Help! Offered new job and a promotion in current job.

[MalcolmTrucker]

Please help! Totally aware that this is a great problem to have and super grateful for it, but I’m an indecisive ditherer so I need some input!

Promotion is a PT secondment where I’d continue doing my current job for half the week. Busy university department (not academic, but work v closely with them), and small team. My current role is poorly defined and they chuck stuff at me because I’m capable and don’t say ‘no’ often enough. Manager is lovely but we work on a matrix system which can be tough and there’s only so much they can do in terms of workload. Secondment would allow me to use some of skills from my past life as an academic, which would be great. Also the chance to learn more about an area of thinking of eventually moving into. Would be working quite closely with one person in the team who I get on with and respect, but who can be quite high maintenance. I can imagine this person taking up a lot of my time. Main worry is ending up doing two full time jobs instead of an equal split.

New jobs pays the same as current role and is in a commercial setting. I’d like to gain some more experience outside of higher Ed, which is where I’ve pretty much always been. Small business, would probably stay for a couple of years and move on to look for something more senior in that line of work. Would allow me to use research skills on a daily basis and get some experience interacting with clients.

I have my reservations about both roles but can’t stay where I am. It’s not challenging enough and there’s no room for growth.

All wisdom and insight gratefully received!

Sounds like you want to try it. If so you'll regret letting it pass by.

I do want to, you’re right. I’m curious about the promotion but I can see it had potential to be a logistical nightmare.
I’m conscious I don’t have much experience outside of HE and now that I’ve left teaching, don’t see myself in a university environment forever. On a more superficial note, I’m intrigued by jobs that have clients and everything that goes with it. Would quite like to experience this!

You regret the chances you don't take more than the ones you take (or so they say).

It might be a nightmare it might not. It could be a great opportunity to expand your experience, do you want it?

Is staying as you are acsatisfying option for you?

The problem with internal promotions is that your old job follows you - and your secondment will have a formal link to your old job, so my question would be - will you have enough time to do the new role with a high maintenance colleague as well as all of your old job ?
Suggest you ask specific questions about which aspects of your current role you will be giving up completely and to whom.
second question - how long is the secondment ? Is it a maternity leave cover ? Anything else than a year would probably not be useful, unless you are planning to use the secondment as a launch pad for another job, within that year

Must admit I'm a clean break type of person - so I would be going for the commercial role, on the grounds the secondment includes your current role

Thanks all this is really useful.

Secondment is due to a colleague leaving and the post ending in June 23. Thinking is that recruitment will be slow and potentially not fill the post (we aren’t in a popular area to relocate to), so better to fill in house.

Its on my list to ask re what I take forward in current role and what I pass on, though who it’ll go to I don’t know. I agree @DPotter , the current role will certainly follow me. We are just such a small team and money is so tight organisation-wide that no one will be brought it in to backfill me.

I suppose also the new role is a sideways move, which is why the promotion seems tempting in some respects. But a clean break really is appealing.

Its a shame I can’t trial either for a bit and then decide!

Is the secondment with extra ££ ?

Unless it's mega £££££ I'd still go for the commercial role

Not a huge £ increase. Next grade up, pro rata Nothing that I can’t work towards quickly in the commercial role I guess. Thanks for your input @DPotter 🙂

Can you negotiate higher salary at new role? I would never move a secure role to a new sideways role with no salary increase, all risk and no reward for you - and if they are private sector they should be able to pay you more.