Update just over a year after moving from private to CS
Hey fellow CSs.
Just over a year ago, I posted about moving from a £120k private sector role into the civil service.
It's been just over a year, and although I have randomly lost access to that account, I thought I would give an update on what's gone well and not so well and whether I regret my decision in case others are thinking of a similar move.
What's happened
I left my previous role around 14 months ago. A job in which I had a lot of success but ultimately kept me up at night regularly. Income was around £120k including bonus (£12kpa), employer pension(£8kpa) contributions and salary(£100kpa).
I now work in digital again in a public sector org at grade 7, but my experience includes grade 6-level activities, hence an allowance was approved. I have a WFH contract, working compressed hours so work 4 days per week. My salary is now £66k plus £6k allowance. It's worth noting the 28% pension conts would be on top of this so the drop isn't quite as savage as it looks.
The best bits
I love the simplicity of my new role. I no longer worry about sales targets (formerly £1m+ per annum) and focus on the bit of my job I actually enjoy.
I have a great feeling of fulfilment in general as I can put 100% of my effort into my job whereas I was spinning multiple plates before.
Working compressed hours has given me a much better work-life balance. It's a weird feeling logging off at 6pm and logging on the next morning to no emails, slack messages etc. It's felt like I can really disconnect when work stops.
Lots of support, especially with considering a career move within civil service.
The pay and pension contributions are good. I sleep better and am a better person around my friends and family. My wife says I can never go back to consulting!
The worst bits
Money! Unsurprisingly, after taking such a big pay cut, we miss the money! I'm well paid for what I do and for the hours I work, but we became accustomed to not worrying about money quite as much as we do now. The drop looks a lot worse on paper given the tax bracket I was in previously. The excellent pension also makes up for quite a bit as I was putting over £1k per month into a private pension previously.
The social side of CS isn't quite as good. I live rural area, hence the WFH but used to enjoyed travelling to cities to meet people. I do that a lot less now.
There is a limit to where I can go. Before, I had the option of working up to a director, vp, c-level etc whereas in CS I feel like G6 is about the limit I will reach. Not a huge issue for me, though.
Some of the people. I'm used to working in the public sector but im now working more closely with the "lifers" that are just there to do their hours and GTFO. I used to work with quite motivated people before and I feel that helped me stayed motivated. It's not a large proportion of people though.
Systems! Most things I try to do in civil service are difficult and slow when it comes to systems ro processed. In the consulting role, you had HR business partners that would be able to assist with anything HR easily and quickly.
Summary
Overall, I'm very happy with the move. It's made my family and I much happier despite reigning in some spending. You need to look at what you want from life and where you want to make compromises. I understand some people will be all about the cash and will be happy to sacrifice sleep, time etc for that but I feel I have found a good balance in this role.