Apply for job with much higher salary, or stick with values-aligned job?

[JobDilemmaEmma]

Hi all,

I’m currently in a public sector role which more or less aligns with my values, offers mostly remote working with 3 or 4 days a year on-site, and pays around £35000, so I know I’m very lucky to be earning an above average salary.

A job has come up in the private sector - it’s exactly what I do currently, but for a private company. The expectation is that employees are on-site either once a week or once a month, so I’d need to clarify that if I were to apply or get an interview. The salary range is £51000 - 68000, which seems absolute megabucks to me.

The job is still in education, which I currently work in, and doesn’t go against my values as such, but I feel like I’d be a bit of a sell-out to go for this role. At the same time, I know I’d never be able to make that salary in my public sector job.

What would you do? Apply for the private sector role and see what happens? Or stay put and be happy in a job that feels like a good personal/moral fit?

DH and I are wanting to TTC soon, and a new job for me would push that back by a year if I wanted to qualify for the maternity benefits. The benefits are the same as my current workplace (16 weeks full pay).

The commute if I did have to do it would be far easier (a direct train journey and a 5-minute walk to the office, rather than a 3-4 hour drive with no direct train routes).

I’d miss out on the scholarship I can do in my current role, but that’s a minimal part of what I do, really.

Go for it.

Values don't pay the bills. There is no harm in applying.

Based on what you've said and the step up in terms of salary I'd do it. You'll just need to think about, for the future, how you'd work around one day a week in the office for childcare.

I'd like to say stick with a job that aligns with ypur values but in reality, I'd honestly advise you to go for the one with more money. You can volunteer a few hours a week for a charity that aligns with your values. In this cost of living crisis, when you want children, you really need to think MONEY!

I wish I'd been advised to focus on money when I was younger. I could have got a job that paid well, saved lots and then gone for the nice job that aligns with my values once I had a house, children well provided for, a nice car and savings in the bank!

I'm also in the CS (Whitehall in a Policy post) so hopefully this helps.

The CS is a wonderful place to work. We have flexible working, a great L&D offer (you've got a scholarship!), WFH and generous pension (2.32% DB accrual). What isn't generous is the pay. However, leaving a £35k post for a £51k post is marginally better once you account for the pension differences. I estimate that I'd need 40% more in salary to account for loss of CS pension. That's just to breakeven.

The priority point you need to consider seriously is that you want to start a family soon. The major benefit to the CS is that you should get a generous maternity leave package that you may not get, or even qualify for, at your prospective new employer.

From your mention of your salary and policy area, I presume you're an HEO/SEO in the DfE? Do you have any restrictions on your scholarship if you exit early, internally or externally? That should also factor into your decision.

Personally, I'd apply for the next grade up rather than exit CS.

The public sector isn’t more noble than the private sector, that’s a myth the government tells its employees to explain the shit salaries. Having worked for both I would never return to the public sector.

And by the way the government uses private sector consultants all the time.

Private and negotiate hard. You'll get far more respect if people pay your worth.

Make sure you consider the value of your pension and other benefits in comparing salaries. To get the equivalent pension you might need to put away around 20% of your new salary.

I think the TTC plan is a huge factor in this decision and would suggest based on this that you might be better off staying in the public sector unless you plan to go back full time after DC. You risk losing a lot of flexibility for not actually that much more money (after pensions etc are taken into account). If this was a career focussed move, I'd go private but the TTC changes that.

I'd also stop making snippy comments that imply people working in the private sector seemingly have lower morals and values than you unless you're deliberately choosing to antagonise people with unfounded judgements.

If you're TTC I would stay in your current role. Unless you're in your twenties I wouldn't take the gamble and delay having a baby. No one knows when their biological clock will stop ticking.

Values don't mean much to me ha, but it has to be something that stimulates and interests me. I moved from one (public) organisation to another (still public) this year for a £15,0000 pay bump, and whilst it is the same in terms of values etc, I am bored to tears. I regret it. It's reaffirmed my belief that the private sector isn't for me (can't really do what I'm interested in outside the public sector)

So if the work itself was still interesting to you, hell yeah I'd sell my values for higher wages ha, but I won't make the mistake of selling out where my interests are concerned.

Depends how much you need the money ! I have just moved jobs from charity sector to a bigger corporation doing a similar role and I hate it and am thinking of going back to my old job. I'm kicking myself for chasing more money. I've gone from a lovely small supportive team to a faceless organization where no-one seems to care much about each other or the clients they are meant to be helping. I'm kicking myself really for not realizing how different it would be.

Go for it.

Why not? You might love it, you’ll earn a chunk more and pick up new skills.

Find out why the job is so incredibly well over paid? Poor to navigate systems, no annual leave allowed until months later, harsh terms not known until after starting, inconsistent working patterns etc.

Not quite the same but I’m in a job generally paid 5k more then if I left my front door to meet a real time employer but it’s what more is expected of you. Not convinced I’ll be there honestly at Christmas. I feel turned into a wreak 10 years of knowing I can speak to customers after 5 sorry weeks of this official ‘well it’s remote training’ (noo, that’s what got said to people in 2020 after this home working got foisted on them it is truly bizzare) I’m thinking - can I. It has got to the point I dread each new day.

Heard people’s view of privatisation of medical health scene which doesn’t help.

Get the cash!!!! You could save for mat leave.