I’ve got the job!
You’ve been offered a long-term post, what should you be looking at?
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if offered a partnership, ask for copies
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last set of accounts – show to independent accountant (perhaps your training practice’s accountant)
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partnership agreement – ask your solicitor’s opinion if in doubt
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if profit-share partner – negotiate over time to parity if it seems unreasonable
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if salaried - be prepared to negotiate the level of the salary; find out what the going rate is locally
Terms and conditions – what are the variables?
These are things that need to be considered and agreed before starting long-term work in a practice.
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annual leave – typically 5-6 weeks/annum
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length of paid sick leave?
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paid study-leave – typically 1 week per annum
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maternity leave?
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sabbatical – arrangements are very variable
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don’t forget that if you’re a partner and leave is generous, it’s great when you’re away but you’ll spend a lot of time at work covering other partners that are on leave
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what will you salary/profit-share be?
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years to parity (full share of the profits) – can be 3 years if you join a high-earning practice
What’s “full-time” mean?
There’s no fixed definition of full- or part-time
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a ¾-timer in a busy practice can work as hard a full-timer in a quieter one
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think about the overall workload that you want
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Last updated: 01 September 2003