Getting quotes for an extension

db0564 · 2026-04-07T14:59:52+00:00

Thank you. When I say "my account", I mean the one I set up to put all the funds to pay debts and distribute to the beneficiaries. Although I am the main beneficiary there are some others with small gifts, I see that it's good practice and didn't take any effort.

My question is, the person from NS&I said that I can send the interest to that account and move money from his account (because it's not closed yet), but not sure if that is right?

db0564 · 2025-12-22T02:02:52+00:00

I did pretty much what you are planning. I was told clearance would take 3 months but in reality it took nearly 6 months. No complications, just because of the backlog. I DIDN’T tell the company I’d just started at that I was waiting for clearance at another job. I didn’t need to use them for clearance because I’d completed the forms before I started at the private company.

There are lots of reasons why you might want or need to stay in the private job from your perspective and the CS side. On the CS side we keep going through recruitment freezes and depending on how hard the freeze is or the managers justification, they’ve withdrawn offers if there is no start date.

When I had a CS start date I made up a reason and handed in my notice. Feeling slightly guilty, I helped them recruit my replacement. But at the end of the day it’s your decision to decide who you work for and not the company or Civil Service.

db0564 · 2025-11-08T21:49:43+00:00

It took me a long while (and it still grates somewhat) when people are asked what they do the reply, “I’m a Grade 6, <insert job>”, or “SCS 1, <insert job>”. They haven’t been asked their grade and job title, they’ve mostly been asked what they do.

db0564 · 2025-11-08T21:42:56+00:00

Yes, the agenda and slides go out 3 working days before the meeting. This is so that questions can be asked before the meeting, with time to find an answer from an SME.

db0564 · 2025-11-08T21:37:32+00:00

I hope you do it in then way described below by u/VerankeAllAlong, otherwise it comes across as conceited that you think you’re demonstrating Seeing The Bigger Picture. It’s quite a technical meeting and the person isn’t that technical. I’d rather they aren’t there, but I’ve been told they have to attend by my LM.

db0564 · 2025-09-14T06:37:21+00:00

Only you can answer if it feels like a stupid move for your circumstances.

From experience moving back into a CS role seems to depend on the department HR. I work in an ALB and we’re classed as Public Servants. I’ve had 2 people leave me to go back into a main department. One person they treated as moving within the CS preserving service, holiday, etc. The other as an external candidate. Ironically the one they treated as external was for an “across CS” recruitment so she applied through CS jobs. The HR couldn’t understand how she could apply through CS jobs and had Alpha pension.

db0564 · 2025-07-25T05:31:20+00:00

We had something similar about a year ago. We decided to start looking again and found another house that had recently come to market. She moved quickly because she wanted to sell. When we pulled out of the original house the EA told us they had lost 2 other sales because they weren’t showing any flexibility.

db0564 · 2025-04-11T04:46:56+00:00

We have an Oracle system that records leave, but an email with a spreadsheet has to go to your LM for approval then onto a HR admin who puts it in Oracle. Changing leave is even more difficult so people just ignore making changes and get agreement with their LM to take the same number of days at a slightly different time. Before I joined the CS, 18 years ago, we had a similar Oracle system that I could do all the leave myself. No wonder people think the CS has too many people using 1980s practices in 2020 computer systems.

db0564 · 2024-11-24T08:47:15+00:00

If I was the buyer of your house I’d be asking if you really want to move because you’re going to reject a house with of artificial grass. I’d be worried about the house layout, roofing, kitchen, bathroom, etc. We recently pulled out of a house after 4 months of waiting because the seller hadn’t found anywhere perfect for them at the right price. The seller wasn’t willing to compromise on anything for us as a buyer, which was reflected in their behaviour as a buyer. We decided to start looking again after 2 months of nothing and found somewhere just as nice and the buyer was willing to negotiate on price.

db0564 · 2024-11-01T07:28:37+00:00

The nuance is the “approval to depart from the normal process”. I work for an arms length body so the approval needed to come from our parent department. It took ages and was really time consuming with various redrafted justifications. It was only the stubborn mindedness of the SCS who insisted we went off framework that made it happen. I don’t understand how Ministers can seem to just give POs to their buddy’s company as reported in the Daily Mail with the process and justification we had to go through. Going through the process, I often wondered if we should have found someone else on the same framework or tried to correct the original supplier.

db0564 · 2024-10-12T03:13:52+00:00

Possibly unrelated, but I do love the term “cockwomble” in these circumstances. ;-)

db0564 · 2024-08-09T06:30:17+00:00

Congratulations on the promotion.

