Been offered a job, but I have a problem...

JPW_1993

So I graduated with a degree in Microbiology at NUI Galway in 2015. I had the intention of doing a masters and took two years out to fund for one (by continuing to work at the same place where i worked part time in during undergrad with more hours of course as I wasn't tied to college for a while).

During these two years, a recruitment process for the civil service began in 2016 of which I applied as I saw it as an opportunity. Did my online test in summer of 2016. The next stage of the process did not occur until April of this year which was a test under supervised conditions. It was another two months and I got an interview in July of 2017. Now they got back to me about a position. So in essence there have been big gaps of uncertainty and I continued with my initial plan...

I have recently started MSc in Biotechnology at NUIG and I am enjoying every bit of it so far especially getting to know my new class mates and lecturers, they are a great bunch.

My question is...

Civil service job or continue to do the masters? Both paths are such brilliant opportunities!

What is the most sensible thing to do?

wiseoldelf

take the job and the department will possibly pay for your masters.....

granturismo

Its highly unlikely that the Civil Service will pay for a masters in your first year of employment - probation in the public service is 11 months. In later years - getting approval for a part time masters can be political depending on which department you work in.

You need to weigh the pros and cons of working in the civil service or private sector and where your career will advance in either.

Did you work in a microbiology related field for two years? Does the MSc still have a work placement? If you already have relavant experience you will be very employable when you graduate from the MSc.

If you want to divulge what grade you have been offered in the Civil Service, you might get advice on career options.

Tails142

They wont pay for your masters, best you could hope for is 50% and its not likely that a MSc in microbiology would get approved for an admin role. Plus you would have to switch to part time evening if that is even a possibility.

I would do the masters if I was you, you didn't say what grade you were offered, if CO/EO defintely stay as the money is rubbish and only moves up very slowly. If its HEO the money is higher and may be worth it. Obviously if its AP or higher its a no brainer to take it, but unlikely if you are just graduated. Take note of the pension levy, this means that gross salarys posted aren't comparable to a job in the private sector as there is an additional 6.5%+ deducted for the pension levy, as well as the pension deduction itself which is another 5% or so. A young person may typically forego getting into a pension normally until they have saved for a house deposit etc so it's important to take this into account.

The civil service doesn't suit everyone and depending on the area you end up working in can be quite monotonous/bureaucratic. You should stick with the studies and try pursue a career which interests you, if microbiology does, you will likely find it more rewarding in the long run.

Civil service jobs are in high demand now following the recession as the security was invaluable, give it a few more years and you will walk into a civil service role without a problem as this was the way it was in 2005 before the crash. There are also a lot of new rules on outside recruitment, one in every three in some grades has to be external, so where previously more senior positions were only advertised internally to people who had joined the lower ranks, effectively cutting off people who were used to higher pay ever joining, this will not happen to the same extent from now on.

If you're finding it hard to decide, forget about the fact its the civil service for a moment, assuming it's a CO position you're being offered, would you give up the masters to work for €20,000 in a call centre for example. If you would take the job, then the additional benefit with the civil service will be permanancy and probably flexible enough working arrangements such as in flexi working between 8am and 7pm generally only requiring attendance between 10am and 4pm, job sharing, shorter working year etc. This can be beneficial depending on your lifestyle, kids, alcoholic etc (wish I was joking haha)

Anyway, i've rambled on long enough! Let me know if you've any questions

jimmycrackcorm

Take the job, do the masters part time.
Of course there is the question of whether you actually want a career in your chosen field...

Cyclonius

JPW_1993 wrote: »

So I graduated with a degree in Microbiology at NUI Galway in 2015. I had the intention of doing a masters and took two years out to fund for one (by continuing to work at the same place where i worked part time in during undergrad with more hours of course as I wasn't tied to college for a while).

During these two years, a recruitment process for the civil service began in 2016 of which I applied as I saw it as an opportunity. Did my online test in summer of 2016. The next stage of the process did not occur until April of this year which was a test under supervised conditions. It was another two months and I got an interview in July of 2017. Now they got back to me about a position. So in essence there have been big gaps of uncertainty and I continued with my initial plan...

I have recently started MSc in Biotechnology at NUIG and I am enjoying every bit of it so far especially getting to know my new class mates and lecturers, they are a great bunch.

My question is...

Civil service job or continue to do the masters? Both paths are such brilliant opportunities!

What is the most sensible thing to do?

As a fairly recent recruit to the civil service, I'd say it depends on the job/how easy it would be to continue the masters part-time.

First question would be how easy it would be to get a job in industry with the new qualification, and what would the money be like. You could talk to the careers service in NUIG to get an idea, as well as do your own homework online.

If it's a CO job, I personally wouldn't give up the masters. For an EO role, like I'm currently in now, maybe, depending on the circumstances and job location. For an AO/HEO role or above, I'd strongly consider it, either going part time or deferring the course for a year or two; that way you might even be able to take a career break two years down the line, and come back and finish the masters full-time.

Secondly, is there a part time option for this course, or would there be a large lab component, meaning it'd likely be full-time only? If it's the latter option, deferral and a later career break might be a possibility to allow you to finish it down the line.