Leave the NHS for more money but fewer benefits.

[Itsaplanejane]

I'm currently top band 7 so on 50k a year.
I have been offered a job in the charity sector on 70k a year

I have over 10 years service with the NHS so 33 days AL a year plus bank holidays. I don't work unsociable hours. My manager is incredibly supportive and I have a fantastic flexible working set up that means we have been able to reduce our childcare needs considerably as I can still pick up and drop off my little one from school. I do love my job but it does definitely get frustrating at times like any job in the private sector with all the politics and the chronic underfunding of the NHS to contend with.
My manager is lovely and supportive and so are the team I work with for the most part.
I can apply for a band 8a but I'm very reluctant too because the pay difference will be neglige for 5 years with how Agenda for Change works so all that extra responsibility for nothing.
I pay a fortune into my pension each month but the hope of course then that I will have a good pension when the time comes. DH is self employed and has a pension but will be peanuts compared to mine so this is important to me.

I had an interview for an equivalent job in the charity sector. They don't come up often at all and I sent in an application on a bit of a whim. I've been offered the job.
The job is based in London but I'd only need to be in the office 2 days a week, work from home the rest. The commute to the office would be 2 hours so I'd need to arrange getting my kid to and from school through other means. DH might be able to adjust his work so he can do this. They have said they're happy for me to do pick ups and drops off around work the days I work from home.
I would have 27 days annual leave plus bank holiday.
Sick pay is statutory rather than the 6 months full pay, 6 months half I currently have with the NHS.
I'd pay a lot less into my pension so my take home would be even higher but obviously my pension would not be as good so I'd need to ensure I set up a private pension as well.

I've also never not worked in the NHS and that worries me to be honest. The odds of redundancy are extremely slim in my current role but if it did happen I'd have a years salary pay out and could very easily get another job as my background is clinical nursing so getting another job would not be a problem. That is of course true if I took this job, if it doesn't work out I could easily return to the NHS but I'd have lost all the benefits of having over 10 years service and would need to start all over again.

Is it worth it for the extra money? It seems like so much money but once I pay for commuting costs, potentially some wrap around childcare, pension how much realistically will be left over. Plus I really do love my current job.

I'm really not sure. They've given me the weekend to decide. Please help!

Congratulations on being offered the post.

It sounds like the main benefit to you is money. You need to do your sums. Look carefully at the pension, not just what you pay in but also what the NHS as your employer pays in. How much will you need to pay into a pension to match this.

Also, what are the learning and development opportunities in both posts?

Would being in a new role be exciting? Something must have pushed you to apply. Is there anything you can change in your current role that would make it more interesting to you?

Weigh up pros and cons and take it from there.

I am in a similar position to you, worked in the NHS since 2007, could earn more in another sector.
In my view as a single parent, the flexible working arrangements I have make it worthwhile to stay as its brilliant where i am and you rarely get the level of flexible working in my profession in the private sector.
it's other things such as sick pay, carers pay, redundancy pay, pension as well. The 2015 pension scheme is by no means what it was but still much better than plenty of private companies.
Again sick pay... 6 months full pay, 6 months half plus SSP for long term sick.. you might never need it but you know its there.
The redundancy pay arrangements are much better
And overall rights for workers are protected more in the nhs by strong union power and influence, staff rights are protected in excess of legal minimum

My DH has worked for the NHS for 27 years, he is able to take part of his pension which is great, however he did say he’s not sure whether he would stick with the NHS if he was starting again. 🤷‍♀️

Thank you.
My sums are:
Currently I take home £2850 after Tex and pension etc.
From my research £70k after tax and their pension etc. would be £3800
I'd lose child benefit so that about £100 down
Commuting costs for 2 days a week about £150 a month down
Potential wrap around care probably £150 down again (though we might not need this)
Paying extra into a pension I think I would need to put aside an extra £300 though I'm still working on the maths with this one so this is a very rough guestimate.

So even with all that I'm still £250 a month up which is so much money!

But I do worry about giving up my 10 years service with the NHS.

I applied be because it did look like a really exciting role and they really don't come up that often. I work in patient safety and safeguarding so the equivalent outside the NHS is so rare at a higher salary. The jobs I have seen before have always been paid a lot less than I am (education sector normally).
I am excited by a new challenge but worried that it's such an unfamiliar sector to me and it's not like I dislike my current role.

On £70k you’d be bringing home about £4k per month (assuming you live in England, 5% pension contributions and no student loan). How does that compare to what you take home now?

How much would travel to London cost per month?

How much less would be going into your pension per year?

How much extra buffer would you need in savings to make up for no sick pay? Or, how much would income protection cost?

Is the commute two hours round trip or two hours each way. Given the current state of trains I'm not sure I would leave a flexible job for only £250 more, especially if it's two hours each way.

I think you need to consider chances of progression and how set in stone hybrid working is before you make the change. I'd also try and negotiate an increase in salary.

