Choices to make re going for promotion

LegacyUser

Folks,

Not so much a work problem, more like decision to be made.

I'm currently in the very lucky position to hold a permanent job that I really enjoy. Salary is very good 75K. My wife works full time also.

I've received some encouragement to apply for another job within the organisation. Salary would start at 80k and rise to 100k after 4 or 5 years.

I need to give them an answer on this.

My current job has 30 days annual leave, so would the promotion. With my current job, it's accepted that overtime would be given back as time in lieu. With the new job, the hours would increase significantly and you wouldn't get the time back. It would also involve a lot of travel around the country and possibly abroad as well, whereas my current job has only a small amount of travel around the country.

I also have a young daughter, very lucky to be able to drop her to school most days and collect her most days. That would be gone with the new job.

The only positive I can see with the new job is the extra money, with bills to pay, it looks attractive.

So should I stay as I am or go for it?

Eoin

So for the first few years, you're looking at a net increase of 2-3K after tax. Granted in 4-5 years, that'll rise by a lot more.

If you declined, do you think it would negatively impact how you're perceived or treated at work? Will it count against you if you were to keep going as you are for a few years and then maybe look for the promotion?

I also have a young daughter, very lucky to be able to drop her to school most days and collect her most days. That would be gone with the new job.

You won't get that time back. I've to travel with work - not that much, maybe a week in the US every 6 months and the occasional few days in Europe - but I find it a bit of a drag being away from my family; and it's a bit of a strain on my wife too, as she's got to do all the crèche runs etc.

LegacyUser

Thanks Eoin,

I think there would be an initial period where there would be some negativity. But I've seen this before with others that have turned down offers of promotion. After a while the bosses just accepted it and this didn't seem to adversely affect their careers later in life.

So it's definitely something that I'd like to go for when my kid gets older. You're right, I won't get this time back.

_Brian

Well...
I'm nicely over the hump of 40, did the whole rise through the ranks of a prominent MN, wages similar to what you've mentioned, travel and all that..
I got out because for days on end I wasn't seeing my daughter and we were planning another.

My advice is stick with what gives you a good family life, your daughter will only be young once, maybe you'll have more kids.. being running ragged away from them is no easy life..

You've a decent wage, and your wife earns also.. I feel that often we adjust our lifestyle to consume what we earn, so in no time you'll have committed your extra earnings and have little or no time with your family..

There comes a time when we need to take stock and choose what's really important to us. I earn about half what I did 10 years ago, so we have a bit less disposable income, big deal, we spend lots of time together as a family, I drop my kids to/from school most days, Do their homework with them, drop them to their after school interests, its a much better life..

Work to live not live to work !!

kippy

_Brian wrote: »

Well...
I'm nicely over the hump of 40, did the whole rise through the ranks of a prominent MN, wages similar to what you've mentioned, travel and all that..
I got out because for days on end I wasn't seeing my daughter and we were planning another.

My advice is stick with what gives you a good family life, your daughter will only be young once, maybe you'll have more kids.. being running ragged away from them is no easy life..

You've a decent wage, and your wife earns also.. I feel that often we adjust our lifestyle to consume what we earn, so in no time you'll have committed your extra earnings and have little or no time with your family..

There comes a time when we need to take stock and choose what's really important to us. I earn about half what I did 10 years ago, so we have a bit less disposable income, big deal, we spend lots of time together as a family, I drop my kids to/from school most days, Do their homework with them, drop them to their after school interests, its a much better life..

Work to live not live to work !!

I'd agree with this line of thinking.
You're probably on a better hourly wage now, than you would be at the top salary of the potential "new" job, when you take into account the terms and conditions of that role and the added travel hours, lack of time in lieu etc etc

How you are looked on if you turn this opportunity down depends entirely on the people doing the looking.

skallywag

choicestomake wrote: »

... With the new job, the hours would increase significantly and you wouldn't get the time back. It would also involve a lot of travel around the country and possibly abroad as well, whereas my current job has only a small amount of travel around the country...

I'd step back from it OP to be honest, I really don't see the extra expectation being worth the extra salary. By the sounds of it you already are in a decent financial position. Perhaps it's something you can consider in the future? Jobs tend to come around periodically but your young daughter will only grow up the once.

If your boss is anyway reasonable then the family man explanation should be not issue.

seamus

There's a tipping point for everyone where you have to weigh up whether you want to be paid more, rise through the ranks and work every hour you can, or hold where you are on a good salary but with the freedom to spend time with your family and so forth.

It's basically the "live to work" -v- "work to live" line. I've encountered lots of people whose goal is a senior position in a big company, earning big money, and everything else comes second. These are the guys who respond to emails at 3am, who ring you about work on a Saturday when they're at the beach with their family and who conduct performance reviews with you on the street while they walk their kids to school (seriously).

At some point you have to decide if you're one of those people or you're not. In some industries, people will think you're crazy for choosing family and life over a promotion. But in Ireland certainly most people won't.

LegacyUser

Thanks everyone for the advice,

I've made my mind up, I am going to stay put in the job that I enjoy.

Continue having a good work life balance and being lucky enough to be on a very good wage at the same time.

Someone else can climb the corporate ladder and good luck to them.

Life's too short to take on the stresses linked to this job.

Irish_Elect_Eng

Before refusing....Negotiate Hard....Focusing on the point that you raised that are important to you....

I agree that you should Work to Live, but opportunities like these are career defining and may not come again.

So negotiate very hard before declining.....Everything in business in a negation to some extent.

Best of Luck.