The first full series of the Civil Service Pensions Podcast is now available

In our first series, hosts Rob Walker and Emily Eccles from MyCSP (the Scheme Administrator) take listeners back to basics to help you get to grips with your Civil Service Pension and make more informed choices about your future. Each episode explores the scheme in detail with guest speakers from the Cabinet Office and members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme sharing their experiences and perspectives.

The first episode features Dominic Arthur (Director of Civil Service Pensions and Government Recruitment in the Cabinet Office) and Duncan Watson (Chief Executive of MyCSP). They talk about the basics of the scheme - what is a pension? Why is it better than saving money in other ways? And what makes this scheme one of the best in the UK public sector? No question is too small.

Our second episode features Linda, a retired civil servant who spent 45 years working for HM Revenue and Customs. She looks back fondly on her career and shares how she's navigating the world in her retirement. She tells us about experiencing unconscious bias, becoming a student again and the importance of thermal underwear! 

Episode three dives into the Gender Pension Gap with a fascinating discussion about how half the UK's population are facing an unbalanced future in retirement. Cilla Christmas and Sarj Wheelwright from the Cabinet Office share their personal experiences of the social and economic factors that contribute to the Gender Pension Gap, from contracts for married women in the 1990s to dealing with divorce and balancing caring responsibilities while you're working.

Our fourth episode is about why you should care about your pension in your 30s. James, Policy Advisor from Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is our guest, and he's also about to become a first-time dad. We discuss why he ought to engage with his pension now, and James shares his perspective on why younger people may shy away from planning for their retirement.

In our penultimate episode, we hear from Andy Jones from the Cabinet Office and Jane Bates, Head of Life Events at MyCSP, about what happens to your pension if you leave the Civil Service or opt out of the scheme. They share advice on why members should stay in the scheme and provide useful information if members want to switch to or from partnership.

Our final episode focuses on key life and career events that can impact your pension. Mick Mulligan from the Cabinet Office and Emily Wilson, Senior Training Consultant at MyCSP take us through different milestones; from joining the scheme and getting a promotion, to taking a career break, getting married or divorced, and having children; and how all these can affect your pension contributions.

Whatever stage of your career you're at, there's something for everyone. 

You can listen to the whole series wherever you get your podcasts.