Which job would you choose?

[IceniSky]

Job 1
Long service with company (18 years)
Some WFH 2 - 3 days a week but potentially may change with new ISLT
Learning oppurtunities
£3k more
Death in Service
Private sector
Massive workload, lots of constant change and reorgs, managing people.
Operational so lots of change in priorities at last minute. Having to work out of hours if incidents.
Male dominated, lots of ego, people wanting to be in control. Micro managers.
Feelings of being fedup and no longer connected.
Know organisation.
Friends and allies retired, left or off with stress.

Job 2
Civil service non ministerial.
WFH and site visits 2-4 hours 1 or 2 times a week.
Control own schedule. Not operational more advisory. Same sector.
£3K less. No death in Service.
No staff to manage. New team to shape. Don't know organisation.

I'm early 40s and wasn't planning on change but am waiting on 2nd interview . No idea how I found myself here. Kinda happened. 1 primary age child.

Me? Option 2
Although £3k annual immaterial to me. If it represents a sizeable chunk of your income, then perhaps so

I think it depends (a) on whether you need that extra 3K and (b) where you want to go after this next job.

It sounds like there are lots of reasons to get out of your current firm, not least the fact you've been there for 18 years. I would wonder if you had become 'institutionalised' and would struggle to adapt to different working cultures, so even a short spell in Job 2 would be beneficial to demonstrate this. However, if you would want your next role to be more senior, i.e. managing people again, it would look weird that you left the current role to do one without those responsibilities.

All in all your current place sounds toxic, and I very much recognise the symptoms. If you can afford the difference in pay, I would opt for Job 2 but be keeping a weather eye on the job after that.

Your current career sounds a lot like my last career. I took a chance and left for a pay cut. Never looked back much happier now (I suspect we were in the same line of work)

Option 2 if it were me, sounds much less stress. I’d try and talk the salary up to what I’m on currently.

Option 2. £3k difference probably offset by travel cost/childcare/tax/other.
Easier to get ‘lost’ in the civil service when it comes to redundancies - or move to another department.
Insurance instead of death in service a possibility if you are that bothered.

£3k isnt that significant really. I do feel a pull to leave but I'm worried I'll regret it. But I can't see me managing to keep my cool every day where I am. I think I just need some beathing space from it and the people there.

Sounds like you’ve made a decision. Peace of mind, less stress, simpler working practices - all amount to more than the money difference.
Good luck.

I'm not overly fussed at becoming too senior or managing people either.

I was in a very similar position to you this time last year. I was working in the private sector and struggling with massive workload, unrealistic expectations and I felt very much like you - fed up, demoralised and disconnected and this was starting to impact on my conduct at work. I decided that I needed to leave before I said/did something that might have been career damaging. I moved into the public sector and took a significant pay cut (much more that £3K pa) and was worried about the impact of this on the family finances but I have never been happier and we are managing fine with only a few lifestyle changes. It was absolutely the right thing to do and if I was you I would go for job 2. As pp has said it sounds as if you have already made your decision so best of luck with your second interview.

I do feel a pull to leave but I'm worried I'll regret it.
I guess you could always go back if you wanted to? People do that all the time. I would imagine, however, the fear you're feeling is more just to do with the unknown. You've worked at one place basically most of your adult life? It really does sound like it's time for a change.

Think of a potential recession that is looming and so I would stay in your current role so that you have some employment rights and if you are made redundant then you get some money. Sorry for the depressing answer.

I think it is the working at the one place that scares me. But dispite being a high performer I can feel myself plumiting due to the culture and I don't even care! It really has changed significantly over the last couple of years.

Thanks for your inputs. Really helpful.

It's a sector where I feel it wont be massively impacted.

But that is a concern.

Given you're not worried about 'moving up the ladder' in normal times I'd say 2 without a backward glance

However, I'd think very carefully about any issues that Covid may have. Whether that's job stability OR pay outs if your job goes etc

18 years makes you harder & more expensive to 'lose' in any restructure

But it sounds like a shit environment to work in! So yeah, in normal times- 2

I moved to civil service in a similar scenario from medicine. It's fantastic for work life balance

Feelings of being fedup and no longer connected

Friends and Allies retired, left or off with stress

Those two sentences neatly sum up why I'd go for option 2.

Option 2. You'll more than likely get the £3k a year back in terms of pension anyway

Massive workload and constant change. Sounds like a total nightmare. I'd go for job 2.

So I've been working a little under 2 hours and I just want to stick my Vs up to the screen. The tone of emails from someone who is my equivalent and apparently wanting to achieve the same outcome is just too controlling and talking down to me.

Have a call today with number 2. Really hope it goes well.

Got offered the new job, just waiting on package details.

Good news!! Hope it’s everything and more than you want/need. Congratulations 🎊

I’d go for job 2

Icenisky.. what job was the second one? I like the idea of site visits a couple of times a week to brake up the week from a desk job.