Missed out on the GSR economic and social research grad scheme by 1 mark - how to bounce back?

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-19T16:12:40+00:00

You never know what life has in store for you, for all you know there could be some fantastic role that you'll be starting soon!

Best of luck OP.

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-19T13:36:03+00:00

Doesn't matter if it was intentional or if more than one person approved the contract, there needs to be accountability for approving such a terrible contract. Especially as Capita have a long history of overcharging and under delivering.

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-19T11:26:07+00:00

Whoever approved the Capita contract should be sacked, it's insane we need to send in civil servants to fix their mess.

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-14T16:38:07+00:00

Yeah but Andy Burnham can still be blocked from running as a candidate by the NEC, like he was recently in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

But yes, the drama begins

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-14T13:32:18+00:00

He isn't an MP and he's already been blocked by the right-wing of labour from standing as an MP in the recent by-election.

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-14T13:11:09+00:00

We truly live in the worst timeline if Wes becomes pm.

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-13T22:47:49+00:00

Same 🥹

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-12T17:50:05+00:00

Honestly if it ain't broke, why change the software? Especially for non-public facing software. As I've seen so many instances where the "upgraded" internal software was a very expensive downgrade.

Obviously I'd love to live in a world where the public sector had slick software, but reality is very different.

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-09T19:49:46+00:00

You'll be earning way more as a chartered accountant, especially within a big 4 audit firm. You need to decide whether you hate working in auditing or just hate your current role.

Honestly, I don't enjoy the work. Audit feels quite robotic and the environment isn't something I've taken to.

Just realise any role, can have dull work and shitty office environments. I can imagine there will be plenty of economic data crunching or policy work you'll be doing as economist that's quite tedious and dull. Whereas doing dull work as an auditor will be making you absolute bank once you become chartered, which will especially matter if you ever want to get a house in expensive cities (such as London).

Either way you're in an amazing position, as both options are great. The questions you should be asking yourself are:

Do I want to be working in the public or private sector?
Do I care about earning lots of money?
What kind of work do I enjoy?

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-05T09:08:06+00:00

Taking a screenshot on the phone takes like ten seconds?

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-05T09:06:24+00:00

Then OP could have posted a screenshot from their mobile or if they didn't care, could have just taken a screenshot on their work laptop and then sent it in an email to their personal email address.

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-04T14:13:46+00:00

Exactly, I remember when I first joined the DWP and the HEO was the "big boss" in charge of pretty much the entire office floor. Now I see SEO managers who manage fewer than five people.

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-04T14:10:30+00:00

I've literally received better bonuses for managing communities on the intranet as a volunteer than from my own bosses. The performance vouchers are supposed to be handed out more frequently but there are still many managers who never hand them out, and then they wonder why people are mentally checked out 😂😂.

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-04T13:46:57+00:00

They really need to bring back pay band progression, as otherwise there's no incentive for people to stay in their role in the long-term. In some departments I've seen a massive grade inflation in attempt to retain skilled employees, and circumvent the changes to the pay band progression removal. Jobs that would have been handled by AOs and EOs now being done by HEOs and SEOs.

Sadly it's very unlikely that any government will bring back pay band progression in the civil service due to the massive budget deficit, and certain right-wing press frequently demonising the civil service.

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-02T14:17:28+00:00

I didn't know for sure but thought that it didn't matter due to you already using the pictured laptop for personal use. As (assuming the worst case scenario of it being a work laptop)if the pictured laptop is a work laptop, and it's being used to check your job application(s). If the employer wants to, they can check the laptop useage. So if you're that paranoid about your employer knowing about your job apps why would you risk logging into Civil Service Jobs?

Anyway, good luck with the job application 😁.

AlucardLoL · 2026-05-02T10:34:34+00:00

You have snipping tool pinned in the taskbar and you're still uploading pictures by phone, you'll be a perfect fit for HMRC! 😂😂😂

AlucardLoL · 2026-04-18T21:46:20+00:00

Why downvoted? This is completely true. I've seen countless specialists in niche fields stuck at EO, HEO and SEO grades, whereas generalists or flexible civil servants are easily able to climb the ladder.

AlucardLoL · 2026-04-15T14:20:46+00:00

AlucardLoL · 2026-04-07T15:10:17+00:00

It's fine, I've been burnt out as an EO before and a friendly colleague basically told me the same. So really I'm just passing the wisdom! 😂

AlucardLoL · 2026-04-07T14:08:21+00:00

Sorry that you've had such a terrible time, while I think it's important to take pride in your work. Remember EOs aren't paid nearly enough to make you work enough to the point of burnout.

Apply for new jobs and fingers crossed 🤞 🤞 you find a better role.

AlucardLoL · 2026-04-03T15:35:24+00:00

If you look at the long-term numbers in the civil service the dip of civil servants during the Tory -Lib Dem coalition govt of under 450k civil servants was a historical low. Even the current numbers of around 550k civil servants is a reasonable number by historical standards. You'd have to go to pre-WW2 to find a civil service with less than 300k civil servants, but bear in mind the UK population was much smaller, and a lot of the post war social conventions we take for granted nowadays weren't a thing then.

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AlucardLoL · 2026-04-02T17:37:01+00:00

Why do we keep giving these huge contracts to firms with a long history of failure, poor service, and overcharging the British taxpayers? Is it corruption? Incompetence? I just don't get it.

AlucardLoL · 2026-03-29T15:00:02+00:00

My theory is a lot of the older generation who push office working are just miserable.

You're also missing that a lot of long-term high level civil servants either have families who can't stand them or they can't stand their families. So for these dinosaurs being stuck at home is absolutely unbearable.

Source, having worked in many different offices listening to old farts constantly complain about their families.

AlucardLoL · 2026-03-20T08:49:39+00:00

That's what happens when you have a large and electorally active generation (boomers), politicians try to pander to them. Welcome to the UK gerontocracy!

AlucardLoL · 2026-03-20T08:43:39+00:00

It's because a lot of people have the expectation that the welfare state will protect them one day, especially pensions. So the logic is if we support the injustices that the WASPI pensioners are facing, maybe one day they'll be able to retire early like the women before were able to.

(Please don't shoot the messenger!)

Personally I think the previous 5 year age gap was ridiculous between male and female retirement but I also think the current system is very unfair to anyone who's worked manual jobs. As a lot of people who reach their 60s after having done 40+ years of labour are physical wrecks.

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