[Closed] Leaving the emergency services

I don’t think my new job is going to give me that sense of worth.

It probably won't.  I'm not emergency services but just happen to know a few who are /were and the rate at which they can burn out is astonishing so although you might not have the same sense of worth you're probably making the right decision for the sake of your sanity and family.

Perhaps you can find that outside of work. My dad was in the fire brigade for 30 years but shortly before he retired he became a magistrate which he carried on doing for another 10 years. I'm sure there are plenty of organisations you could do some voluntary work for.

Whilst not the emergency services, I left my last job just over a year ago for a completely new career. My old job was like a family too, and I felt a great sense of pride, but it was also ridiculously stressful and would cause me a reasonable amount of anxiety. I left to join a completely different sector, albeit I know work from home to my own fairly flexible hours. I miss my colleagues, I miss being part of a team, I miss the satisfaction of delivering big, prestigious construction projects. I miss being proud of the company I represented. But now I sleep at night, have no stress, and I've just been out on my bike all day. The relief I feel is tremendous, and I feel that this pace of life is far more sustainable in the long run and certainly less detrimental to my health and general wellbeing.

I don't think you'll regret it. Best of luck!

I’m ex military so can sympathise with your thoughts. Spent 12 years in the RAF. First year / 18 months demobbed was good as new job / area and enjoyed the challenge but then had a couple of years really missing the life but eventually got used to being a civilian. Friends and family are key to adjusting as well as enjoying your new job and the additional time off you get.

Good luck and embrace the change.

Got an ex-cop in my place, he retired from police with a nice pension that he brings up every 2mins and the arrogance that a life spent in the police force brings with it. He can't seem to cope with the fact no one gives a shit about what he thinks and they don't just do what he says.

Don't be that guy.

My mate left the Fire Service out of the blue having joined from the Marines. Didn't like the way the job was going, didn't expect to retire with the conditions he signed up to (this was post our pension shafting) and could see no progression but was too bright to sit still. He got a job with Yorkshire Water and seems to really like it. Had a couple of promotions and now earns decent money, works mon/fri and can walk to work.

Him and another mate, who retired a bit before, make a point of meeting up for a few beers once a month so we can catch up with our old pals. You'll be fine.

He got a job with Yorkshire Water........and can walk to work.

Oof, I hope he doesn't live in Buttershaw!!

He got a job with Yorkshire Water……..and can walk to work.

Is he Jesus?

Thanks all I appreciate the input and reassurance.  I imagine what I'm feeling is nothing compared to leaving the armed forces.  Thanks especially for your contribution Wallop. You hit the nail on the head.

This is timely. My wife resigned from GMP yesterday after 21 years. while she wasn't in a front line role she has become increasingly frustrated by the effects of the cuts on policing. 10, perhaps even 5 years ago I'd have said she was crazy to even consider it (I'm a cop too with 23 years in) but I've seen the effects that the pressure she was working under was having on her and I couldn't wait for her to find something else to go to.

she's been very lucky with her new role as it is closely linked to the area of policing that she had been in for the last few years so I hope that her transition will be fairly pain free.

I have a former colleague who left to work at the post office. He went through similar feelings to what you describe for a few months but from what I hear, he hasn't looked back.

Good luck with your new career o.p.

I hope that it all works out well for you. You could consider a frontline non-police role, e.g. investigator, ISVA, etc if you feel the need

Just to add that I went to a retirement do for an old colleague the other night and a couple of lads turned up who resigned over 10 years ago and it was like turning the clocks back. You will always be "part of the team" because of the experiences that you have shared.

Cheers Bregante, please pass my best wishes on to Mrs B. I'm aware that she did a lot of work on mental health and will be a real loss.

I will - and thanks.

Friend of mine recently left the police. Loved the job, but had doubts about the way it was going. She now works at a hotel and loves it. Her other half is still in the job though, so she stays in touch through him. All the best OP and I hope your new career is a success.

You could consider a frontline non-police role, e.g. investigator, ISVA, etc if you feel the need

I think in many forces the stresses are even worse for police staff - massively high workloads, usually the first to be hit by further savings and reorganisations in an attempt to shore up the magical blue line that is all the media seem to see. What they miss is the fact that many of those police officers aren't doing the jobs that require police skills anymore (and often are doing jobs they just aren't very good at) because the police staff have been cut and cut again.

The number of police officers in England and Wales has <u>fallen</u> by over 20,000 between March 2010 and March 2018.

In 2010 there were 79,500 police staff working for forces in England and Wales. By March 2016, this number had dropped to 61,668.

This represents a cut of nearly 23% in the police staff workforce. (Source Unison website)

I did 30 years as a front line plod in London. The pension almost compensates for the mind-bending crap we all had to go through at the hands of our political and senior ranking ( read ****ing) masters, but nothing can compensate me for the sense of shame I feel for the police’s abandonment of decent people.

I may be looking old age and death ever closer in the face, but personally I can’t distance myself enough from it.

Get out - don’t look back.

I left the Army after 9 years and it was a massive culture shock. I found the Army was a complete bubble with it's own culture that didn't translate well to civvy street. I still have problems not swearing and speaking my mind in a professional environment.

Good advice earlier about not constantly speaking about your previous job. Your new workmates won't appreciate it after a week or 2. I was called uncle Albert for a while!

I've found my new job (ATCO) has the same team work, if not more, element as the forces. I'm sure you'll find a strong team wherever you move to.

The best thing though is keep in touch with your old workmates. I'm the first to slag off Facebook but have to admit, it's a great way of keeping in touch. Be pro active and arrange to meet up for drinks, rides etc.

