Ok so I have been management consultant for the last 4.5 years and I have 5 years of previously industrial experience. Im definately leaving consultingThe issue I have (and I know that most people will think this is a nice position to be in but not I!) is that I currently have 2 jobs offers...The first is with the NHS..It is the job I want and can see clear career and pay progression due to the transparency of the org and is ultimately what my heart is telling me to do..When I move into this role, I ll have a slight payrise and the only benefit is the decent NHS pension (which ill have to pay 11% into)The other job offer is for a very good company which is well know to me but the work is very different and whilst its a good job, I definately prefer the option with the NHS...This is no question...However the overall package that is being offered is 30% more than what I am currently on. It would be a massive pay rise and definately something that will help financially.whilst i am not usually motivated by money...with this kind of increase it seems hard not to consider as a serious optionWhat do you think I should do??

Google " herzberg two factor theory"Read.Conclude that money is a short term sop.

It was difficult, now it's a massive decision to make. When it gets to gargantuan, gigantic or humungous we will have the answer for you.Or take the job you actually want. Money isnt everything.

Let's consider a £100k salary. 30% increase means £130k. At 100k, you take home circa 5.5k a month. At 130k, you take home circa 6.6k.Let's consider a £75k salary. 30% increase means £100k. At 75k, you take home circa 4.2k a month. At 100k, you take home circa 5.5k.Under £100k, I generally use the rule of thumb.... £50 extra a month for each £1k pa. increase.The examples above show the difference to be £1.2k-ish. To be honest, 1k++ a month difference is nothing to shout about. I'm sure the OTE portion (assuming there's one) would more than make up for this.If you really enjoy the NHS role and see longevity in it, I'd say go for it. If you have pressing financial commitments and the extra income comes in handy, then you might want to consider this as an intermediate move.

I needed surgery only once in my life and got great service in the NHS.However, a couple of girls I knew work for the NHS and cannot understand why it has sooo many management layers and non critical staff running around telling everyone they need to save £££.Hence please take the other role!There, that's another £100k NHS can now use for some operations and essential services rather than employing more "managers".Rgds NandoPS On a serious note, take the one that your heart rather than your head wants. This way you'll be doing a job that you enjoy rather than saying "yeah its a job and it pays the bills, I'm taking a sabbatical someday to do what I really want"

Whilst I agree with the comments above re money, I would also just add a few notes of caution wrt the NHS.Personally I can't think of many organizations with less transparency and more bureauocracy than this oneHow secure is this role given the constant changes to the NHS?What impact might continued privatization have on your role?What are the exit options from the NHS? What will the work environment be in an organization in which there is continual tension between clinical and managerial staff?Will the NHS pension exist in its current form when the time comes?What impact might political interference (read policy improvement) have on your role?I am sure the above are factors in many many organizations but, having previously worked in the NHS, I can't imagine going back, never mind taking an (effective) pay cut to do so.I wouldn't want to put you off if this is a great job for you. And I presume that you have knowledge of (or have consulted to) the NHS. But if not, and if I was in your shoes, I would be looking into the above.And on a personal note, I would also echo the comment that the NHS needs doctors, nurses and frontline staff, not management consultants...

Interesting!My brother-in-law and sister are both consultant surgeons. The problems is..... you need some managers, but doctors (who presumably are best placed for it) aren't willing to do the management bit (or so they say).

I think the NHS needs more managers, actually!Have you seen how disorganised hospitals are lately? Constant firefighting and nobody seems to know anything about what's going on.I guess they also need more medical staff too, though.

I suddenly recall the story of the contented fisherman.

[quote]Interesting!My brother-in-law and sister are both consultant surgeons. The problems is..... you need some managers, but doctors (who presumably are best placed for it) aren't willing to do the management bit (or so they say).[/quote]I agree with youYou certainly need some managers, but the impression I get is that there are way too many, and the ones that are there are not necessarily the best placed to do the job. I think they need quality, not quantityMost doctors go to medical school in the first place as they want to treat patients, and they get paid (relatively) well to do so, particularly if they have private practices. I am not sure where the incentive is for them to become managers. Of all the doctors I met during business school (~10), none are in NHS management - a couple went back to clinical practice, but most are in pharma or finance. And that's hardly surprising as they can earn far more money there, which presumably was a big part of the reason to leave clinical medicine in the first place.Many nurses ended up going down the management path as that is the only way for them to increase their salaries. This is understandable, but instantly there you have a source of tension between the nurse manager and the doctor.

Have a look at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust review and wider failings. This sums up some of the quality control and real accountability failngs within the organization. Take the money ... run.