Ever Changed Your Job To A Lower Paid One?

[IfOnlyOurEyesSawSouls]

Hello

I am wondering if any of you have ever chose to leave your stressful job for one that is lower paid ... ie approx a third less in salary.

If so how has it impacted upon your life and that of your family?

How has it affected your physical & mental wellbeing, your relationships, social life and activities that you like to do?

Positives & negatives please & thankyou 😊

I took a massive pay cut last year. The job, the people and the environment are worth it, just. The other job was toxic.

That's it isn't it @DefiniteArticle , the society that we live in in 2019 places an overwhelmingly high importance on paid work and preferably out of the home. And the price is predominately paid by women: Labor and child care is minimised, child related work out of the home is poorly paid, maternity leave can be shortened, competitive mothering is worn like a badge; and in all of this, the primary childcarer is deminished and demoted in society, and woe betide should 'she' raise delinquents, well where was she?? At work outside of the home!

Often, I notice that we women want to show how we are smashing the glass ceiling, by 'having it all', but inside we forget that there is more to life than pushing every boundary and breaking down every barrier. You can just be.

It's so hard to make the change isn't it. I ended up crying in a meeting room today, I was having such a shit day. And yet I still feel so worried about leaving and worried I will regret it long term.

How are you now @ladybirdleaf ?
Did you have support to go home too?

@ifonlyoureyessawsouls thanks for checking, I'm fine - went home to my lovely DH and a takeaway. He's so supportive and would be happy for me to quit, the issue is more in my own head if that makes sense? I've worked for the organisation for 11 years in different roles and I think I have become institutionalised.

Plan is to gather my strength at the weekend and resign next week. I have a three month notice period so plenty of time to find something else.

How are you getting on?

When I moved to the UK I had to get a serious cut in pay. I had been getting $45k a year or so doing entry level event work. Moved to the UK and found the equivalent job out here pays £18k. I've come to accept that I may never make that much again.

More recently I was working in a terrible job. 26k a year, 45 hours a week was expected, 24-hour on-call weekend coverage expected with only £50 to compensate for your 2 hours' of sleep, not to mention getting screamed at by management and employees alike. I also was getting very angry in my day-to-day life, which I was not a fan of.

I was super nervous about accepting the new job. I had been through 3 jobs in as many years, which doesn't look amazing to recruiters. The job was listed as being 3-4 days a week with salary between 20 and 30k. In the end, got the exact same pay, but 4 days' a week pro-rata. Better HR policies, though, which meant I lost no days' holiday per year and a bonus 52 days off.

After taxes, I think I would've been getting an extra £36 each day I worked. My anxiety has plummetted, I am so much less angry day to day.

Yes. Ten years ago I earned a huge amount of money as a city lawyer but worked in a very toxic environment with some major wankers and sadly was married to an even bigger wanker who was verbally and physically abusive (and of course was very senior in that profession).

When it all fell apart because I found out he had been cheating throughout our 30 years and three children together, one of the things I promised myself was that I would never get trapped back into that job.

I now work part time for a fraction of what I used to earn with some very lovely people in a respectful environment instead of Glengarry Glen Ross. Absolutely worth it. I am pleased with the choice I made every single day.

Twice but only just over 10% both times . 1st time within 6 months I was on more than the job I left plus bonuses so by the time I left 3 years later I'd had a increase of 30% salary . I left that job because it was so boring and I'd had enough I was on way more than the going rate because they didn't want me to go but I decided I could afford a pay cut so I took just over 10% . I have to be more careful with money and I'm annoyed I didn't saved more on my last job but I'm enjoying my job the people are great I'm learning loads more , hours are great etc. I'm hoping that I'm time I'll get pay rise / promotion so will see but I'm glad I took a chance . I'd recommend if you can afford it .