Options to leave public sector - career break, pension etc

shigg

Hi
I've been working in public sector position for over 10 years. I may have opportunity to take on an external role, not in private sector. The pay would probably be less but I would have greater flexibility and would have a huge interest in the area as am currently bored! I work part time but seem to be getting more and more work added to my role, cause I'm efficient and work hard! However, I'm wondering what happens to my pension if I make the jump or if anyone has any advice on getting a career break to allow me to work for a different organisation for 2 years? It would be great to have a safety net in place as its very difficult to give up a permanent pensionable job, yet I dont think I can withstand the monotony until retirement but at the same time have a family, mortgage etc to consider. Thanks a mill

Kirbi

*EDIT* This bit about pensions was a mistake on my part, but I'm leaving it in so the thread still makes sense.

I'm not sure of all career break rules throughout the public service*, but I'm pretty sure that it will always result in a change of pension scheme on return. This would be to whatever is the newest scheme upon return (currently the Single Pension Scheme 2013), and will almost certainly be a downgrade from the scheme you are on at the moment.

Literature may not make it clear that a career break will incur this, but the position is that:
a) Your pension scheme will change to the newest one if you have a break in service of 6 concurrent months or more.
b) The minimum term of a career break is 6 months.

*I'm in the civil service.

For the civil service you can definitely apply for career break to take up alternative employment, but they may not allow it if the new employment has a conflict of interest with your CS work. I've never heard of one actually being refused because of this though, so I'm guessing it's pretty rare.

whampiri

shigg wrote: »

Hi
I've been working in public sector position for over 10 years. I may have opportunity to take on an external role, not in private sector. The pay would probably be less but I would have greater flexibility and would have a huge interest in the area as am currently bored! I work part time but seem to be getting more and more work added to my role, cause I'm efficient and work hard! However, I'm wondering what happens to my pension if I make the jump or if anyone has any advice on getting a career break to allow me to work for a different organisation for 2 years? It would be great to have a safety net in place as its very difficult to give up a permanent pensionable job, yet I dont think I can withstand the monotony until retirement but at the same time have a family, mortgage etc to consider. Thanks a mill

You'll also be pausing time on your service and upon return might not get back into the same department. Based on Covid etc., it's also possible that the govt might offer a paid career break in the future to reduce staffing costs. It wasn't huge money but a paid career break is better than an unpaid one.

Talk to HR about your options. It's highly unlikely to be refused unless you're in a key role or your new job is in direct conflict with your current role.

BrianD3

Kirbi wrote: »

I'm not sure of all career break rules throughout the public service*, but I'm pretty sure that it will always result in a change of pension scheme on return. This would be to whatever is the newest scheme upon return (currently the Single Pension Scheme 2013), and will almost certainly be a downgrade from the scheme you are on at the moment.

That's not correct, when you return from a career break you are in the same pension scheme as you were before the break.

https://circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/per/2013/04.pdf

When a civil servant returns
following a career break, s/he will not be a member of the Single Scheme unless prior
to taking the career break s/he was already a member of that Scheme.

Kirbi

BrianD3 wrote: »

That's not correct, when you return from a career break you are in the same pension scheme as you were before the break.

https://circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/per/2013/04.pdf

I'm sorry, you're right!

I've check the Single Scheme documentation again, and it looks like I misread rules that actually relate where there are separate contracts of employment.

BrianD3

Kirbi wrote: »

I'm sorry, you're right!

I've check the Single Scheme documentation again, and it looks like I misread rules that actually relate where there are separate contracts of employment.

Thanks for the reply. If pension T&Cs of an established public servant changed to those (always worse) of a new entrant after a career break, it would not be an attractive option.

A lot of public servants are pension obsessed but there can be surprising ignorance too.
E.g.

• people completely unaware of the supplementary pension situation.
• people unaware of preserved benefits and CNER and assuming that resignation before retirement age = no pension and contributions handed back (said to me by someone who worked in superannuation :rolleyes:)
• people who think that unpaid leave "doesn't affect the pension". I've had to explain that it doesn't affect the T&Cs of their pension but they were shocked when to hear that they wouldn't be accruing service for pension purposes while on their unpaid leave.

FluffPiece

If you're in the public sector now, it's unlikely you'll be allowed to take a career break to work elsewhere in the public sector / civil service.

Sheesh1980

Hi, I'm wondering if you made the leap and how it worked out for you and of you are working in the private industry now ect., I've 22 yes service in the HSE and considering making the jump to the private industry too but would like to go career break route for 12 months knowing o can go back to HSE I know it sounds like having my cake and eating it but after 22 yrs the nerves are getting the better of me