What's your job?

[Whitewater]

I’m an IT Mystic.

 

[BongoHunter]

Senior Solutions Architect

Pros:
- Get to play with cool stuff

Cons:
- Lots of responsibility

 

[Brutal biff]

Industrial door engineer
Pros
Somewhere different every day

Cons
Moneys crap
Management crap
Getting a call out when your on way home on a Friday afternoon

 

[sneakysnail]

Purchasing / Logistic Support

I work for an online retailer in the UK. Gardening related products but I work on the plants team. Basically finding growers who we can then set up to dispatch for us dropship style. Very long spring summer hours and a lot of stress with Covid but in the past we've had a huge amount of freedom to do as we please on the plants category and it's been massivly succesful.

Now working remotely in Thailand so my okay wage of £25-30k (depending on hours/bonuses etc) is now very enticing. I have concerns over how the company is being run now but will ride this train as long as the wages balance the headache.

 

[One More Solo]

Corporate Tax Senior Manager at one of the Big 4

Pros:
Lots of variety
Technical work is really interesting
Genuinely feel valued by (most of) my clients
Freedom to manage my own time, especially WFH
Lots of opportunities for career progression

Cons:
Hours can be long and unpredictable
Lack of junior staff means a lot of pressure on efficiency vs quality when delivering work - I do a lot more than I would like at this stage to ensure our work is up to scratch, but I’d rather be less profitable and do good quality work.

 

[Nevakonaza]

Offshore Control Room Operator (North Sea oil and gas platform)

Pros: Well paid
6 months of the year off (working 3 weeks on/3weeks off rota).
No taking the job home.
No daily commute.

Cons: Working away from home 6 months of the year.

Out of curiosity on average just how many men and women work on those Oil/Gas platforms? and do you get your own room to sleep in or is it shared

 

[chaparral]

Firefighter

Pros: Work 2x24 hour shifts every 8 days, enjoy the job, have a great laugh, rewarding, allows me to have a second job.
Cons: Not enough money, can be traumatic at times.

24 on, 24 off, 24 on, 5 days off.

I take you mean you sleep at the fire station during this 24 hour shift ?

 

[DanTheMan]

Corporate Tax Senior Manager at one of the Big 4

Pros:
Lots of variety
Technical work is really interesting
Genuinely feel valued by (most of) my clients
Freedom to manage my own time, especially WFH
Lots of opportunities for career progression

Cons:
Hours can be long and unpredictable
Lack of junior staff means a lot of pressure on efficiency vs quality when delivering work - I do a lot more than I would like at this stage to ensure our work is up to scratch, but I’d rather be less profitable and do good quality work.

Did you get in via a grad scheme or experience elsewhere?

I always wonder whether the move from HMRC to private sector tax would be for me. I know a few people who have moved and most are happy enough with the pay increase but seem massively more stressed with the workload and deadlines.

 

[pp111]

BEMS Software Engineer.

Pros - Work at home, any hours I want.
Cons - I see what the building industry gets up to and the lives they risk. ( You think Grenfell was the only disaster waiting to happen?)

 

[One More Solo]

Did you get in via a grad scheme or experience elsewhere?

I always wonder whether the move from HMRC to private sector tax would be for me. I know a few people who have moved and most are happy enough with the pay increase but seem massively more stressed with the workload and deadlines.

I joined the audit grad scheme in 2012 and transferred in 2015. Stress management is a fairly essential skill I would say, but workloads vary massively depending on team. Something like M&A will inevitably have more concentrated busy periods whereas the workload is spread more evenly in theory in less transaction based service lines.

I would say some of my colleagues have a better work life balance but mainly through their own ability to switch off and draw clearer lines between work and home life. I’m not so great at that but I at least feel like it’s been recognised and rewarded so far.

 

[OspreyO]

.,.

 

[DanTheMan]

I joined the audit grad scheme in 2012 and transferred in 2015. Stress management is a fairly essential skill I would say, but workloads vary massively depending on team. Something like M&A will inevitably have more concentrated busy periods whereas the workload is spread more evenly in theory in less transaction based service lines.

I would say some of my colleagues have a better work life balance but mainly through their own ability to switch off and draw clearer lines between work and home life. I’m not so great at that but I at least feel like it’s been recognised and rewarded so far.

Thanks. I always feel like I've missed the boat with the big tax firms as everyone I've ever known to work for them has gone in straight from university or has joined them in their late 30s / 40s with years of experience. I'm kind of in between.