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Original poster

How flexible have you found the civil service?

84 replies

Summertime10 · 27/01/2023 18:14

Hi everyone, I'm looking to join the civil service from teaching.
I have children so was wondering how family friendly and flexible you've found it to be please?
I understand there'll be departmental differences but I was just trying to get an overview before I commit to joining it.

It's an EO position I've been offered.

Thanks

OP posts:
Ilikewinter · 27/01/2023 18:19

I think it will massively depend on the department youre joining. Im not in a customer facing, but I still have to work core hours of 10.30-2.30 but we can be flexible on start/finish time. We can also build up flexi leave. Some of my colleagues are at uni and they swap their working days and contracted hours quite often...so I would say my department is quite flexible.

Ilikewinter · 27/01/2023 18:22

Oh and I forgot the best bit 🙈 .... only 2 office days!

abookandabrew · 27/01/2023 18:25

I’m ten years in and have all the flexibility I could ever need. I work entirely from home (will start doing a couple of days in the office a month shortly though), fit school runs into my day, everything I could need.

and before anyone comes along saying I’m taking the piss I’m a parent carer to a child whose disabilities became apparent during covid so I’ve been stuck in that since. They’ve been extremely accommodating.

Hidingawaytoday · 27/01/2023 18:33

As pp's said, it's very flexible. I work 4 days a week (part time - not compressed hours) and do 2 days at home and 2 in the office. The two office days are shorter than my wfh days so I can get home to put dd to bed. It's also easy to take the day off if she's ill or something. I know some colleagues finish early then work a bit more in the evening. You get flexitime too.

I think most departments now say they want you in the office 40% of the time (mine certainly does) - but will make exceptions for reasons such as pp's (who is absolutely not taking the piss)

DisplayPurposesOnly · 27/01/2023 18:36

Those departmental differences can be huge. (And sometimes huge with a department!)

You need to say which department, if you can bear to reveal that much, to get meaningful answers.

NashvilleQueen · 27/01/2023 18:38

It very much depends on your department but the majority are very flexible.

user8545 · 27/01/2023 18:53

I'd imagine most roles will be worlds apart from teaching in terms of flexibility. I've been in a couple of roles and have had complete flexibility, clock in and out when I want, no core hours, I can work in the evening and have it added to my flex. I WFH 4 days a week, have to show my face once a week but isn't a drama if I skip a week, and I don't always do a full day.

Not customer facing or operational though which will likely have more constraints.

riotlady · 27/01/2023 18:54

Very! Work part time, 2 days from home, 1 in the office. Have flexi time and very easy to take a flexi day or annual leave when I want. I know a few people who work term time only too

user8545 · 27/01/2023 18:54

*obviously need to work my hours overall, but when I want to. Obviously don't take the piss though and make sure I have good availability for meetings.

GroggyLegs · 27/01/2023 19:02

I've been officially offered a civil service role today - this thread is so reassuring!

They've been amazingly accomodating so far. All felt a bit too good to be true...

Ilikewinter · 27/01/2023 19:04

@GroggyLegs congratulations!

UnicorseTime · 27/01/2023 19:07

Wow what sort of work do these roles actually involve. (Ex teacher here...)

itswednesdayy · 27/01/2023 19:15

It’s hard to say as I work full time, I’ve never had to struggle to get time off but I do think favouritism is at play sometimes.

One of my colleagues has a disabled child and has had a rollercoaster of management approaches. Some let her WFH or give special leave, some think she needs attendance management procedures. She was literally pulled up in a meeting with her G7 & G6…as an EO.

but overall parents do tend to get time off when they need it, late starts or early finishes etc. maternity & paternity leave seems decent enough.

GroggyLegs · 27/01/2023 19:17

Thank you @Ilikewinter 😊

Singleandproud · 27/01/2023 19:21

I've left teaching for the Environment Agency in the Flood and Coastal Erosion team which is Civil Servicesque.
I'm in an admin position but working with the field teams so get to go out and about too.

I'm on flexitime so can work anytime between 7am - 7pm and can take up to 2 additional days off a month on top of normal holidays if I do enough hours. I also work hybrid so do a few days in the office or on site and the others at home.

Speaking to people in grades higher than me, nobody is expected to work after their hours are done (unless during an incident), I find leaving my laptop off in the evening tricky especially when I know I have work to do but my manager told me the work would still be there in the morning and not to worry about it.

