challenging environment. Of course there are plus sides to a more challenging environment, as you have recognised.

If you do pursue this make sure you understand the culture of the company fully - find out for example what their staff turnover rate is, how they deal with tight deadlines, whether there is a flat or hierachical management structure and what the routes to progression are.

Personal factors you should think about are: whether you are planning more kids (maternity pay often woeful relative to public sector), whether you are confident of staying in good health, and whether you have a fall-back plan if it doesn't work out (eg 6 months savings, ability to trfr skills to other orgs, DH able to work instead, etc).

If it were me? I'd probably be bored rigid in a public sector role (certainly one in my own field), but I'd probably hold onto one if I had it, because private sector world is not very nice at the moment (constant budget cutting/cost savings, etc, and I have friends who have been made redundant and haven't been able to find any other work)

I've just gone private sector after many years public / vol sector and it's the best thing I ever did. I have a new lease of life now that I'm not surrounded by people who have been in the job for ever, and who do things the way they've always been done just because... Etc etc.

Prob depends how much you like your public sector organisation. I hated mine.

I wouldn't set too much store by job security in the public sector, given the huge numbers of public sector workers being made redundant just now. And yes I know there are private sector redundancies, before people start in on that one, but the op already perceives private as less secure.

The private sector is much more varied than the public sector, in terms of pay, benefits, degree to which flexible working is supported, culture, etc

Not working loads of extra hours unpaid is something you've mentioned, and pay rises. Do you actually know you would get overtime pay in this particular private sector organisation? Because all those I've encountered (a fair few) involve plenty of unpaid overtime, particularly for more senior staff even if more junior/manual staff get overtime.

Similarly many many private sector organisations are on pay freezes and have been for a while, so if pay rises are important, be sure this particular organisation is minded/able to give those. Same with bonuses.

Personally I wouldn't touch the public sector with a barge pole. All I ever hear about it indicates that it's just not for me. But I know it's right for a lot of people and I equally know that lots of people struggle with the change.

Go to the interview and try to get more of a feel for it so you can make a more educated decision.

I work in the public sector and many colleagues have moved over to the private sector. I will join them once I've settled again post DD but my profession is pretty much the same either side of the fence and I could come back.

I've found that I'm actually much better resourced in the public sector than I was in private - in particular, I get a generous training budget here, which I never had in my previous post. That was a dynamic and fast moving company, which meant for us that we were always trying to find the most cost effective way to do anything.

I loved the less stringent procurement procedures in the private sector, though - now, my colleagues and I are continually tearing our hair out having to pay more to buy from our 'approved suppliers' list, which seems to bear no resemblence to anything sensible.

I've gone from private to public to private and back to public again.

While I appreciate, so some extent your frustrations with bureaucratic time wasters, one of the reasons I'm staying in the public sector for the time being is those very procedures protect me. It's been my experience that the opportunities to expand my skills and be fairly considered for promotion have been far better in the public sector. I work in a fairly specialised, technical area. I have lots of professional contacts in other organisations and, when we meet up for conferences and professional group meetings, it is starkly obvious that if you work for one of the private sector organisations you are more likely to be white and male. This is more obvious the higher up the food chain you go. The public sector colleagues are a far more varied bunch. At one of our last conferences the number of women was commented on. I did a quick head count, there were still more men than women, but take the private sector bodies out and it was about 50:50. In a technical, IT related area, this is pretty rare.

I'm staying on this side of the fence for the moment. It would be career suicide not to.

I would worry about it once you have had the interview and been offered the job
You will have a much better feel for the place once you actually meet them and discuss the position.

I moved from a public sector FT role in local govt to working PT in consultancy/research and now doing a PT public sector job in HE sector as well. I find the actual work brilliant, and lovely colleagues but aaargh, the procedures and processes! Drives me nuts and is actually very depressing. And the dead hand of HR in everything - makes everything so inflexible and bureaucratic. And it's all slow - takes weeks to get new starters an IT login or security pass for instance - really frustrating little things like that, that constantly irritate and slow down basic processes. I could never go back to FT in this sector and am currently exploring some thoughts about becoming fully self employed.

Yes I have read the job particulars so I know the T&Cs I am musing about. No I'm not planning any more children.

rookiemater - indeed . But I already know the company and the people, and getting the job would involve a massive relocation for me DH and 2 children, so I kind of have to think it all through now just in case!

Thanks everyone. I think I'm in a pretty specific situation that probably does go beyond the public/private sector thing.