Lastly, embrace the change. It's exciting creating a new path!

"In 2010 there were 79,500 police staff working for forces in England and Wales. By March 2016, this number had dropped to 61,668"

Some of this will be outsourcing of roles and collaborations of several forces, off the top of my head these include:
Combined HR services
Financial, e.g. pensions managed by Keir
DHL managing the supply chain for kit and uniforms
Out-sourced security and cleaning staff
G4S taking on Lincs Police support staff roles
etc.
Support staff have the added support of being employees with contracts, their choice of a union and greater industrial rights that the Fed cannot apply

Ninja-edit: frontline services are less likely to be out-sourced

Timidwheeler, if you are on linked in, look up Tom Wheelhouse. He's an ex met cop who helps emergency  service personnel to pursue new careers  He's the founder of a business called mightify but he's very proactive in providing free advice. I know my wife has had lots of good advice from him.

Timidwheeler, I can't blame you really. I have just spent 2 weeks at Harrogate on the physio side to try to mend my fubard back. Some of the guys n gals on the well being side looked properly burnt out. I'm lucky as my job now after 22yrs is office based.

Good luck and best wishes.

Just out of curiosity what are you moving into?

I often think of leaving due to the way things are turning for the service but with only 491 days to go, I've decided to stop kicking back and just nod in the right place and generally carry on as normal.There are too many career people ticking portfolio boxes now, do this do that. we tried that yrs ago and it didn't work why will it work now?. I no longer want to be a part of that shit. I love the guys on the shift and the work we do but the shite from above really grates me.

I've got a a small p/t job that will do post retirement or tomorrow if I get really pissed off with how things are. We still meet up guys who retired/left and the banter is still good. One thing to note the type of  banter done "in house" does not carry to the outside world very well.  😕

Run through the scenario of leaving the fire service quite a few times. I know your outfit have it far worse than ours, I can totally understand your decision.

if it wasn’t that I’d invested time, and money (pension) into my career I’d possibly of jacked it by now. Too many people thinking we’re their steppingstones to promotion.

Best of luck in your new direction, I think it will be different but very much doubt it could be worse

I wrote a long post outlining my experiences then the bloody forum lost it!

So basically - I was an Ambulance Paramedic - left and felt lost etc but now some years on I am happy and know it was the right decision. But I do still sometimes get nostalgic.

All the best.

I sometimes drink with a bunch of retired firemen, it's interesting when they all meet up as they obviously have very strong relationships given the nature of the job, yeah like a family rather than work colleagues. If you ask them a question about the fire service they will spend the rest of the evening talking about it. That certainly wouldn't be the case where I work - we would talk about work for five minutes, then change the subject to something else.

So ensuring you stay in touch with ex-colleagues would help. Ultimately retirement beckons for everyone so you will have to face the "leaving" part at some point, probably better to do so of your own volition.

Im still a serving Police officer, and i think a lot of people leaving the job get lost be cause the job has been quite consuming.

Its hard to stay part of the real world when you cant play 5-a-side every tuesday and cant go out for a friday beer. Its hard to keep friends in the non shift working world.

If you have only friends in the force, then you are a little isolated when you leave the work family. You dont have to be gone very long from your rota to be forgotten.

just my thoughts

Beener

Worked with quite a few ex police officers and ex any job workers,mostly people dont hark back to their old job, its in the past, move on, its a career move, youll soon be forgotton by your workmates till one of them decides to reserect some old offence you where involved in.

Not Sean by any chance @chestrockwell?

Not the same , but the sister who has been working her way up the nursing bands and has just quit from working from the nhs direct to be employed via agency. Things are that bad with pay, hours/shift, cut backs on materials etc. It actually works out better to do less hours and take a hit on the pension pot ,than  to not have to deal with the grief and stress from ward heads and nhs management.

I can retire from the police in 10 months. I'm totally overworked, put upon and have missed numerous promotion opportunities due to politics but I just don't want to leave. Believing in what you do and having a great team to work with are priceless and I simply don't want to lose that. I fear being alone in the house with a shopping list and hoover with nothing to look forward to and no sense of self worth.

Had other jobs before the police but nothing comes close. Have spoken to retired colleagues who are split between the happy and relaxed / feet up brigade and those who feel lonely, empty and regretful. This supposedly enviable position fills me with a surprising degree of anxiety.

One thing to note the type of  banter done “in house” does not carry to the outside world very well.

Yeah, I'm worried that my hilarious selection of violent rape jokes and entertaining sudden death anecdotes might not go down too well in my new work environment. I'm guessing that I won't need the black humour when the worst thing that will happen in a working day is the photocopier jamming.

Thanks again for all your input, I'll check out the Met guy.  I promise not to bang on about my pension as despite me paying 14.9 percent into it, it's not worth much and I can't claim it for another 20 years. I have no interest in being a civilian investigator.  It seems like all the negatives for less than half the pay.

I don't have any friends outside the job, but then to be honest I don't regularly meet up with friends in the job. Repeated transfers and a stupid shift pattern have put paid to that. My plan is to start playing football every week, join the canoe club and spend every weekend biking, paddling or both.

When i write it down like that, I can't understand what I was worrying about.

Slightly ot but there was a survey opened today at thejobthelife.co.uk into trauma and stress in policing, just completed it, maybe some good will come of it

If you want to stay job but leave behind (some) of the politics and bullshit, could you be a Special, just to keep "plodding" on, so to speak?

My old man left full service and I was tempted to join, but he advised against it. At the time they were talking about performance related pay. He's seen far too much and his words were "too many fly about with their b's and t's on thinking they're invincible".