I took a paycut but I don't regret it, there is a huge amount of internal movement, upwards, sideways and 'try before you buy' secondments and I'm sure I'll be back to my old salary in a few years.

munchbunch12 · 27/01/2023 19:39

I'm in the CS and am both part time and term time. In my department we don't have core hours as such, but are meant to be in the office 60% of the time. They are quite flexible with that though, for example, they're relaxing the 60% rule next week when there are train strikes and lots of us would have problems getting in.

There are lots of internal opportunities for progression too, if you want to move up the ladder.

AnotherPigeon · 27/01/2023 19:45

@munchbunch12 can I ask if you joined as term time only or did you switch after already working there for a while?

ZebraKid71 · 27/01/2023 19:47

Depends on the department but in my experience, very! I work part time (have changed the number of hours I work 3 times in the past 5 years to suit my life at the time.) It is up to me whether I work from home or the office (I do a mix but only actually required to be in office once a month). Two days a week I only work 5 hours and can do them at any point between 7am and 7pm (I generally stick to mornings but have flexibility if needs be). I often log off for a few hours to do the school run then log on again after tea when kids are settled. It works so well if you have kids. There is the option of working term time to fit in with school hours but i tend to condense my hours into 2.5 days over the summer. I'm SEO but the above applies to everyone in our until whatever grade they are.

munchbunch12 · 27/01/2023 20:00

AnotherPigeon · 27/01/2023 19:45

@munchbunch12 can I ask if you joined as term time only or did you switch after already working there for a while?

I went term time after I'd been there a while, I'm not sure if you can be term time from the start or not. I know people who've been part time since they started but don't know anyone who's been TT since the start. I've just been looking at some externally advertised jobs in my department and it says they are 'Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time' so it may be possible. They call TT working 'part year' and for some staff their part year arrangement just means they have all August off and use their leave or flexi, work from home and use childcare during the rest of the holidays, whereas for others their part year arrangement is all 13 weeks of the school hols.

Noonoo12344 · 27/01/2023 20:04

I work for the civil service at EO level. All of the teams I have worked for have been VERY flexible. I work 4 days a week and as long as I manage to get my hours in at some point and don't take the piss, then they are excellent.

I know this sounds a bit extreme but it really is life changing. You can go to any appointments you need, you can take a long lunch if you want to. I work with people who go off and play sports or running etc and they come back after it, take a shower and carry on working.

You can get 6 months full pay if you are sick. The holidays are great. I have been able to get a couple of weeks off over Xmas ever since I started. Nice canteen downstairs with coffee on tap.

It's just all round amazing.

itswednesdayy · 27/01/2023 20:06

@Noonoo12344 what role is this? I used to be an EO at DWP and none of that would apply for operations unfortunately

Noonoo12344 · 27/01/2023 20:08

Forgot to say that I have 2 young children and if I need to leave at 3 to collect them then it is no problem at all.

I would say the only teams I know of that are not as flexible are if you work for private office or occasionally in policy as they get urgent Ministers questions, speeches etc. Having said that, I work in policy at the same level as you will be and I've never had any issues.

Noonoo12344 · 27/01/2023 20:11

@itswednesdayy I have worked in a couple of Policy roles and a Facilities role.

Perhaps I have just been lucky with it?

VitaminEZ · 27/01/2023 20:17

I joined the civil service because of the flexibility and it was fantastic while my children were young. Yes, it was a lot less pay but the flexibility made up for it.

However, that flexibility is now getting eroded. And pay is dire.

Examples being even though for the last 20 years I’ve been able to work from home whenever I needed to, I’m not allowed now. I have to go into the office 2 days a week. Unfortunately they shut my local office so that’s a 90 minute commute each way. Our department is also looking at a pay deal where we get more pay but lose some of the other benefits. For example, less annual leave. Then there is the recruitment ban, I’ve been at my grade for 10 years and there is no chance of promotion in my area. And despite doing the role for that amount of time, my pay is the same as a new starter would be.

Have a look at why civil servants are striking and decide whether the flexibility for you is worth it

pumpkin12 · 27/01/2023 20:20

I worked as an EO for DWP for almost 20 years, there was flexibility in regards to working PT hours however not flexible around school days and school holiday requirements. The core hours were 9.30-3.30 however there was a rota for late cover each week no TT. I worked PT but in the end to cover school holidays between my and husbands annual leave we would never have had time off as a family which was a priority to us. I actually left to work in early years education to get TT hours.