Age: 29
Industry: health care
Role: occupational therapist 
Time in industry: 6 years
Location: east London
Salary jump: from £32,000 to £38,000
Additional benefits: does freedom/flexibility count?!

How did you decide it was time to make a change?
I’d worked as an OT for the NHS throughout the pandemic which was really challenging because although I was classed as a key worker, the nature of my work had to change because so many of the people I worked with in person were vulnerable – trying to support them remotely was difficult and even though I wasn’t physically out working with people as much, it felt like my workload had grown massively.

Have you ever negotiated a promotion, title change or pay rise before?
Not outside of moving jobs when the conversation naturally came up. I don’t think it’s been intentional but maybe it’s something I should have thought about more. 

What preparation did you do beforehand?
I eventually decided to go private as a locum which was a tough one to settle on – I mainly just had to psych myself up to leave a team that I really loved.

What reasons did you give for a promotion/title change/pay rise?
I told my manager that I needed more flexibility which I couldn’t get with the way our rotas were set up.

What was the scariest part of the process?
Leaving the job without another one to go to. The strain of work and how much I was having to give to it – both physically in terms of time and my mental head space – was taking a toll so I knew I just needed to stop and then make my next move when I felt emotionally ready to. 

How long did the process take?
I found a school that needed someone to temporarily fill a role really quickly, so I started with them a few weeks after leaving my other position. 

Would you do anything differently next time?
Not leave it until I was stressed and struggling to look at other options. 

Images: Getty; Molly Saunders