Is it worth asking for relocation assistance?

[TartinaTiara]

Have got interview next week for relatively senior (c£70k salary) job in non departmental public body - civil service t&c's. I live in Yorkshire at the moment, it's based in South East, so about 300 miles away. Have worked in private sector all my life, so have no idea whether relocation would be offered, but is it worth asking, or a complete no-no?

Don't ask in the interview. If you get offered the job, then ask to speak with hr ( if its not them you're talking to already ) and raise it with them then. It certainly sounds like a reasonable thing to ask

It should be in the recruitment policy. Most public sector organisations publish their contractual policies on their website.

Not on website, sadly, have checked, just says civil service terms of employment (not helpful, as I think different bits of CS have different relocation policies). I know a couple of people who have already moved to work there, but they didn't ask for relocation, so I was wondering if it would be a bit cheeky.

If they offer me the job (interview is only first round, I think, but I also know that they've been struggling to fill the post - it's a bit of a specialist one), I'll ask then. The worst they can do is tell me they don't offer it - I think it's unlikely they'd withdraw the job offer and they apparently don't have any room for negotiation on pay or other terms.

Thanks for the responses. It's a bit "would it be unreasonable to ask" but I didn't want to go on AIBU!

You don't lose anything by asking- if they want you they are not going to withdraw an offer because you asked the question.

They will probably have a policy if it's civil-service-T&Cs - it won't be massively generous but will pay some of the expenses of moving. They are usually phrased as X% of annual salary or £Yk whichever is the greater.

As previous posters have said, don't ask in the interview, but there is no harm in asking if and only if you get offered the job - that's when you get to negotiate for the best deal you can get.

If you've worked in the private sector all your life you may also not be aware of this: the gap between you being offered the job and accepting the job is pretty much the ONLY chance you get in public-sector work to negotiate on your salary. Once your start point is set, your progression up the salary scale is, in most organisations, very strictly regulated and not subject to negotiation. Don't ever accept a first offer - make them make you a revised offer as high up the salary scale as they can bear to go.

Well, I'm through the first round interview - second round mid-September. They did ask in the interview if I was likely to be relocating, and friend says that there is a relocation policy, so will ask after second interview if I'm successful.

Thanks for the tip about the salary negotiation, MojitoMagnet. I hadn't realised that once you were on the scale, that was set in stone - friend reckons that the salary is the salary, but again, I doubt they'll shoot me down in flames for asking.

Fingers crossed for September now!