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

[JudyC]

I work for our council, and we've had people start and then leave quickly as a better offer comes along. It's normal for people looking for jobs to have several irons in the fire so to speak. If you start then decide to leave what do you think will happen? They'll just contact the second person in line to see if they still want the job, that's all. There will be a reserve list for sure.
Maybe time to stop procrastinating and worrying.

[Pink_Fairy_Dust]

I know my Dad keeps saying I should just start at the Council, whilst also saying the prison job sound more interesting... I know they can't do anything is I start and leave but I'd feel even worse than if I pull out today or tomorrow...

The prison job has now updated to allocation requested but no one has as yet been in touch regards the location or to discuss a start date - could this part of the process take long I wonder, the checks were all completed by last Friday...

[Pink_Fairy_Dust]

My application centre with the CS has updated and looks like the closer prison and someone will be in touch shortly to advise of next stage so I'm guessing discuss a start date... I can't believe I predicted this would happen that the prison would get in touch the Friday before the Monday start date at the Council or within my first couple of days at Council next week...

its getting so that I may have to toss a coin have to laugh at how this situation has played out or I'd cry lol

[Pink_Fairy_Dust]

And its now updated to:

Congratulations on passing your Pre-Employment checks, we are delighted to extend a verbal offer to you. We have contacted the vacancy manager who will be in touch with you shortly to arrange a start date.

[Pink_Fairy_Dust]

Think I will be up most of night making this decision between jobs...

[mitch84]

Originally Posted by Pink_Fairy_Dust

Think I will be up most of night making this decision between jobs...

See more...

Your council job starts on Monday, as in 1 working days time?

I think you need to go at this stage, and try it out, you may really like the people and feel settled there, in which case you say to the prison 'I'm sorry but another role came in first, please keep my details on file'.

If you go to the council and don't like it, or it isn't what you expected, then you have grounds to give it a weeks notice, and say thankyou very much.

You will be messing people around far further by phoning them today for a Monday job, than giving it a try and seeing what you think

[KarenG]

Originally Posted by mitch84

Your council job starts on Monday, as in 1 working days time?

I think you need to go at this stage, and try it out, you may really like the people and feel settled there, in which case you say to the prison 'I'm sorry but another role came in first, please keep my details on file'.

If you go to the council and don't like it, or it isn't what you expected, then you have grounds to give it a weeks notice, and say thankyou very much.

You will be messing people around far further by phoning them today for a Monday job, than giving it a try and seeing what you think

See more...

Exactly this.

You have no idea whether you will like the prison job, either.

[Pink_Fairy_Dust]

Yes it starts as in 1 working day, as in this coming Monday, but I was kind of thinking from every experience that I've read about on here and elsewhere on net that the Civil Service could be months in getting back to me, but instead their check were completed in around one month and I only realised the update last Sunday night so have spent this week realising I won't have a good few months to try out the Council at all, I've pretty much felt physically sick all week and have been waiting to find out which of the prisons and this only updated yesterday around 5ish...

After all day yesterday agonising, especially last night when I know its the really close prison, although I really want to work at Council too how interesting the prison job might be lures me in more and my parents have said the opposite in that its less disruptive not to go at all to the Council than to spend a week or two letting them train me...

My thoughts on leaning towards prison are the novelty of environment and the fact that I don't think this opportunity would necessarily come up again and I think if I went for the Council once in I wouldn't want to leave even if wasn't my dream job as I'm aware there are lots of roles at Council so this would probs be only chance to try the prison job as I try and stick with a big employer once in e.g. when I worked at the Uni 11 years I never looked at jobs outside if I wanted to move roles...

I do feel truly truly awful at the thought of pulling out of Council today as the people were so lovely and I'm scared to death it might be a place in future I would never be able to work again but then I think about recruitment at the Uni I worked at and if its anything like that, which I think it is, individual department managers decided who they wanted to interview and appoint, so although I probs would never work in this section again, there may be hope I may in the future work in another dept should I ever want to apply again... hopefully other departments wouldn't even be aware since it wouldn't be on CV - the HR people who deal with the applications and asking for docs returned etc once appointed are an external company...

I have no idea really about either job, job descriptions are vague for both jobs and when I asked questions at interview the answers didn't really get me any further forward so I'm actually just as likely to like or dislike either job but it just feels like this will be my only chance to try the prison enviro...

So didn't get any sleep last night... I just knew I would be unlucky enough to land up getting info on the prison the day before I start elsewhere or on my start day itself, I'm kind of known amongst friends that if anything can happen to complicate my life it will, even if usually not a likely scenario at all

[mitch84]

Do you have signed contracts with the prison with a salary, location etc stated (just missing start date).

If not, do not cancel the council job, as you may well end up with no job at all.

[Pink_Fairy_Dust]

I haven't actually got a signed contract from the Prison no, the location just updated yesterday and I've been told by recruitment team salary is just usually bottom of the scale - it also says on application centre thanks for accepting our verbal offer (which weirdly I haven't done, not spoken to anyone bar recruitment team asking about process and they never said we are making you an offer) and that they will be in touch with next steps, which the recruitment team said means that they are waiting for the manager at the prison to call with a start date, they said they expected this to be within the next few days - I hadn't really realised things might still be withdrawn, I guess any job can be at any point

I'd just feel so much worse starting at Council and then getting a start date a prison very soon after and then telling the Council I'm leaving, as I think I will want to give the prison job a try even if like the Council job, I wish it was any other employer other than the Council as they are not people I want to upset for future...