As someone who has been working for the same organisation for over ten years and has had 7 different positions in the same division for the whole of it, I have never actually left my first job.

I have been what they call seconded out of it on 6 occassions and the most recent has lasted over 3 years.

Now about 4 weeks ago my team manager told me that I was going to have to go back to my first job on Dec 12. This would have been a £6k paycut. Needless to say I wasnt particularly happy about this, but I said nothing as I was in no position to do so.

They then told the young girl who was doing my original job that she was about to get the boot as I would be returning.
She handed in her notice a that day and left the end of the week for another job elsewhere in the company.

I on the other hand, went home and typed up a CV for the first time since I was at school and emailed it out to 3 companies that were advertising for the sort of thing I am trained for at the minute. That was Tuesday night. On Friday afternoon I got an email inviting me to an interview that night at 7pm. With only 5 hours notice and me still at work it was not the most prepared I have ever been going in to an interview!

But on Monday evening I got a phonecall offering me the job.
On Wednesday I accepted it and on Thursday I handed in my notice. Well for less work and £10k more then present you would wouldnt you ;)

So now my lovely team manager who thought she was being awful clever has a bit of a problem on her hands. The only 2 people who could do the job have will have left in the space of 3 weeks.

My heart bleeds.

So here is hoping those pleasent individuals to whom I have learned to take great exception let me out in a week (they could hold me for a month on the lower paid job, but they extended my contract on the current job until the end of the year so the dont have much grounds to hold me.

And if they do, well, its surprising the sort of ill health things that can be so unfortunately picked up at this time of year...................