Hmm that's a lot of change for just 250 quid a month. Plus if you were sick that would also need to come off the 250.

Is the commute 2 hours each way? Or 2 hours round trip? If 2 hours each way that would get quite tiring.

Plus you state a few times that you enjoy your current role and have a great manager and team. That's worth a hell of a lot because most places of work have at least one arsehole. Personally I wouldn't risk what you've got for 250 quid - I don't think it's enough to compensate for the disruption. Could you pick up extra shifts in your current role equivalent to the commute time and loss of holidays? Because your time has a value.

It would be 2 hours each way yes. But only 2 days a week.

See I'm terrible at negotiating! You don't negotiate in the NHS, that's not how it works and I've never not worked for the NHS, I wouldn't know how to at all.

A valid point, thank you.

I can't work overtime in my current role as it's a Mon-Fri role and I'm already full time.
I can pick up extra bank shifts in my previous role from time to time if I want to but generally I don't.

I think really, I'm excited by the idea of more money as there really is only and 8a I can go into from here in the NHS and I'm so reluctant to do that as they won't actually pay me anymore money to do it for 5 years so I sort of feel trapped where I am unless I suck it up and just go for the 8a anyway.

I think it is likely that you are severely underestimating how much you'd need to put into a private pension to match the outcomes (not inputs) and should look into this aspect a lot more.

Other things to maybe consider;

• is there any scope for negotiation on the holidays.
• ditto on the other terms (but holidays is often an easier negotiation than actual cash outlay)
• if the job is successful would a move be on the cards to be nearer? Personally I just would not do a 2-hour each way commute at all.

A 2 hour each way commute? You'd spend 8 hours per week commuting for £250? From what you have said the move makes no financial sense .

I've worked for a couple of charities in senior roles.
One was lovely but pension and sick pay etc were appallingly bad.

One was a well known national charity with the biggest bullying culture ever. It was an awful place to work. Pension was very basic. Most of the senior leaders were extremely unpleasant.

If you are happy, with a great pension, be very wary of what's out there. Charities do not attract charitable people in my opinion.

250 pound a month is a lot if u r struggling for money, but as u r not, I would argue it's not that much for all the upheaval considering u like ur current job and the security it provides

Don't forget you can be out of the NHS for quite a while before you loose the extras. It used to be less than two years and you would go back as if you'd never been away. I was out for 4 but my new trust still honoured the extra holiday I earned in the past. Have a proper look at your trust policy/ talk to your manager.

Could the 8a be a stepping stone to higher bands on more of a jump in pay? I don't know how the bandings and pay structures work in the NHS so don't know if there's a limit on how far you can progress or how long it takes.

Is the funding for the charity role secure? Sorry if I sound negative, itself just that I work for a charity and it's without doubt the worst job I've ever had! I appreciate not all charities are the same but mine has incredibly high staff turnover, a fair few "characters", ie aggressive bullies, no money (although I guess you're used to that), massive workload, and I also have a long commute which is incredibly draining.

This is also my experience of working for a charity.

I'm in an NHS Band 7 role too OP although not as experienced as you. My 10 years is next year and I can't wait for the added AL I think it makes it so hard to leave, especially when you have children and holiday childcare to sort.

I don't think I'd take this new job if it were me. Mainly because you enjoy your current role. But only you know what £250 a month means to you!

Also, just as a side note, I always thought there was no salary negotiation in the NHS too I've always just taken what they offered but other colleagues have negotiated! If you were offered an 8a you could argue for the mid band as the bottom one wouldn't really be a pay rise.

All the best for your decision!

I work in the NHS in a lower paid role. Everything seems to be falling apart around me and I want out as nothing feels safe anymore. However after twenty years service I completely understand how hard this is when we get the decent benefits we do.

The fact you are happy and settled in your current position would make me think it’s alot of change for probably not that much more money in the end. Yes £250 is still a decent amount of money but is it worth the upheaval?

Four hours commuting, two days a week and you have DCs? That would be a no from me

And mine

The benefits are non existent and I haven’t had a pay rise for 3 years.

Factor in some insurance to cover you if you are off sick too.

Thank you everyone, that's really helpful.

I suppose I wasn't too worried about the commuting as it's only 2 days a week but I suppose actually doing it will feel very different to just thinking about doing it

I wouldn't spend 4 hours commuting 2 days a week for an extra 250 quid a month.

thats an awful commute for two days a week. It’s not worth it.

Close friend of mine worked at a well known charity. There was endless conflict between paid staff and volunteers which made introducing new ideas very difficult. Long term volunteers often had fixed ideas about what they wanted to do and weren't interested in changing anything about their posts, plus obviously they could just not turn up without warning.

Lots of examples of people getting posts because of who they knew rather than suitability for the role.

She left, very disillusioned about the sector, after just over a year. The shortest time she'd ever worked for anyone.