Query about whats best to do with NHS pension

tahariel

Hi,
I have been paying into my NHS pension for approx 2 years now and am in £1500 debt on a credit card. I have tried switching to 0% credit card but no one will take me on. I also am hoping to do some work abroad scheme which will take me out of my NHS job for possibly over a year. So here are my thoughts;
1. Opt out of my pension and get my money back, put it all into another pension but unsure of which one. I am currently 28.
2. Save as above but invest the money into an ISA instead of a pension.
3. Arrange my work around my travel dreams and just try to stick with the NHS pension as long as possible.
Any thoughts greatly appreciated

Andy_L

You cannot get the money out of a pension untill you retire. x

If you leave the NHS for a year or 2 to travel you can leave the pension where it is and restart it if you rejoin. Alternatively you could move it to a new pension which may or may not be a good idea.

tahariel

I was under the impression you can release the money you have put into an NHS pension on two occasions, a work friend of mine recently did it. Also I thought you could only pick up your NHS pension within 12 months of leaving an NHS job.