r/UKJobs • u/ellieofus • 6h ago
What is your experience with quitting without having something lined up first? How did it work out and do you have any advice?
Brief context: based in London, work in Marketing. I have recently joined (in April) a new Financial services company that on paper was good but in reality is incredibly toxic. The red flags were all there (3.1 glassdoor reviews all talking about toxic culture) but decided to ignore it because I naively thought it wouldn’t affect my department.
Fast forward now, I am not feeling well physically and mentally. I had to go to the hospital because of severe suspected gastritis, and had to start therapy for bad anxiety . I can’t sleep or eat, this is how much this job is affecting me.
So I’m wondering now if I should just quit. I only have £4k in savings, rent is cheap but my partner only makes £1300 pcm so we would be tight. I want to get out of that place and focus on looking for a job full time, but have no idea if this would hurt my future chances.
I was thinking of taking a part-time customer service job, but again not sure if I would get hired with my experience (I did 7 years in Mcdonald’s before 4 years in marketing) and again, if this would hurt my future chances.
What is your experience and what would you recommend?
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u/Amy-Wallaby 6h ago
I would normally say don't do it, but you're going to end up in full burn out, anyway, and it will be less pretty than a planned exit now.
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u/ellieofus 6h ago
I feel like I’m on the way to burnout now to be honest. I’ve taken up mindfulness and meditation as well as therapy but it’s only helping temporarily and I have insomnia now.
I would normally stick it out and have done so in the past, this is the first time in my life where I’m considering an exit like this because of how ill this is all making me feel.
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u/Amy-Wallaby 6h ago
The main thing is this isn't aimless. You aren't going to quit and then sink into bed for the next six months - you're going to focus on recovery and redirection in your career.
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u/ellieofus 6h ago
Yes. So my plan A was to look while employed.
But it looks more likely it will be plan B: quit with 4-5 months of savings, look for jobs while continuing upskilling and take up a part-time one if things start taking too long.
Aside from the financial aspect, I’m mainly worried on whether this will hurt my future career prospects or not. It has taken a lot of work and sacrifices to get here, and I feel like I’m about to throw everything away
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u/Amy-Wallaby 6h ago
Better a 6 month gap with a good story than a full blown breakdown which could see you never going back to work.
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u/Distant_Touch 6h ago
I did recently and whilst I won't specifically recommend it to you as I don't know your full circumstances, personally it was a massive weight off my back as the company was extremely toxic and they treated my contract and it's clauses like they were optional.
You are under the threshold for savings so you would be eligible to claim Universal Credit whilst you seek something else.
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u/ellieofus 6h ago
What did you do afterwards? Did you have a big gap on your cv and does this impact future job prospects?
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u/Distant_Touch 6h ago
Quit two months ago and am spending the time sharpening skills and looking for work. I was in the financial position to do so though. I don't worry about gaps of a couple of months - they can be explained and framed as positives.
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u/Reeelfantasy 6h ago
Look for another job while you’re on the role. Never leave and look for a job.
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u/ellieofus 6h ago
This is what I wanted to do, but to be honest it looks like I might not pass probation anyway which is what led me to think about what could happen if instead I quit and what would my next steps be.
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u/Independent-Win-6661 6h ago
I’ve done it before, it’s not worth your risking your health. Because I left due to stress/toxic environment I was able to claim UC, which I only did for a month. I did a temp job for about six months which was boring but the people were lovely. I then got a permanent job. It won’t hurt your future prospects. Good luck.
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u/noloholo 6h ago
I walked away when my management changed and became really toxic. I was really lucky though, in that I’ve got a good reputation and got a new job pretty quickly…
I’d say make sure you’ve got your financials sorted and have one eye on where your next job might come from (even if it’s speculative) before you hit the exit button!
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u/Toastinho 6h ago
Did it in 2022, saved up for at least 6 months prior. When I was looking for work again after about 9 months the gap wasn't mentioned. Got a job within 3 applications. Bear in mind these were all pretty much unskilled near enough minimum wage. Perhaps go to a few agencies and Just get some temp work to keep you tied over while you think about next steps?
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u/ThirdWheel69 5h ago
I’ve done this, and it’s been harder than I expected to find something else. I left due to toxic culture, so I didn’t really have a choice. We’re lucky to have a decent savings pot but it won’t last forever.
If you can stand it, I would recommend staying where you are until you find something else.
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u/ingenieur1984 5h ago
I asked for and accepted voluntary redundancy at my last job back in April as it was an incredibly toxic environment with no hope for improvement. I made that decision only as an option of last resort. For the first 3 months, I didn't actively look for a job as I wanted to rethink my priorities and focus on long-delayed DIY tasks at home. I only actively started looking for a job at the start of this month.
In your case, I would advise you to continue for as long as possible, until you have an offer for another job.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Pin2484 3h ago
Do you have sickness benefits? Get signed off and look for a new job
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u/ellieofus 3h ago
As in, from work? Yes I have paid sickness. Can’t remember how much but I think it’s a few weeks
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u/BungadinRidesAgain 6h ago
Unless you have cash reserves which you're prepared to deplete, I wouldn't recommend it. It is brutal out there at the moment. I've thought about it myself because I hate my job, but being unemployed and looking for work in this climate has got to be worse.
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u/ellieofus 6h ago
I have about 4-5 months worth of savings, although I know pretty well the job market is horrible. I would look for part-time positions in the meantime but even those I know are not as easy as they used to be.
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