taking a pay cut, already on the lower salary?

snowqueen555

Hi all

I am wondering if I should take a paycut...

My fixed term in a local authority position ends soon in May, and I have been offered a non-medical NHS role, but the pay is quite poor, starts out at £17500 in band 2 in a general finance role with a few years experience, works out to only £8.90 (minimum wage will be £8.20 in April) an hour, seems NHS pays far below the norm compared to everywhere else.

Compared to the civil service/government roles they seem to pay a whole payscale less than the same comparative job in other public sector

I am currently on £20k which is not great, but not terrible.

Would you take this role? I'd like to find a band 3 role but they ask for a lot of experience so I would not be able to get into this band.

I feel like maybe an internal role will turn up, or I will see out my contract because they are very flexible, so attending interviews etc is very easy and something better may turn up. I am receiving a lot of interview offers for entry level roles, though maybe my interviewing technique could be better.

Ozzuk

Salary is only one factor (but an important one!), what about travel distance, flexible working, pension, bonus, opportunities etc

Usually you'd expect to increase in salary when changing roles, but it does depend on the market for your skills.

Neil_Jones

I suppose the important question here is can you live on £17k? It is better than nothing and I would argue it opens you up to other internal moves should one become available (this is never guaranteed but is quite possible)

It may well be that no matter how much money the state throws at the NHS it will only be for the frontline services or face of the service and all the back staff will be lucky in a couple of years time to be above the minimum wage at all.

Comms69

snowqueen555 wrote: »

Hi all

I am wondering if I should take a paycut...

My fixed term in a local authority position ends soon in May, and I have been offered a non-medical NHS role, but the pay is quite poor, starts out at £17500 in band 2 in a general finance role with a few years experience, works out to only £8.90 (minimum wage will be £8.20 in April) an hour, seems NHS pays far below the norm compared to everywhere else. - it's an entry level role. You get 35 days a year annual leave and you get the NHS pension...

Compared to the civil service/government roles they seem to pay a whole payscale less than the same comparative job in other public sector

I am currently on £20k which is not great, but not terrible.

Would you take this role? I'd like to find a band 3 role but they ask for a lot of experience so I would not be able to get into this band.

I feel like maybe an internal role will turn up, or I will see out my contract because they are very flexible, so attending interviews etc is very easy and something better may turn up. I am receiving a lot of interview offers for entry level roles, though maybe my interviewing technique could be better.

£17500 sounds infinitely better than £0....

Comms69

Neil_Jones wrote: »

I suppose the important question here is can you live on £17k? It is better than nothing and I would argue it opens you up to other internal moves should one become available (this is never guaranteed but is quite possible)

It may well be that no matter how much money the state throws at the NHS it will only be for the frontline services or face of the service and all the back staff will be lucky in a couple of years time to be above the minimum wage at all.

Simply isn't the case. The OP is just going for an entry level role.


Also the OP missed a crucial bit of info, with-in 2 years the salary would be £19,337; £1k a year increase isn't half bad

[Deleted User]

What about general band 3 admin roles?

I have no admin background but it’s the area I want to move into and after 2 applications to 2 band 3 roles I have been offered interviews for them both.

BrassicWoman

Would the job make you happy?



Is it working with nice people, decent hours that suit you, whatever else matters to you?


If you are not sure, ask to meet the team for a coffee?

snowqueen555

Comms69 wrote: »

Simply isn't the case. The OP is just going for an entry level role.


Also the OP missed a crucial bit of info, with-in 2 years the salary would be £19,337; £1k a year increase isn't half bad

The problem is that the second year is only a £300 pay rise with the third year being a bigger jump. It will still mean after 3 years I will be earning less than I am now.

I do think the NHS has a big problem with their non medical staff, they will not be able to attract and retain good staff as they pay well below the average in the private sector, and even other public sector orgs.

I might be making a mistake but I am going to pass on this job. I am receiving regular interview invites. Last summer when I was looking, I was fortunate enough to have 25 interviews and job offers for 5, so I was able to pick the role I felt was right. I am hoping something else turns up, preferably internally in my local authority.

bap98189

snowqueen555 wrote: »

I do think the NHS has a big problem with their non medical staff, they will not be able to attract and retain good staff as they pay well below the average in the private sector, and even other public sector orgs.

You can't consider just base salary though. There are some other benefits to working for the NHS. Job stability and pension contributions to name but two.

Comms69

snowqueen555 wrote: »

The problem is that the second year is only a £300 pay rise with the third year being a bigger jump. It will still mean after 3 years I will be earning less than I am now. - That's fair enough.

I do think the NHS has a big problem with their non medical staff, they will not be able to attract and retain good staff as they pay well below the average in the private sector, and even other public sector orgs. - You end up with 41 days paid annual leave, fantastic pension and massively enhance maternity and sick pay packages. If money is the only motivator, sure. But for many it's about work life balance. (also consider the discount rates available - e.g. I save £300 on my phone contract)

I might be making a mistake but I am going to pass on this job. I am receiving regular interview invites. Last summer when I was looking, I was fortunate enough to have 25 interviews and job offers for 5, so I was able to pick the role I felt was right. I am hoping something else turns up, preferably internally in my local authority.

I wouldn't swap NHS work simply for cash. There's so many other benefits that my wages end up going further anyway