Seen a job that I love the look of (NHS) but I'm 32/40

[Ohfourfoxache]

I'm in a very, very niche area of the NHS (not clinical but highly specialised).

Currently work in the middle of London, was off with pregnancy sickness until the end of October and since then I've been working from home PT.

The plan was to keep an eye open whilst on ML to see if I could find anything closer (commute is up to 5/6 hours of travelling per day).

I've just been having a browse (as you do with pregnancy insomnia I suppose!) and have found a post that would be absolutely perfect. I mean, it's interesting, it's back in an acute Trust, it has the potential to be a wonderfully meaty, involved role.

I was planning on starting ML as late as possible (end of February, due 11 March).

So what are your thoughts? Would it be worth applying or, at 32 weeks, am I just going to be laughed at? Feeling pretty fragile ATM, not least because I'm finding it difficult to get out of the house/meet people and my confidence is pretty shot. I don't really want to pursue something that is going to set me back further iyswim.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated!

I'm not sure the timing is exactly right to be honest, because realistically by the time interviews and everything are over (I'm sure you know how long it takes to get jobs sorted in the NHS) you'll almost ready to start maternity leave and I expect they need the job post filling as soon as possible.

But, there's absolutely no harm in trying, you might be surprised and depending on how experienced you are with interviews, it might help you in the future when you're ready to go back into work again. Just bare in mind that sometimes once you've applied and not got the job they sometimes block you from applying again in that trust for X amount of time.

Good luck with everything, especially your baby!

I work for the NHS. By the time the advert closes, shortlisting and interviewing takes place, and a new DBS check is done if needed, surely you wouldn't actually start until after you were on maternity leave?

Presumably they want the job filled, not immediately vacant for up to a year.

You're both right - the timing absolutely sucks. Even if it had come up in 3/4 months it would have been better than coming up now.

I think the only reason I'm even thinking about considering it is because, even though they have allegedly scheduled interviews for the end of January, I've applied for jobs before where interviews were delayed by up to 6 months. So if that were the case it would be (almost) perfect timing (I think I'd be prepared to reduce ML to a maximum of 9 months- quite frankly, as it stands, we can't afford for me to be off for longer).

I just so want to stay in the area that I work in (it's taken a bloody long time and hard work to get my qualifications under my belt - my previous Trust was less than supportive ) and it just looks, almost, too good to be true.

Could you ring and ask if they want immediate starts? or if they'd keep you on file (my trust do this, not sure if yours will)

I'm dying to know what field you're in very nosy

Don't forget you'll have nine months to look for jobs so try not to be too disheartened by it, depending on how niche your field is perhaps one or more could come up in this time?

Would this job be less travelling? And do you want to work full-time after baby arrives. If so, why not give it a go?

I'm NHS, a colleague switched boards, was at the new board a week then on ML. Can't win the lottery unless you buy your ticket.

PS Congratulations on your bump

it's very boring Grays - quality/serious incident management/root cause analysis touching on medico legal and patient experience - hardly sexy but I love it!

It is much, much closer to home (half hour drive tops) and in a Trust that is beginning to, erm, "emerge from the darkness" shall we say.

In an absolutely ideal world, I would love to work compressed hours (37.5 over 4 days would be perfect) but again that is another potential stumbling block.

Realistically it probably is dead in the water. But if it was you interviewing, would you mind taking a look at an application/bearing someone in mind for something in the future even though the timing is dreadful?

Thanks for the congrats as well btw!

Oh that actually sounds interesting! I'd love to see that from your point of view. I get it from the other side so it'd be interesting to see 'behind the scenes' so to speak.

I've only ever been in an interview a couple of times, and only as someone helping to facilitate questions really, but I think seeing you, so late in pregnancy, showing your enthusiasm would most definitely make me want to consider you for the future.

If they won't know that you're pregnant before you got to interview, it might annoy them if they feel you've wasted their time. If a subsequent job comes up, then it could count against you at a later date.

The other thing worth looking into is whether it would impact on your mat pay - I don't know whether the full NHS entitlement continues when changing trusts as they are technically different employers.

It's so rubbish when the right job comes up at the wrong time - I've seen a lovely band 6 job local to me (currently a band 5) and I'm just a couple of months short on the required experience.

I say complete the form & take it from there.

I'm 5 months into a year of maternity leave, went for a pn internal P/t role a grade higher, had the interview last wk & was offered the job this wk. they are temporarily filling the role until my leave is up - you can't be discriminated against when on m/l.

Or are different trusts considered different employers?
Even so you might end up on a waiting list??

Different trusts are not different employers for mat leave purposes, apart from that you would claim MA rather than SMP (same amount of money though). I changed NHS trusts while pregnant and I still got the same 8 weeks full pay, 18 weeks half pay plus SMP/MA, etc.

Go for it. If it's that niche then you might actually be rare enough to wait for.

I once worked with someone who was offered a post during maternity leave. The job was held open until she started nine months later.

You've got to be in it to win it!

Apply - when I did my recruitment training they were very clear that the person who interviews best on the day and scores the most will get the job. Obviously some managers would get around that by scoring lower if they didn't want you... But you might blow them away and they'd be happy to wait!

Interviews at end of Jan mean they wouldn't be expecting you to start until at least April. How long were you taking off ML? Would you consider shortening it to 6 months? Or part time for a while from 6 months?

Spartak - still apply unless the experience time frame is an absolute. I was surprised that those 'essential' criteria are scored and not actually essential. If you meet everything else they will overlook a few months missing experience

Good luck both of you!

Congratulations. Definitely go for it.

Apply - just think if they are unable to appoint after the first round of interviews they'd have to go out to advert again and it'd be months before anyone started. Same as if they appoint you and you start after ML

They can't discriminate against you for being pregnant.

We recruited someone a couple of years ago who went on mat leave before starting with us. She only took six months as a compromise but that was her choice.

Was also a specialist, non-clinical NHS post, up in Scotland. So it's not common but it does happen.

Finally. Do apply. Even if you get an interview and don't get it, or decide against taking the job if you're offered it, you've made the contact. You don't know when they'll be recruiting in future and it may stand you in good stead for that.

All the best.

I doubt they'd discriminate, but obviously if it needs filling she simply isn't suitable at this time because of time constraints, she most definitely will be on maternity leave by the time everything is completed.

That said, like I said she should 100% go for it. Like Japan says that contact is made and if you impress them in the future they'll remember you