To take a 30% salary reduction to take a job I possibly would enjoy more?

[TheBigDilemma]

To avoid drip feeding, this is the situation.

1. I am divorced, I live of my income and nothing else

2. My current salary is not huge. After all my basic expenses (bills, mortgage and groceries), I have about £400 left over to be spent on eventualities (car maintenance, house repairs, clothes, vet fees, going out but it us mostly spent in unexpected but absolutely necessary expenses, and saving for the very odd visit to see my family abroad (every 2 years but it has been 4 from the last one)

3. I live well but frugally. After 15 years raising my son on my own (he is now in uni) . I’m used to stretch my money, I menu plan, I am very careful with my expenses, most of my clothes and what is in my house comes from charity shops.

4. I hate my current job, I spend the day copy pasting stuff from a system to spreadsheets and from spreadsheets to the system. I have no influence, no say but the team is nice, with exception of a woman who is a bully but I am told I need to put up with because she has had mental health problems for several years. I am upset at least 3 times a week, I am at the verge of tears at least once a week.

5. I have been supporting or providing cover for people with mental health issues for at least 8 years. This has doubled the amount of work I do but not my salary, it also has involved putting up with plenty of abuse from the people I am supposed to be helping as I do not complete the tasks EXACTLY as they want despite not being properly trained for the job as the absences come always at the last minute and on peak season. There is no gratitude for my long hours (and leaving DS to be raised by the iPad) I normally get shouted about, accused of trying to steal their jobs and some other shit that I am told I need to put up with as they have mental health issues. The stress has been such I have ended having a breakdown myself a couple of years ago. For the record, when I was down… no cover was organised for me as my boss thought I was sooo efficient I would be able to catch up with the job myself on my return. I didn’t, I’m still feeling very broken, frail and resentful.

6. I have put up with this job because, it is safe, paid better than other jobs, and most importantly, was flexible enough to allow me to run to pick up DS from school when he was I’ll and make up for any lost time working from home at night, etc.

7. I am highly qualified, I have years of management experience, I am very creative and good at optimising processes, I get along with the people I manage and love to be in a position of responsibility. I have not done any proper management for a good few years, mostly due to my divorce… in a nutshell, I couldn’t commute as the afterschool club hours didn’t allow for me to drop off and pick up within the opening hours, so it made sense to take this other local job as I could be there for my son, who has no contact with his dad, and also because much of the extra amount I would get for these jobs was going to be spent in train fares.

8. the new job I have been offered involves quite a bit of management, working independently and coordinating a nice small team. I would love to do it, pays more or less the same as my current job despite the extra responsibility BUT it is part time, which would be great after so much stress but hence the 30% reduction of salary.

I have spent my life putting my son’s needs and financial security first. He is now at uni and so far coping fine with student loans. AIBU for ditching my safe job for this part time one that could provide more satisfaction but leave me with no money to deal with unexpected expenses?by his also means I will not be able to afford visiting my parents at all anymore (they are old and at an expensive longhaul flight away)

I need to make a decision by Monday.

I think you need to change jobs but it doesn’t sound like really you can afford a drop in income. I’d carry on looking

You sound absolutely fabulous, I think you can do better than either of these jobs! Set your bar higher, you sound very motivated and experienced, any workplace will be gagging to have you. Keep applying!

Make sure you consider pension provision. Does your current employer have a good pension scheme? Going PT will also reduce your pension contributions, can you afford less money once you retire? You don't give your age but given you have a DC at uni I'm guessing that you aren't in your 20's.

I’d take the new job then look to top up with an extra job if you need to? Job in cafe at weekend, or taking in a student for 2 weeks at a time, or anything else flexible & ad hoc.

I don't think you should go for such a large pay cut particularly at such an expensive time. The job market is incredible at the moment. Keep looking and you will find something better without losing pay.

After spending many years as a SAHM when I was married my pension prediction is so little it is not worth sacrificing my present for it.

