WWYD? Am I mad to be considering applying for job?!

[JanFeb]

I really need help in deciding what to do!!!

I have 3.5 months left of mat leave in a job I've been in for 4 years. It's fairly easy but involves managing a team who are 50% great and 50% rubbish and cannot be changed as ingrained work culture/no support from higher ups. It involves relatively long days until 6.30pm, 2 weekends a month working but get a week day off every week which will be helpful to save nursery costs.

I've been thinking about changing careers for a while, and have seen a job being advertised internally that would give me a chance to learn some basic skills in said new career which i currently don't have. It also requires experience which i do have loads in. I'd get to stay in current company and retain my employee benefits. However it is a circca 2k pay drop, cutting maternity leave shorter and mon to fri but shorter hours, finishing at about 4.30pm/5pm.

Which would you choose? Both FT.

A - Easy job i could do without much effort on return from mat leave.
Some difficult emotionally stressful aspects relating to disillusioned staff.
8.30 - 6/6.30pm days, 2 Saturday's a week to work, 1 weekday off every week (so reducing childcare fees)
No progression possible.
Very boring job but some nice people i work with.
No working from home.
10/15 mins commute
Full Mat leave
Very flexible overall and i wouldn't worry about taking time off for sick child tbh as my manager would just have to deal with it like i have to when my staff need short notice time off. DH would try to share DC sickness but works 2 hours away 3 days a week so couldn't help on those days.

B - Monday to Friday prob 8-4 or 9-5, perhaps further flexibility too depending on core hours covered.
Potential to sometimes wfh, job add says hybrid working, but not sure how often that would actually be the case.
10/15 mins commute.
Potentially disillusioned staff to manage or they could be great - no idea.
New systems to learn which will help get me a foot in door to a new career that long term could pay very well.
2k pay drop for new job.
Extra day nursery fees to pay.
Concerned about learning a brand new role whilst juggling working FT and baby.
Would have to cut mat leave short and return when baby was 8 months.
Job potentially is very boring but I'd learn what i could asap so i could progress or leave for a new company.
Same company, so know they try to be flexible, but don't know how understanding my new boss would be.
Jobs that need my old skills plus give me new skills in career change career don't come up often.

Arghhh can't decide if better the devil you know or if i should take a chance that long term could pay off?

i was told this when I applied for a job then retracted and regretted retracting the application as I’m very good at talking myself out of things.

let the panel decide if it’s a Yes or a No

if it’s a yes then you decide if you want to take the job for the reasons you’ve given above

Thankyou, it's so hard to decide isn't it!
I just hate how much prep time job applications take and trying to decide if it's worth the effort of applying 😄

What have you got to lose by applying?

2k pay drop for new job.
Extra day nursery fees to pay.

Can you afford this?

If yes, then I’d consider this one of the most important points in your list:

Jobs that need my old skills plus give me new skills in career change career don't come up often.

Going back from maternity leave I would go for the least hours. At least for now, there's still time to retrain.

2k a year less us "only" about £100 a month. I mean I know £100 is significant eg a whole weeks food for me but it's not an insurmountable difference for someone with a steady salaried income.

Ah an extra day nursery could she that much tighter though. I missed that.

Has your DH considered a flexible working request to work e.g. compressed hours or a 4-day week or more WFH? This could help mitigate the childcare aspect of an extra day.

If you've done the maths and the longterm gain is worth it as well, then of course you should apply. Don't second guess yourself when looking at career progression opportunities.

Why do you have start immediately? I’m sure some of the others applying would have to give notice to their employers.

I would stick at Job A and negotiate around the areas you don’t like. £2k drop is going to look odd on ur CV.

If it’s in the same company are they sure your pay would drop? In a lot of companies you can apply for internal posts on maternity leave and start on your usual return date. Confirm those details first before you apply.

I've never seen anyone put their wage on their CV!

Who would pick up your baby on your 6.30pm days? No nursery in our entire town opens until that late. Would DH be able to help on those days?

I even tried childminders for late finishes which they just don't do here. It may be different where you live.

Go for it.

Better progression long term
if you can afford it better to get the financial person out of the way
sounds much more childcare /school friendly overall
sounds like you could go back to your old job or similar if it doesn’t work out

I'd say go for the new role you never know they may offer more than stated. Take a chance.

I applied for a job recently that was less than I am on, I thought why not I'll try and budget. The perks and prospects are better. Went for the interview, got offered the job at £500 less than I asked for. They obviously liked me enough to up the salary. I start in a couple of weeks.