Soldato
I’m an IT Mystic.
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 sharedOffshore 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.
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.
I take you mean you sleep at the fire station during this 24 hour shift ?24 on, 24 off, 24 on, 5 days off.
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.
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.