u/Boothros

I've worked the last 23 years for the NHS in a supportive role, (Blood Sciences), but the job which I'd loved for such a long time, had become so intolerable, that I was becoming severely concerned for my mental health.

I've put in for more things that I can even remember, ('Street Cleaner' was one!), but I finally nailed the post for Make Ready Op and so far, I'm LOVING it!

I'm sure you guys regularly bemoan your ambulances, but they're SUCH a thing of beauty, literally an old Fiat van turned into an entire hospital on wheels, what's not to love?

I've still got SO much to learn, but if I were rich, would choose to do this job for free, due to how much I'm enjoying my training.

The only cloud on my horizon, is that every SINGLE day I've worked and overheard conversations, someone has mentioned an assault upon themselves and the up and coming court case connected to it. As a teenager TOO many years ago, I rather fancied becoming an 'Ambulance Driver', (no degrees needed in those days), but after hearing these things from your own mouths, I'm rather glad that at the time, I signed up with Royal Mail.

I've still NO idea how I'll manage to survive on my new wage, but I honestly wasn't going to survive much longer in my old job, the physical and physiological effects taking such an awful toll on me.

SO, if you work in the South, look me up and if you don't, then appreciate your local Make Ready Op! Thanks for the opportunity of working for such an amazing organisation!

I’m currently a band 2 NHS worker and have been for 23 years. In all those years, I’ve been paying into an NHS pension which is twofold.

Approximately two thirds were paid into the (now obsolete), 1995 scheme, the benefits and lump sum of which are payable to me in three years’ time when I turn 60. The other third was paid into the 2017 scheme I was forced into joining and I will receive the benefits (no lump sum) when I reach 67.

In one months’ time, I’ll be leaving the NHS to join a private company connected to the NHS and will automatically be put into their pension scheme, though it will be my choice whether or not to opt out. However, the pay from the new job will leave me worse off financially and I’m wondering if it would be wise or unwise to opt out immediately.

Opting out of pension payments would certainly up my current living expenses, though the NHS pension app isn’t very clear (at least to me), on projections if I leave now compared to what to expect at retirement age.

I know nothing about the new company’s pension scheme (except that people that work there have already opted out) and would certainly never transfer my NHS pension anywhere else.

Sadly, I don’t know now of a local NHS pension advisor on site (as we had years ago), as far as I’m aware, to get any advice I’d have to go through a call centre, so what to do?

I’ve no great aspirations on becoming wealthy and in the new job (God willing), will hopefully happily work until I’m 67, but will still have to pay my bills after I retire, which is all that really concerns me.

Pensions are something I rarely give thought though to, so for those that DO think or know about them, what red flags can you alert me to in stopping paying into a workplace pension now, please.

 

 

My Sister in Law only has a tiny garden, but she seems to have a lot of luck with beautiful things happening by accident. Here's a lovely shot of her white wisteria growing through an old Christmas tree she'd planted

https://preview.redd.it/v241xlvjyo6h1.jpg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=502f27fab7d10240bae081d61e15280282da5e6a

Just finished my second watch-through, (this time subtitled).

For those fellow Dillon fans, how many Headstones easter eggs did you manage to find?

Think I found found 5, (though I'm sure I must have missed some), virtually all of the music lyrics were included in the subtitles EXCEPT for the Headstones tracks which either lingered in the background or appeared in the titles.

Think my very favourite however, was exemplified by fire starter Pete.