Would you take the job?

[lilichi]

Interested in opinions because I can't decide what to do! I'll try and sum up the situation.

Current job:

• Have been there a long time so it is familiar and not particularly stressful work. I don't find the actual job enjoyable but it's not horrific either. It is a professional role.
• Because I've been there so long I probably have built up a decent bit of "good will" to allow flexibility eg if my 1yo was ill.
• Working in the office
• Love my colleagues but the main boss is awful and has been a prize twat during and after my mat leave. This is the main reason I've looked elsewhere.
• Would have to repay my enhanced mat pay if I left before the end of 2023.

Potential new job:

• Same days as current job but 9-5.30 instead of 9-5, with a longer lunch break and WFH
• Would be a side step into a different type of work. I think I would like to move out of practice and into this area (but of course I don't know if I'd actually enjoy it!)
• Better salary but slightly less annual leave/mat pay etc.
• They seem to be flexible/understanding of working parents, but I don't know if that is the case in reality. The job was advertised as 4 days pw but they've agreed to go down to 3 and have accommodated the working days I asked for.

WWYD? I feel like I probably do need to get out of my current workplace and make a change, but I'm worried about biting off more than I can chew taking on a new job when I have a 1yo (that isn't a good sleeper), or just generally regretting it. Plus giving twat boss all that money back would sicken me 😂

DH thinks I should go for it, mum thinks maybe wait til LO is older. Wisdom welcome!

Make the change!

What's your long term goal here?

I think the second job sounds good, and sometimes you have to give yourself a push to move out of your comfort zone etc or you get stuck, and the timing is never ideal! On ly thing might be to consider if you're planning a second child, whether you need to be there for a certain amount of time before you get the full mat pay. In our company that would only be 6 months I think, but worth checking depending on your plans. Also how long will it take to 'recover' the money you have to pay back through having the higher salary?

I would go for it unless a similar opportunity is guaranteed to present itself when DD is older.

DH thinks I should go for it, mum thinks maybe wait til LO is older. Wisdom welcome!

Swings and roundabouts, but the twat of a manager would point me to the new job. Does DM know how soul destroying it is to work for someone like that, let alone for a few more years?

@swanling Long term I think I'd like to move into this direction (think training people to do my profession rather than practising it myself), but of course, I've no idea if I'll enjoy the reality of it.

In that case it seems to make sense to take the opportunity.

Financially does it work once you factor in repaying the mat pay?

Let's say the new job turns out not to be for you and you don't enjoy the training side. How difficult would it be to move back into a practice role?

As long as you're not walking yourself into a dead end, why not take the opportunity.

@MrsDanversGlidesAgain yes my mum is completely supportive either way, she's actually offered to lend me the money to repay the mat pay if I want out (couldn't afford it otherwise). I think as a working mum herself she knows the juggle with a small child and just doesn't want me to end up stressed trying to prove myself in a new job whilst juggling a toddler.

DH is also supportive either way (and definitely does his fair share with our LO, will take turns to be off work if DS is sick etc), but he has seen me very upset over twat boss' behaviour lately, so he leans more towards taking the jump.

@swanling I live in quite a small city so not endless opportunities, but I think I'd find another practice role if I had to. I don't think I'd want to practice anywhere other than my current place though, I think if I leave I'd want to do something different.

In terms of money, new job is £40k FTE, current is £35k FTE. Not 100% sure how much I'd owe in mat pay but would be no more than about £7k.

In terms of mat pay for another baby, we would like to start trying for another in probably about 18 months. New job mat pay isn't as good as current job, but it's not terrible.

How do you want to work in the future? From home or office or a mix? Wfh appears to be disappearing- so if you want that, then now may be the time to grab it, so you have historical evidence that it is your work normal situation?

@Alphabet1spaghetti2 WFH permanently is the only option for new job. In an ideal world I'd probably choose to have a mixture, I think WFH would have its perks (it would be nice to have my lunch break with my son some days when he's at home with DH), but I worry I might miss the social element of seeing colleagues in person.

So would this be your first time working in a fully remote role long term? Whilst also learning a new role / set of skills?

Embedding into a new organisation remotely without ever meeting anyone in person is tough, even before trying to learn a new type of job and working remotely permanently. That's a tall order.

A fully remote role is a very different beast to hybrid in terms of training, culture, relationship building and your own wellbeing. It takes a particular person with particular skills if you want to avoid becoming very isolated and demoralised.

I'm less sold on the move the more detail you add.

How much of this is a reaction to a manager annoying you? (Has the manager been there as long as you?)

How likely is it that you could pursue a role like this in a few years instead?

@swanling I WFH for the duration of my pregnancy but other than that it's been office based. I do worry about feeling isolated. The nature of the job is mostly Teams meetings, so I'd be speaking to people a lot, but not in the usual making office colleague friends kind of way if that makes sense.

Boss has been there the whole time I've worked there. He has always been an arse but appears to have peaked lately (things like arguments over accruing AL whilst on mat leave, "forgetting" to pay my KIT days etc). His behaviour plus my line manager being rubbish at managing has pushed me to look elsewhere.

Before ML I found the job very stressful and hated it. Since going back, the workload has significantly reduced and I'm finding the actual job more tolerable. I may feel differently if the workload picks up again though.

Bumping for the morning crowd opinions!

Hello, I wild say go go for it. I am four months into a new duly remote role - also a sideways move with slightly more money (£2k more) but fully remote. The previous role was hybrid. It's been hard being indicted as a remote employee. The team meet once a quarter, so I met them over Christmas, which was nice. The rest of the time has been via Teams meetings. In some ways, it is good - more time for the gym and house bits but I really miss the water cooler chats and laughs you need at work to get you through the day. I'm looking at co-working spaces, so that might help you? It is pretty lonely though, hence Mumsnet surfing! Haha. I would say make the change, it sounds like you have reached the end of your time with your current employer and you mate well thrive in the new role once the first few months are out of the way and you're in a new routine.

@franksauce great to hear from someone who has made a similar move! Have you found it more difficult to learn the new processes etc for your role, being fully remote?

I honestly change my mind on going or staying about 5 times a day and I'm really going to have to make my mind up soon 😫 I'm waiting to hear if they are happy for me to continue doing some consultancy work on the side a couple of times a year (which I already do), which is buying me a little bit more time.

I kind of hope that because it's only 3 days a week that might lessen the WFH isolation feeling, if I try and make an effort to get out and see people with my son on non-working days?

Hi, I definitely found it harder. It would be cray not to find it harder. That said, I do think I made the right decision. I miss out on the 'how was your weekend/ohhh I love your shoes!/birthday snacks in the office - all that soft stuff, I loved. I know some people hate it but I used to love relationship building with people outside of my team and you can't do that working fully remotely. I work a compressed week and have a day off in the week with grand plans for seeing more of friends and family but normally I end up doing housework - or logging on!!! I worry I am missing stuff, but I'm trying to stop doing that. Hopefully as you have two days off you can make proper plans to meet people.

@franksauce thank you so much for replying!

I'm the same, I do like all that chat etc with colleagues and I'd really miss them, some of them I consider some of my closest friends now. But then I think, I had 13 months off on maternity leave and they're still my friends without having seen them at work for all that time, so why wouldn't they be if I left?!

I think I'm probably a bit scared to leave my comfort zone in case I regret leaving. MN may be swaying me to go for it, eek! 🙈

Ahh I know what you mean. I have moved jobs a lot and still keep in touch with mates from various places. You will be fine! Just accept the first few months are rubbish what with not being able to pop over to someone's desk quickly with a question (so many teams meetings!!) and once you're settled in, it will be brilliant. Look at the long term picture.