Job dilemma - accepted two jobs and now need to decide...

[bernard301]

Why view. What Duchy said. Plus in terms of career progression there is scope for lateral movement between civil service posts

[shack69]

Accepting both is not in my view a problem. I would let the prison know that as you are aware checks can take a long time you do have another offer you are progressing and I would take the council job. There is nothing to stop you resigning if the prison vetting goes well and you decide the council job is not for you. Also its clear the council really want you as they have contacted you quickly by phone.

[Lola]

Is there any difference in the pension arrangements or the promotion prospects? I would suggest going for the one that gives you the best future prospects. Good luck

[Pink_Fairy_Dust]

Thanks so much for all the replies you are helping calm me down and I appreciate it, I am such a worrier its not real...

Wow 6-9 months in some cases for the Civil Service vetting that’s insane but I guess it is a huge organisation and they are thorough… I can’t really think of anything in my past that would be complicated to check on like I don’t have complicated address, work or financial history nor relationships or ties with anyone in prison or who has been and my referees are primed and ready to go – I guess it’s the sheer amount they have to get through for each person though and if there are backlogs… just kinda sucks they can’t give me the location, I mean the further away prison isn’t hugely further but does involve going through a village that gets gridlocked at rush hours (no other quicker way around) when I would have to travel, so I suspect it would take around 20-25mins longer than the closer prison location and Council job despite what google maps says…

I’ve also been looking at other Administrative Officer jobs in prisons with the same title and job spec as the job I applied for and the starting pay is more on all of them (and thus on each paypoint in the bracket) which would make the starting and ending pay at the Civil Service job around £2000 more – don’t know if the Civil Service has had a pay rise between April/May time and now or if I would be on the slightly lower start and finish point that was on the original job description as maybe it goes on area of the country, I'm in the North and the jobs I looked at were midlands and further South though not London…. That’s probs confusing but if there has been a pay increase for te role I applied for (an AO Business Admin in a prison) it would make the Civil Service job better paid by more than I thought but all I have is the original job description and no one to ask, the central recruitment team couldn’t answer me as to the pay I would be on and said like on location I would have to wait until I was contacted once checks are complete….

So annoying as the increase in pay might sway for me... maybe

[Pink_Fairy_Dust]

Originally Posted by duchy

I agree the civil service one could take forever. If you are currently unemployed the length of time the checks can take matter a lot.
I'd accept the council job and the prison job .
Start the council job and then when the prison job is confirmed decide based on how much you like the council job i and which prison it is which you'd prefer.
If you subsequently decline starting the prison job nothing bad will happen (it's fairly usual that people get something else in the meantime as checks take so long, you won't be the first or the last ), if you decide on the civil service job later on,you just give the council notice in the usual way.
Keep your options open.

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Thanks for this advice I have still got both accepted given the uncertainty with the Civil Service in particular... With the relationship issues I've had I've ended up living with parents anyway so I'm not paying a mortgage but can't justify turning the Council down and then the Civil Service checks don't work out for some weird reason or perhaps its the further away prison...

Only thing I worry about with starting at Council and seeing how things go is if say the Civil Service did come back to me and its a bit more money than I think as per my post above, it would surely look bad on my CV having only been at the Council a short time, I've been unlucky enough to be made redundant in 2017 and 2019 so my CV is already looking a bit disjointed...

[Pink_Fairy_Dust]

Originally Posted by Stella_11

Go with your belly, you have had some good advice. The one thing I will say is, I'm pretty sure the one you decline won't be annoyed at all. Maybe mildly inconvenienced but I really wouldn't give two hoots. Don't let their reactions or potential feelings affect your choice in the slightest.

And cheer up! You just got offered two jobs! Congratulations.

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Haha yes I know I should be happy, me all over just seeing what there is to worry about rather than positives... I will try to bear in mind that it probs happens a lot people pulling out of job offers after accepting, I just hate to mess people around, it makes me feel really awful...

[Pink_Fairy_Dust]

Originally Posted by djewkes

I think the OP has already answered this, ... she came 2nd at the original interview and they said they would keep her name on file in case another, similar post came up?

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Yep thats correct, they said they would keep me on file and offer me the next post of the same type that came up if one did within 12 months

[Pink_Fairy_Dust]

Originally Posted by ely3857

This is unknown. A phone call offer may have been made to others who turned it down. She simply knows for sure she was second place originally for the prison job yet they clearly thought enough of her to follow through with their offer of contacting her should a similar position arise.

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Yes two ways to look at it, it was my mum's instinct to say the Council want you more as they offered you the job first but I don't really know that for sure I guess and it does also ring true that the Civil Service did think to keep me at the top of the list in reserve for another job coming up...

[Pink_Fairy_Dust]

Originally Posted by Lola

Is there any difference in the pension arrangements or the promotion prospects? I would suggest going for the one that gives you the best future prospects. Good luck

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I don't really know too much about progression at either organisation... I know the civil service has job grades etc but not sure how much scope there is to move up or whether they do internal recruitment with jobs first... I think the Council does probably have quite a range of admin jobs of varying levels and I think does practice internal recruitment with jobs first which was very useful for progression when I worked for 11 years in a University...

Not a specialist in anything like HR or finance - I've got quite a varied work history where after I left Uni I fell into working there in varied specialist roles to a Uni such as admissions, student recruitment, academic research co-ordination etc...

[Pink_Fairy_Dust]

For now I think I will do as you all suggest and hang on to both offers a bit longer and see what happens, the Prison job does sound an interesting opportunity and I would usually opt for this but the uncertainty in location, pay, how long checks will take and the fact I've actually wanted to work at the local Council for a few years now due to the varied areas of work I can't turn this one down just yet either... I can see me landing up at the Council by default as this one I'm assuming will start long before the other one... and if its doable and people are nice I can see me not wanting to risk leaving a job with nice people and that I can do for the unknown...

I do think I work in a prison would have been a good conversation opener for future dates though...