My house is not fully paid, I have an interest only mortgage but the house is worth 5 times what I owe and going up steadily. So I am relying on it as the main source of pension.

The new place has a better pension scheme but… the contributions would be smaller given the smaller salary.

Take the job. The likelihood is that you’ll be able to take extra work on when opportunities arise with the new company.

Have you done the full salary calculator check on what the effect is on your take home pay of the new job? Do you know the pension contributions etc? I agree with various other PP that you should take it but possibly not with a view to it being your long term role. You might move on again after this role gives you some time to heal from your current awful job.

There’s also something else about the new job… it is so near to my house I can walk my dog at lunch time.

Obviously is not only the dog’s welfare I am considering here but spending one hour less a day stuck in traffic.

You could always do a bit of totally different work on the side or take in a lodger

It’s an employees market after all

Your mental health is important. Very important. Can you cut back somewhere to make this work for a couple of years, then move on to a full time and better paid position?

Not having petrol costs will help enormously. My husband saved £250 petrol per month in lockdown

Yes take the new job. See if you can negotiate more pay first, don’t take their first offer.

Be prepared to move again, take on a second job or do some freelance work…once you’ve recovered your confidence from being in the terrible workplace. Don’t stay there a moment longer.

Could you sell the car? And do without

Location is a great benefit and will save on commuting costs.

Now you've said that I'd err on the side of going for it, but put some boundaries in place before you start. No unpaid extra time, if they wanted a full time manager they should have paid for one. Did you discuss extra hours at interview ? If not it might be worth ringing them up, say you want the position but the salary is a concern and you'd look to take on something else in the other hours so wanted to check that there wasn't a culture of unpaid overtime.

Then I'd get creative about how you can bridge the financial gap. Getting a lodger in/exam invigilation/hotel babysitting any low stress gig you can find that pays.

Finally on visiting your DPs, could they afford to pay for the fares ?

I'd do it in a heartbeat. Seems everyone else's mental health takes priority over yours.

Then if I was stuck for money maybe do a couple of nights bar work which (if it were me) I'd really enjoy the social side of that.

Am considering a similar move myself to part-time and I don't have the toxic atmosphere at work that you do.

Good luck :-)

The other thing to consider is that your current job won't want to lose you.
Is there anything they can offer - wfh a couple of days a week, more money, effective management of other staff - that would persuade you to stay ?

Suggest continuing to look for another, full time job.

I wouldn’t take further financial risk by taking the PT job, unless it’ll be good for your CV and you could use it to increase your chances of a FT iob, say in a year or so.

I'd stay out and look for something else entirely.

I’d take the new job but be planning to move again in two years if they don’t offer an opportunity to increase your hours. It’s hard to get back up to management level and once you are there relatively easy to move sideways to f/t at the same level.

I’m another one who would say make the move if your current job is that bad. I would certainly consider doing without the car. My DM sold hers when she made the switch to retirement, admittedly she was in the London area so public transport was plentiful but with the savings on tax, MOT, servicing etc it made a lot of difference. Also second the idea of some kind of side hustle - ?dog care if you already have one ?babysitting as you’ve obviously successfully brought up DS ?Something you enjoy like cooking or a craft.

There are a few options for part time work that are flexible - "indeed flex" is an app where you sign up and can pick up random shifts in supermarkets etc, I believe Amazon now offer the same sort of thing if that helps.

Take the job. Life is too short and work takes up too much of it to be stuck in a job that makes you miserable, and it sounds like you can cover your day to day living costs from the new salary. Once you're in it and have has a couple of months to recover from your current job, start thinking about other things you could do to bring some more money in around it. I took a pay cut for a much better job and don't regret it at all. The breathing room alone once the stress lifted was worth an infinite number of future camping holidays.

If the majority of your current job is copy-pasting in and out of spreadsheets it's surely only a matter of time before someone comes along and automates it anyway, so better to get out now on your own terms.