Asking previous employer for old job back

Has your old employer filled your position? Even if they did take you back you've likely lost any continuation of service which could impact the salary level they offer and pension status. Not to mention lack of security as a 'new starter'.

Unless you have contacts at the old company that will welcome you back I'd probably stick with it and if necessary look for a new job in a few months. Won't look great on your CV though.

Personally I wouldn't - but not because I shouldn't but because I'd let my embarrsssment rule me!

I know someone who did do this - and ended up in a bidding war!
realised after 2 days job B wasn't for them,
went back to job A and told them they'd be prepared to come back to a higher grade - job A agreed,
handed notice in at job B
job B gave some assurances about how things would develop so retracted notice
Contacted job A, they offered even bigger promotion
Went back to job A.
Still there now - 15 years later

My nerves were shredded while all of this negotation was going on - thinking they'd end up with no job at all, but it worked out.

I will add though there was a bit of background there where job A had passed them over for promotion then asked they they train the person promoted and I think job A realised they'd made a mistake and it would take time/effort to replace those skills.

So generally speaking I'd say if you left on good terms and they haven't filled the vacancy there's every chance they might be glad of the opportunity to save on recruitment effort/costs. If you've got particulalry marketable skills/expertise then this will make it more likely.

No guarantees though and some employers will have very rigid policies where no matter how much they "liked" you, there is still a process which has to be followed.

Regarding colleagues...I genuinely don't think many people would care. Thinking about it, people I've worded with have come and gone and come again (sometimes with short gaps, sometime years later) and no-one seems to bat an eyelid. But this is probably related to how well thought of you were when you left!

If you were a valued member of staff and the position is unfilled, then I would talk to your line manager. Do you have his/her email address/contact number? Are you friends/contacts on Facebook/LinkedIn? The worse they can say is no.

I have seen this happen before. Some people are embarrassed by it, however I think that moving jobs is a stressful experience and does not always work out, so I sympathise with you. I am no expert though - just my opinion. Good luck.

cmthephoenix wrote: »

My employer loves to take good people back providing there is a role for them. It doesn't matter in the slightest to colleagues - they're normally relieved to get a trained person back.


We all know the grass greener rules.


And my employer can then say to people thinking of leaving, please consider it carefully because x left and then within a couple of months they were back.

^^^ This.

We have taken people back on if we hadn't replaced them and it's no big deal.

I'm talking from employer perspective not having done it myself. If your old company is looking for someone, far better they get someone they know and saves all that adverising and recruitment effort and money.

This happened to me, but a long time ago now, and both jobs were long-term agency placements.

I went to job B which didn't work out - in fact my services were dispensed with (I only put it that was only because you can't technically fire an agency worker). The supervisor at job A then phoned me and said he'd heard things didn't work out and did I want to come back. Although I didn't really want to, there was nothing else much in the offing so come back I did.

It worked out well enough - I don't think anyone was much bothered by what I'd done, and second time around job A actually worked out fairly well.