Moving from the Public to Private Sector

[PeterParkerSays]

I'm looking to pick the brains of anyone who has made the move from public to private sector work. We may be moving to another city, where DH works, but the only job advertised there at present which I could do is a private company. I've always worked in the public sector, so am a bit daunted.

Do you get things like annual pay increases or pay scales in private companies? Do you ever get an increase in annual leave after X years' service? I know from the advert they offer childcare vouchers and a pension.

Sorry if these seem really naive questions, but I just don't know enough about the similarities / differences.

Hi there I've worked in both public and private sector-
Generally pay rises in the private sector are performance-related, so based on your annual appraisal. I have usually got at least some sort of payrise every year (though there were a few years during the credit crunch where there was none/less/certain criteria).
On top of this you may also get a bonus annually/bi-annually/quarterly, again probably related to your appraisal, seniority and possibly in part on overall company performance.
There is less transparency regarding pay, etc. Most places don't have incremental pay grades for a role, so there is no automatic move up after a certain amount of time.
Also you might find there could be several people doing the same role but getting varying salaries for the same work as there is more room for negotiation when accepting a private position.
There is generally less of the 'biding your team' mentality that I've experienced in the public sector, people seem to stay in a role for less time as they move on/up to improve salary. There is also the more real possibility of under performing and being penalised for this.
There is also unlikely to be any union representation to lobby for pay/conditions etc.
sickness, holiday time and working out of hours are viewed differently as well.

I don't have a negative experience of either side, they are both quite different. Though there are many companies which have quite a public sector mindset too.

Hope that answers your questions, trying to think of generally applicable things but feel free to ask any more Qs

As for benefits, yes usually get extra holiday after x years of service, most offer childcare vouchers, pension (though contributions vary hugely and won't be as good as a public one so may need to pay more in yourself), also you may get corporate discounts on gyms, free or cheap private medical insurance and discounted retail vouchers

It depends on the company. If it is a large brand name then they are more likely to have a pay scale and pay structure which would be made clear to you by HR. A smaller privately owned company may not however and you also probably would not get a private pension, health, etc.
Pay reviews are often performance based rather than an annual reward basis and are dependent on how the company is performing as well as yourself. Bonuses can also be few and far between but again that depends on performance.

So if you are looking for something similar to the public sector think large brand name companies rather than privatley owned limited companies.

Thanks for this. There are 1400 employees, so not one man and his dog but not WH Smiths either. And it would be managing staff who have targets, which I've never done before, although I can do the rest of the role.

something to mull over then.

Absolutely impossible to generalise, as the private sector is so varied.

Some have increased holiday after x years' service, some don't.
Some are heavily unionised, some have no union presence at all, and some are in between.
Some have pay scales, some don't.
Some offer bonuses, some don't.
Some have pay increases, but that usually depends largely on performance/economic climate. I've not personally come across a private sector organisation where you get a pay rise just purely for being there another year.

Either way, I wouldn't base a decision on whether to apply for a job (or take it if it's offered) on any of those things.

Like the others have said it just depends on the company.

Times are tough at the moment and I don't personally think that private companies are a good place to be. DH works for a decent company but hasn't had a pay rise since 2007. His company benefits are also rubbish.

It very much feels like the people who do the best in private companies are the ones to shout the loudest. I'm actually looking to get into public sector as it's more transparent in terms of payscales, benefits, pensions, etc.