to take a 50k paycut

[RiddleyW]

Bit if a WWYD I suppose.

I currently earn lowish 6 figures and a really really interesting job has come up but it's a significant paycut, around 50k at least (and more if I assume I get my max bonus in current job).

It has a somewhat better pension and 2.5 days more holiday a year. Probably similar hours to what I do now and similarly flexible.

In many ways I think this might be complete madness but honestly it is working for my absolute dream organisation.

As a family we could afford it but would mean some cutting back and definitely saving less for DS' future.

Feels selfish to even consider it really but I'm sooooo tempted!

So, would I be unreasonable to go for this job?

@user1491678180

Yeah you got me. I am soooooooooo jealous of the massive wage the OP is on.

I am only on a shitty £35K.

Well yes, in the context of the OP’s situation, that is a shitty salary.

maybeitsmaybelline
Take the redundancy, you are in a privileged position at mortgage/dependent free and you husband earns over £100k.

Start a business, travel etc, why would you not take £78k.

I don't get your logic....

Sounds good.

I meant that to MNHQ

No idea why everyone is so angry with you OP!

I took a cut of 50% to around 50k some years ago because it was for a job I really really wanted (same industry but different area) and it was absolutely the right decision, never regretted it for a second.

But it was before I was married, so I could make that decision without it impacting much really. May not be so easy for you.

Plenty of people take strategic pay cuts but you have to be careful. For instance investment bankers who do a stint in government. It’s worth it if it brings contacts and experience but I would not just do it because you think it’s nicer. I went to what I thought was a nicer job - for more money - once and it wasn’t at all. However I did once take a £30k pay cut for strategic reasons to get a different type of experience and a couple of years later I am back to what I was on before and a bit more having been promoted. Good luck

So you earn £115,000 to £120,000 or so a year, and your DH earns less than £10,000 a year???

This is a very common dynamic in many couples, albeit with the genders reversed. It’s perfectly plausible.

@LilyMumsnet

can we have some peace and love please?

Sure thing. I'm off now anyway.

This thread is boring me now - and so are some of the posters on it.

TOODLE-PIPSKI. I am off to find a more interesting thread, with less irritating people.... 😫

But it was before I was married, so I could make that decision without it impacting much really. May not be so easy for you.

This is precisely it I think. If it were just me I’d definitely go for it.

OP. Two points here.
1 If you are good enough to justify a £100k salary then you ought to be capable of figuring this out yourself without asking the online world.
2 As a £100k earner you might have been better asking any questions on a forum populated by other high earners who might have some empathy with your dilemna.

OP

Perhaps this has really brought up some issues that you have with your current job.
This may be a chance to think about what you were hoping the " new" job would provide you with, in terms of job satisfaction.

It may not be the right job, and may not be the right springboard into your ideal job, but it sounds like you may be ready to move on?

@Noextremes2017 - OP. Two points here.

1 If you are good enough to justify a £100k salary then you ought to be capable of figuring this out yourself without asking the online world.

I know some complete idiots earning a lot more than 100k. They are excellent at their jobs but have no common sense or street smarts. Op - I'm not suggesting you're an idiot

2 As a £100k earner you might have been better asking any questions on a forum populated by other high earners who might have some empathy with your dilemna.

Plenty of people on here are high earners, plenty are middle earners and plenty are low earners. If the post isn't relevant to you, then don't read it. Simple really. I think there are enough posters on this thread who are empathising to demonstrate that it was reasonable to post here.

I came on as I took a pay cut from a job I hated. The new job had less progression opportunities but the pluses made up for it. I was able to work half-time for 10 years which was brilliant. However, dh has a decent salary that meant I was able to do that. He was also able to take a 10k cut to pursue a job he much prefers.

It's all about the balance sheet, which includes a lot more than money.

So you earn £115,000 to £120,000 or so a year, and your DH earns less than £10,000 a year???