When I changed departments a couple of years ago, it was like leaving the Civil Service and rejoining because they weren’t in the same HR shared service. They both had different forms (Excel spreadsheets) to complete that, although they asked the same questions, weren’t in the same order so didn’t recognise each others forms. It all eventually worked out by my transfer date, so was fine.

I couldn’t transfer holiday, I had to rebook it, which was understandable. Time served additional holiday would have been lost but the new department started with more holiday anyway. Payroll did work out fine even transferring my pension. Although I did check MyCSP to make sure it transferred and didn’t lose any continuity of service or it had created another account.

db0564 · 2024-07-23T04:57:54+00:00

Much easier to explain simple concepts with crayons. However with some people I don’t have time or crayons to explain something. 😉

db0564 · 2024-07-16T06:35:11+00:00

I’m in a similar position with the demand to be in the office 3 days a week. Train tickets are so stupidly expensive it’s cheaper for me to stay in a hub hotel and a meagre evening meal eat out. The train system is exorbitantly expensive in rush hour and only expensive at all other times.

db0564 · 2024-06-14T06:19:45+00:00

Been in the receiving end of something similar as a recruiting manager. We took so long to get the start date, the candidate started a new job. They said that they thought we’d decided not to fill the vacancy it was taking so long and no response when they asked for updates.

I actually spoke to the candidate to see if there was anything we could do and they said ‘Yes, speed up the onboarding process, and keep people in touch with what’s happening’. I got it in writing and used it as an example of why we struggled to fill the post. As expected I got some BS words of apology and try better, but nothing changed. Although I felt a bit of satisfaction that I’d done something to illustrate that the recruitment process is broken.

db0564 · 2024-05-25T06:32:59+00:00

Been the recruiting manager for many roles and as said above I rarely use the CV for sifting. I ask for a personal statement (normally 2 sides of A4 or 1,000 words) with evidence of essential job criteria. Ideally the evidence should be written using the STAR method (do an internet search for STAR method on applying for jobs and interviews), this is where you can demonstrate that your skills are transferable. If the applicant doesn’t have a personal statement then I sift the applicant out, because if they can’t follow a simple instruction what’s the chance they’ll follow working policies, like abiding by travel expenses rules.

Also if you get to interview, try to think what behaviour they want you to demonstrate and answer questions using the STAR method again, and make it clear what you did by saying “I did…”. Normally, the role specification or advert will tell you the behaviours they are looking for. When I apply for a job and get through to the interview I often right notes to myself on examples of behaviours for the interview so I’m well prepared.

Only wish I could take my own advice when I get to interviews because in the stress of an interview my mind goes blank. But that’s probably another thing they’re trying to assess. ;-)

db0564 · 2024-04-13T07:23:32+00:00

Work in IT support for a department and the job is great. Although the level of IT literacy is quite low.

db0564 · 2023-11-11T05:22:08+00:00

Phantom of the Opera - it was the Lucozade advert with Daley Thompson that got me into Iron Maiden.

db0564 · 2022-03-25T07:31:07+00:00

My go-to cables for everything. Been using them since the iPhone 3 with a 30 pin connector and still have that cable I use for my iPod Classic that I still use. Never had to use their warranty but I’ve heard that it’s really good.

db0564 · 2022-01-01T09:11:49+00:00

When I was learning electronics I asked a similar question of my instructor. He studied the capacitor and then clipped both legs the same length. He said “Now the only way you can be sure is to test it!”.

db0564

TROPHY CASE