I have recently completed my MBA and worked for 6 years in Consulting prior to that.I am working with the NHS on a 6 month contract. I have a 8 week notice period.Right now I have an offer with a consulting company which I certainly want to take up. I did not tell them that I was working and that I could join immediately. How could I now leave NHS?a) Leave w/o any responseb) Say I'm leaving the country and goc) Tell the truth and negotiate for quick release.Any other ideas?

Rather doing a runner or spinning out some yarn about joining the Foreign Legion or whatever, How about:1. Agree a start date with your new employer that is just over 8 weeks away from now.2. Hand in your 8 weeks of notice to your current employer.3. Leave after the 8 weeks has passed and join your new employer.Simples.

p.s. Be wary of joining any company that pressurises you to join "right this very instant right now because we have a very important and immediate need that needs you right here right now". Any such outfit will be constantly firefighting and in the long run will burn you out, I'll put money on it.

anon - did the MBA not cover ethics?What on earth possessed you to lie like that? Were you not confident of getting the job? Most employers expect people to have a notice period.Cynic's approach is the best one to take rather then get into any sort of complicated tale.

...not to mention by the well established "Law of Sod" that if you do a runner your first assignment will undoubtedly be with an NHS client....!(life has a habit of working out like that)

You certainly sound like MBA material to even consider options a) and b). The fact is that even if you tried to negotiate your notice period the NHS has every right to refuse your request. Go back to the company that offered you the job and be straight with them about your current situation - if the offer is in hand I doubt they would consider 8 weeks a deal breaker. While ethics was probably not a required course when you were doing an MBA a little common decency would not go amiss.Note that most offer letters have a clause stipulating they can withdraw the offer with cause - and lying about your availability certainly counts.

What a lucky new employer they will be - their new hire has already started lying to them before even setting foot on the premises.Your only ethical option - as the others have points out - is to negotiate a shorter notice with the NHS, if you can.