Job advice please

[duke o' york]

Here's my situation:

I went to an interview today, and was offered the job while I was there, accepting it without a second thought - it's a fantastic opportunity, and comes with a £7k pay rise. All well and good.

Now currently I'm on a temporary job rebuilding a company's systems, and their period end is in two weeks, and they want me to be there for that. The new company want me to start that week, so that I can pick up the knowledge and systems from the employee I'll be partially covering while she's on maternity leave, as well as doing more high-end accountancy work, to which I will move full-time when she returns.

I've signed a contract with the agency I'm working for that gives me a week's notice. However, the company they placed me with wanted a month's notice so that if I found a permanent job they would be able to get someone else to come in in my place. I agreed, on the basis that they would give me a month's notice if they wanted to get rid of me. Now since the period end is only a fortnight away, there is no possible way they'd want me to stay for another fortnight after that doing next to nothing, so I'd have expected them to give me notice at least last week. I haven't signed anything save with the agency, whose employee I am, yet I don't want to let the current firm down.

I spoke with my manager at the current firm, and she said that they can't let me go until after their period end is done, and any problems have been resolved. So I went back to my new company and they need me in that week too because the woman I'll be (partially) replacing is going on maternity leave in three weeks time, and a single week isn't enough to pick up everything she does. I proposed a kind of timeshare scheme, whereby I spent part of that week with both companies: ideally morning at one and afternoon at the other, and the new FD readily agreed, but I didn't have a chance to put this to my current manager today, and it will continue on Monday morning...

Now I don't want to let the current firm down, but I only have an agreement with the agency, which entitles me to leave at a week's notice. My current manager says that her firm has an agreement with the agency that they require a month's notice, which is fantastic, because it's not with me, so I can go if I want after just a week. If I can't get the current manager to agree that I work for them every afternoon that week (and probably evenings too), then I might just give them a week's notice, have it refused and end up being "escorted from the premises", which is not ideal, but I've got a real job now, and they'd be grateful if I spent the entire week with them, not to mention saving a fortune on petrol!
Not being paid for a week would be a problem, but it's not insurmountable.

So what should I do?

Just walk away from my current job, even though I'd rather not leave them in the lurch?
Beg/plead with my new employer to let me start a week later, which might screw me long-term?
Give up being an accountant and take up tallying bananas? Daylight come, an me wanna go home.

(no poll, I want proper answers here please)

[Wiglaf]

I want a proper functioning penis that doesn't burn when I eat ice cream but we can't all get what we want now can we?

[duke o' york]

Wiggy, give up the ice cream, or give up the penis.

[Japher]

I don't see why maternity leave is a set in stone date. Usually they take off a few weeks before the pregnancy.

Still, if they were going to get rid of you even if you didn't have another job line up I think you clearly owe your loyalty to the new company.

[Ben Kenobi]

Can you do both jobs for a week?

Go to the other one for 4 hours in the morning, back at the other firm for 8?

It's a pain in the ass, but that way you get paid for both jobs, you get the training you need, and the next week.

I don't know what times you work, or the travel distance between the two if it's feasible.

Say, go from 8-12 at the new place because you are only doing training.

Get back to your current workplace at 1pm, and work there until 8pm.

[SlowwHand]

Ask for the week.

[rah]

Damn, i agree with ben. (but i'll say i'm agreeing with something you proposed already)

Explain the situation to your contract and offer the time share option. (either half days or probably better every other day) If they say yes, everything is fine. If they say no, say you were offering because you felt obligated not to screw them over but your future job was more important at this point. If they still give you a hard time after that, they deserve what they get. At least in the future you can alway say that you offered a compromise that they were unwilling to accept. (in case it's a small community)

[Ben Kenobi]

rah.

I've been in the situation before, I had several contracts on the go, and neither of the bosses found out I was working for the other.

That was fun.

[duke o' york]

Thanks gents, you've confirmed exactly what I was thinking of doing.

It's probably an hour and a half drive between the two (yeah, I am going to try and move house if I can if the new job goes well), but 8-12 and then 1.30-8(ish) should be fine with both parties hopefully.

[Zopperoni]

Your focus should primarily be on the new job. Whatever you do for the employer you're leaving is purely goodwill. It's a good gesture, but don't go above and beyond to tie everything up before you leave.

Indeed, offer the time-sharing option and see how they respond.

You can also go to the new employer and maybe offer to spend some time with the person you're replacing while she's on maternity leave. I mean, seriously, what do women actually do during maternity leave anyway?

[DaShi]

Quit both jobs, move to Fiji, and breed horses and sheep.

[SpencerH]

I would try to work an arrangement for both but if that doesnt work out then your focus should be to the new job, they've just hired you full-time. Misplaced loyalty to an employer is a waste of your time, you've got to cover your own ass (wiggie pun not intended).