Help me make up my mind (before Monday!!)

[lizzywig]

I'm on mat leave and before I went off I was working as an Operations Coordinator, prior to that I was a PA at the same company. The Op's role was created for me as they saw my potential and I have worked really hard in that role implementing systems and looking at company procedures. I loved that job but often found that I was working longer hours and sometimes taking work home, I didn't mind this as I was not a mummy. Before going on mat leave my plan had been to work my way into an office manager type role. When I had my return to work meeting they told me that a couple of directors were looking for a PA, they said that had been waiting for me to return as they thought the role would be perfect for me and that I could hit the ground running. They asked me where I wanted to go from there so I suggested they put together a job description that I could look through. The idea of being a PA again and leaving my work at work and going home to my DH and DD was very appealing. HR contacted me a week later with a job description and cover letter saying I'd need to apply, I was quite suprised as my boss (and one of the Directors I would be supporting) had indicated that I would just return into this new PA position. I applied for the job and was offered an interview, however due to them and me not being immediately available it wasn't until towards the end of the month. Then on Thursday my boss called me and told me that I was indispensible and she wanted me to reconsider applying for the PA role, she kept saying how great I was and she didn't want to lose me etc. She also mentioned that they interviewers were hoping to make a quick decision (other candidates which they say they hadn't expected) and it wasn't hugely convenient that my interview wasn't for another couple of weeks. So I managed to reschedule the interview for yesterday and we did it by phone. It was a really good interview and they said as much. However I am left torn. I am in no way assuming that they will offer me the job, I don't go back for another 9 weeks after all. I want to be prepared to know what to say should they offer me the job so I really need some people's opinions.

PA role
PROS: I find the job easy and the day will fly, I can leave work at work, I won't have to do masses of overtime.
CONS: If DD is unwell I won't be able to work from home, there is less flexibility as I will be needed in the office all the time, I understand there will be some travel and I don't know how this will fit in with the flexible working request I have put in for 8-4.

Op's role
PROS: I have worked hard to build the role, I enjoy it and feel proud of it, if DD is unwell I can work from home (or at least arrange for someone to look after her while I work at home), I know I will be able to work 8-4 and will have to put my foot down on longer hours.
CONS: I often found the job stressful without time to think, the days often drag, I quite often had to take work home.

At the moment my first port of call is IF they do offer me the job then to ask what extent of travelling is involved and then tell them that I need a day to think about it. I'm also not sure that I want to give up my old job. My boss calling me to tell me how much she appreciates me made me feel very valued. The salaries are the same but it's not really about money anyway. My life has changed and I want to make the right decision for my career in the future but also for my family now. Any thoughts from working mum's out there?

Hmmm

I'd go for PA job and maybe wrangle a pay rise?!

I'd go for the ops role. Presumably PA positions come up more frequently than anything like the ops position, so you could always apply for one in the future if you wanted to. I think the idea of travelling for the PA job would put me off, and the flexibility of being able to work from home if needed would be a big selling point!

Go for the OPs role. You will only regret returning to PA work in a few years when you see someone else doing 'your' OPs role.

Having to travel is a massive PITA compared to having to do some work at home when you have a little one to consider. You can perhaps restruicture some elements of the OPs role to ensure that you have weekends etc clear.

OPs role. Women need to work longer hours and succeed more. Far far too many are backtracking careers after babies and it never does them or their families much good at all. If one of you has to work fwer hours make that your husband - he might even get a lot of the chores done at home for you too.

I'd do the ops role - they created it for you, and it feels from here as if it's the one with the most potential to propel you further ahead in due course. If your boss is really keen to have you back, I'm sure she'd be really keen to help you make it work now you have childcare responsibilities.

It's weird, for weeks I have been thinking about how good it would be to be in a PA position again, leaving work at work and knowing that I could do it in my sleep which being a new mum I may well have to lol. I think the main thing is that now I'm a mum I want to be a SAHM (for now) but it's not an option and so I've been looking at this from a 'what is best for my family' point of view. I'm also very aware that in x amount of years time I will more than likely want to progressing again and I don't want to have back tracked.

The more I think about it the more I think that I want to continue in my Op's role, I'm not ready to let it go. In some ways I hope I get offered the other role so that I still have the option but also if I do turn it down then my boss will know that I did it because I really enjoy what I do (which I do).

Xenia - DH can't cut back, he's just had a promotion on the condition that he does more hours and he's also now traveling around the country too a few days a month. He works for a nursery chain though so they're very good with understanding about flexibility. I do feel that my employer also understands the need for flexibility and my existing boss especially is very accomodating. I certainly don't want to work longer hours, although I'm keen to do well in my working life my family life is definitely my priority now. I'm afraid to say that if I had the choice then I'd quite like to be someone like Lucille Ball!!

So I think I am pretty certain that I want to continue in my Op'e role but I still have another day or so to think about it. They might not even offer me the role however I'm wondering if I should just phone up first thing Monday so that they can take me out of the running (and so my current boss knows I want my existing job and it's not second best) or if I should just let it play out. Any thoughts?

Yes pa job looks appealing, but if going back to work is not something you relish then at least do yourself the courtesy of going back to a job that challenged you and gives you responsibility.

After dd2 I did an admin job thinking I wanted an 'east's job, and wad pulling my hair out with boredom after 6 months.

If the ops job doesn't work out you can always backstep to pa, but it would be harder to do it the other way round.

Maybe consider who you immediate colleagues and line manager would be to help you decide? That makes a huge difference to any job.

Easy, not east!

I'd be tempted to ride it out. Then if you don't get the PA role, nothing's changed from before. If you do get it, you can phone your boss and say you've been offered it, but you would prefer to come back to ops and take it from there in terms of any changes you want to negotiate.

You've just shed a new light on things Familiessharegems, you're right, if I get offered the job then I can negotiate new terms. However there is no certainty of that and I think I really want my boss to know that the job I have at the moment is important to me and not second best. Which if I don't get offered the PA job then she may end up thinking. I've realised that I won't get a lightbulb moment with this. It's a case of me wanting to do my Op's job 51% and the PA job 49% I think and I'm just trying to weigh up the pros and cons. I'm going to email my boss in a bit and ask if there's a good time that I can call her today. I just hope I'm making the right decision.

Can you not try to negotiate new terms anyway? Explain to your boss how much you love the job, but that you are concerned re the hours outside work (or whatever you want to negotiate around) and that's what turned your head about the PA role. Tell him you would prefer ideally to go back to the ops role, but you are concerned over the amount of overtime expected, and if there was any way to avoid that, you wouldn't even consider the PA job?