If you've worked in the charity sector and the NHS which was better?

[Sexentric]

Ive been working for a charity for the past 8 years and honestly I hate it. The mission of the organisation is amazing and I care about their work but the pay is abysmal, the environment is toxic, there is CONSTANT pressure ro work extra hours for free. The pension is 3% employer contribution and they often expect me to work outside my hours or go in on my wfh days which means a sudden scrabble for childcare.
I've applied for a job in the NHS because I genuinely think most if these things wont be the case there (its in a day unit so reasonably family friendly) but all.i hear is negativity about the NHS as a place to work. Am I unreasonable? Will i regret it if I make the move?

I'm an active trustee for a charity. We treat our staff really well, and our CEO is fierce about gatekeeping everyone's working hours. She'll actively pester people to go home if they try to overstay to finish something off. So your issues might just be a 'your' charity thing, and not a sector thing.

But I think the huge downside (unless you work for a huge charity) is job security. Funding makes non-profit organisations so vulnerable and insecure to work for. As a trustee, keeping our staff employed is my main concern, finance-wise, even though I'm passionate about what we do for our service users.

The NHS is as secure as you'll get, and with a decent pension. So if that's important to you, though I hate to say it, I'd make the jump

I work in a charity and it has it's issues but I don't recognise what you describe.

I'm paid decently enough and have had annual pay rises each year, not quite kept pace with the NHS pay rise but close enough. I have 10% employer pension contributions.
Never any pressure to work extra hours, I've got really good flexibility and work-life boundaries. I WFH mostly with a bit of travel for work and I can dictate my own schedule within reason. E.g. I go to the gym at lunchtime and work later, or I can plan my travel days around dp rota. Paid time off for doctors appointments and lots of learning and development opportunities. 40 days annual leave.
We do have toxic management issues and poor organisational communication, so it's swings and roundabouts.

My dp works in the NHS he's paid less than me, he only gets his rota 3 weeks in advance which is impossible to plan around, his annual leave all needs to be booked at the beginning of the year or they'll be nothing left to take, even toilet breaks are monitored. There's no flexibility in his shifts - leaving early for parents evening, you can forget about it. Needs to take annual leave for doctors appointments. He does get a week paid parental leave each year which I don't get, in top of his annual leave allowance.

I was offered an NHS band 6 role (not clinical) a few years ago and tried to negotiate some flexibility in the working pattern, nothing drastic but they wouldn't budge so I turned down the offer.

That's interesting that other charities aren't the same with the pressure to work extra for free. For me my pay would be slightly better in the NHS and obviously the pension is a lot better. I think part of the reason things are so hard at my place is that we are a small charity and so its constant firefighting. There's always an emergency that's more pressing than my actual work that I get pulled into until my work is now an emergency. And yes there really isn't the job security. We did use to have quite a bit of flexibility both ways so I didn't mind. But the last year or so its become all take and no flex given back. Rotas wont be a problem in the new role because its weekday only 8-6.

I've done both and swapped between the two a few times!! I would say it depends on the charity but it also depends on the departments culture in the NHS, you'll be a small fish in a big pond NHS - big fish small pond charity, it doesn't have an impact on how much sway you have and how quickly change happens (if it does). Basically each has its challenges and plus points and it's very much depended on the culture in both in my experience.

I think if you try and whittle down what's important to you that would guide you. Day unit, yes 8-6 but if it's ambulatory care, procedure unit or outpatients it's inevitable you'll work extra hours, there's nobody to take over so you end up having to stay. However yes probably more predictable, but I would say much less flexible tbh. See if you can have a chat with someone who works there. But pension, days off etc would be more protected. Think the whole of the NHS is basically trauma bonded or trauma separated though!