Advice - anyone changed job to a lower paid job with less stress?

[TheMaidofOrleans]

Has anyone given up a responsible job for less stress and less money?

i currently work in a local authority in education in a public facing role with many processes, pressure and stress. It’s a fairly good salary but this job is affecting my health.

I applied and have got an interview for a job that is still fairly public fronting but more admin based but no more schools or parents to deal with!
it is a big step away from I currently do but all my skills are transferable- communication/ problem solving etc.

i hate interviews at the best of times but anyone got any advice for when they ask why I applied/ want the job…. I mean I can hardly say I want to sleep at night and not dread Monday mornings..!

My pay would drop but it would be manageable and DP supports me and our outgoings are small so I am not too worried about finance.

However, I work from home currently which is in some ways easy as I roll out of bed and log on.
( but my job is awful) but I regularly work into the evenings.
New job ( if I am offered it) is going into an office so that will be a new challenge but once it is it is 5pm, it is home time. The commute is not very far away.

Potential new job is also working one Saturday a month which sounds ok but I am thinking I may come to regret this after a while.

Had anyone has any advice experience/ stories to share?

I’ve done it a couple of times. Be aware that there is a different type of stress from either being under-estimated and treated like an idiot or being exploited and asked to do stuff within your capabilities but above the level you are paid to work at.

the reason for changing job should be that you really enjoy xxx part of the job and want to move to a role that has more focus on that, plus you’ve always liked their organisation and are excited by the idea of working in xxx industry for an organisation whose values contain [whatever it says on their website]

good luck

Yes. It’s fab. I’d recommend it.

Thank you and that is helpful

Bumping for the morning crowd

Yes me also. I had a high pressure job once and discussed it with a businessman. He said, before the age of forty, stress was good, it got you going etc. But after forty it kills you. That was it, I jumped job and now have a happy part time job, no stress.

Anyone else got any advice for the interview and how to answer the question about why I applied for a lesser paid job with less money?

No advice to offer but I'm following with interest because I'm in exactly the same position. I'm in a horribly stressful job with a relatively good salary but my mental health has gone down the toilet and I have an interview on Friday for a lower-paid but less responsible role. Same situation with working from home vs having to go into the office, but not having to take work home at the end of the day. I live alone so the drop in pay will be a bit more impactful on me but I can reduce some outgoings and spend less time on Vinted...

I'm interested in what answers you get for why you want to take a lower-paid role if you're asked that question at interview. You can say as much as you like about how much you want to develop your skills in x area and how much you admire the company, but they're going to know that there's more to it than that. Nobody admires any company so much that they're willing to take a £8k pay cut!

Thank and good luck and hope you are offered the job. i will continue to go on Vinted but to sell and not buy if I am offered the job! 🤞
Luckily I have recently moved into the town / area so i can say that in the interview and I feel ready for a new challenge , and wish to contribute to the local community/ team and add value or something along those lines.

Thanks, I'm sure I'll come up with something, more customer focus and a more sociable working environment or something like that. I quite enjoy working from home but it does make it so much more difficult to switch off at the end of the day. I always end up doing far more than my official hours because I find myself waking up really early, stressing about emails that I didn't deal with the previous day and logging on at stupid o'clock to clear the backlog. Nobody makes me do that but I just have ultra anxious tendencies and I really need to get away from any environment that enables them. Best of luck to both of us I reckon!

I did! £10k pay cut but luckily DH got a £10k pay rise at the same time. Had RA and went into remission once I started the new job. Finally had a pregnancy that didn’t end in the first five weeks. Best choice I ever made.

I left teaching. Although I missed the children in my class, it was the best decision that I made for my mental health. When asked at subsequent jobs why I left teaching, I always just go for the, "I discovered that it wasn't for me" and most people seem to nod sagely and say that they understand why, because they/someone they knew had been in that position once.

More recently, I started a part-time job (on top of my FT one) elsewhere. When I was asked why I went for that job, I said that I wanted to gain experience in a particular area, and that I would like to meet more people in my new local community. I live and work in the same area, so my world could be incredibly small if I let it be that way! As it is, I do a few different things to get me out and about now. Thankfully, the people at my PT job are much happier overall than the ones at my FT job...

Life v work balance would have been my
stock answer. If pressed, you could add that wfh is not a good fit for you.

Yes, I did following two heart attacks & working for an employer who had zero interest in reducing my stress levels.

I’m now much happier & healthier, although as I work in the same field, I do have to be wary of being asked to do things I’m totally capable of but which are definitely not on my current job description!