Sam

Set a decision date rather than deciding continuously. 'I'll review this in March and I'm not allowed to quit before then' removes an enormous amount of daily energy drain. The oscillating is more exhausting than the work.

A flat first year is arguably the best training you can get. The people who quit are the ones whose first year was great, who then assumed that was normal and got badly rattled the first time it wasn't. You're learning the boring part early.

For the number itself: work out your hours on the extra work, multiply by the rate you wish you'd charged, and don't discount it because you feel awkward. If you undercharge the change order you've just taught them that additions are free.

The 'things are going well so I'll wait' feeling is the entire reason bands exist. Rebalancing always feels wrong — you're selling the thing that's working. Setting a mechanical rule and following it removes the monthly decision, which is the actual product here.

And ask for a notice period in writing. Even 30 days changes the risk profile of putting all your hours in one place.

This is what I did with a similar rate. Also check for early repayment penalties before you overpay — some loans charge and it changes the maths.

Good point. One holds about 500 and the other about 3,600, so there's more difference than I assumed from the top ten.

It's 0.07 vs 0.22 on about £26k, so roughly £39 a year. Sounds like stop-buying is the right call rather than selling.

Can confirm. Took about six weeks of just being useful before the first enquiry, then three in a fortnight.

Open a separate bank account for it today. Free ones exist. It costs nothing and it means next year's version of this question doesn't happen, because the account statement is the record.

If it's inside a tax-sheltered account, none of the tax tracking matters and you can ignore all of this. Worth checking which account it's in before you build a spreadsheet.