What? How is this any different from the countless SAHMs on here whose husbands earn 6 figures in the city while they toodle about taking Tarquin to judo and sometimes crochet things to sell on Etsy?

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to consider it, at least.
But

1. think about what your next move would be AFTER this move. How would this role affect your long term career? Would it make you more employable by other organisations?

2. Do the proper math. Pensions are important. Work out exactly how much the additional pension contribution would be, and factor that in. Also, if you go from £120k to £70k (say) that will have a significant effect in terms of a) tax free childcare eligibility b) income tax c) tax deductible pension contributions. You need to factor all that in too and work out the change in net income.

3. don’t assume that the salary that’s being advertised is the “real” salary. It may well not be the max they can go up to. Be prepared to negotiate. The key to this is doingEVERYTHING you can to avoid committing yourself to a salary expectation at the initial HR screening stage. Go on about how fabulous the role is but stay vague about money. Don’t tell them exactly how much you are paid now until much later on, after you have met people from the business and impressed them. If they pressure you for a figure, give them a very wide range. Say “there are lots of variables”.

Isthisafreename

Yes I am sure there are some complete idiots earning £100k. Note the word 'ought'.

Yes there are people with empathy; people who can't relate to anyone earning more than £15k and no doubt people who think it is a fake post. I was simply suggesting that addressing the question to a group of similar high earners would result in more relevant and understanding answers.

And just for the record the post is quite relevant to me / my past. And I'll make any comments I like, thanks.

So the OP's husband has a poorly paid (but interesting) job and she can afford to take a 50k salary cut.

Absolute codswallop

Obviously not. Unless you hate your current job, the grass is not greener.

So the OP's husband has a poorly paid (but interesting) job and she can afford to take a 50k salary cut.

Why not? Combined they probably earn like £120k and with the paycut something like £70k, which is still way more than the average household income in the UK.

@Noextremes2017 - And just for the record the post is quite relevant to me / my past. And I'll make any comments I like, thanks.

I made no comment as to whether the post is relevant to you or whether you should or shouldn't make comments.

I was commenting on the diversity of posters on mn and that nobody is required to read or comment on a post if it is not relevant to them. That very diversity is one of the advantages of asking on a forum like this as there will be people who can relate and who are interested. More specialised fora are likely to have fewer members and fewer responses.

I would apply, get a better feel for what the job would really be like if offered an interview and most of all do as much research as possible into the organisation to find out if it really is the dream organisation because charities, public sector etc can be a culture shock and the reality can be a million miles away from the external reputation

I’ve always found mumsnet pretty good for these types of questions. There have been some really useful posts.

I the past I’ve had (possibly literally) life saving advice on here when I had a newborn and also excellent advice on smart clothes for fat women and I often read really thoughtful posts from women about their work.

I’m not sure what a forum for high earners would be. I honestly only know this one!

Wow at all the haters.

I took a 25% cut recently because I got my ideal job and brilliant boss and very carefully scoped them out before I accepted it.

The cut means we have to save now for holidays instead of buying outright but that's not really a hardship is it.

Be aware though that dream company might not be all its cracked up to be if your colleagues and company culture aren't that great.

I went from 125k to 18 as a paralegal about 10 years ago. Now im on 55 which is pretty much it as a legal aid solicitor as it’s quite high in the sector. Don’t regret it for a second.

You don't sound like a dick. And I definitely think you're right to stick where you are.

I was similarly jaded in my job. Took a 10k pay cut to move to dream organisation (while that's nowhere near 50k cut I was earning way less so 10k made a huge difference to me). I quickly realised the new job wasn't what I initially thought. Whereas I was in charge or a department and multinational projects where I was before, at the new place I couldn't even send an email without needing to get it checked.
I really considered going back to my previous employer so many times and wish I had. It really was a case of the grass is greener.
Then when I applied for other jobs, they of course asked my current salary and based offers on my new lower salary and it was hard to increase my wage back up.

Well done for being a high achiever the world needs more women in high paid positions.... having said that.. go for the new job! Life is short x