WWYD - Salary or flexibility?

[moneyortime]

Name changed as don't want to link this to other posts.

£45k per annum job - loads of flexibility, only work 4 days - my current job (took step back after children)
£75 per annum job - less flex, full time - potential new job

2 x young children (pre-school). Plenty of savings for emergencies. Generally enough money but not swimming in it! I am the one in the household with the most earning potential - I could keep increasing my salary if I wanted to.

Would you take the money or keep the chilled out life?

I’d take the money.

Do you have someone else who can be flexible for your DC? If you have a helpful, hands on OH then take the money. If not, keep the flexibility.

Depends, who do you have helping with the kids? A decent partner who can step up? Cover what you were on that day? Or will you be expected at home to do the big job, the pick ups/drop offs, kids sick days, mental load AS WELL?

I do have a very hands-on flexible DH, yes. I'm just used to being 'around' and not sure about giving that up

I took flex, DW took big job.

I'd stick with the flexibility personally and extra day off if you're comfortable enough financially. Time is a precious resource, and flexibility will be valuable for when school starts. It is quite a big leap in salary though - is there a halfway house between the two somehow?

Any chance of part time in the new role or 5 in 4? Would the new role be more interesting/ a challenge?

Did you apply for a new job? If so, why?

I worry about being stressed out. My current job is rarely stressful, new one likely to be more so.

Money if you are the one with earning potential. DH can take the flexibility.

New role would be more challenging and interesting. More aligned with my qualification level. For context, its a pay cut from the role I had before children....I chose to take a step back at that point. Always wavering between regretting that and not regretting it at all!

The recruiter was vague on hours and flexibility. Now it turns out there is no scope to negotiate hours - so full time or not at all.

Honestly I’d go for the new role, prove yourself and after 6 months submit a flexible working request if you decide you’d rather be part time.

if you don’t like the new role you can easily step down again or move to a role at the same level at a more flexible company.

It’s a bit different for me as my DC have SEN but I’ve found it harder to juggle everything now they’re at school.

I work 26 hours and it’s very helpful when shit happens.

I wouldn’t take a job with no flexibility again for my sanity.

Their response to your qu about flexibility makes me wonder if they will be a shit employer.

If you have childcare covered then working full time sounds totally doable for you.

What do you know about the second job and the culture of the organisation? How do their values and ethics fit with your own? Do you know how flexible they are with things like working adjusted hours so you can attend school events? What's the commute like and is there an option to WFH?

As your DH is hands on and can be flexible for DC, I'd be tempted to go for the new role, but that would depend on the answers to the above. I'm in a senior, full time role, but I can flex my hours if needed and can WFH so it's manageable. I wouldn't want to work somewhere if I had to be in the office every day and the culture was very rigid.

my current job is like your current one and I wouldn’t go back full time with no flexibility until my youngest is at school at the least; I’ve done full time when I just had one in nursery and I was exhausted and miserable.

New role says they are flexible around children etc and there will be a lot of WFH. BUT it is a deadline driven role and you never know how much of this is actually true.

It's possible I wouldn't be able to do as many drop offs/picks as I do now.

DH's work is chilled and flexible but he does travel a couple of times per months so not unusual for me to have a few days solo.

Their response to your qu about flexibility makes me wonder if they will be a shit employer.

This tbh. Any employer not recognising the basic adjustments people need to manage a work life balance are to be avoided at all costs.

What kind of childcare are the DCs in? Is it preschool with limited hours or a private nursery which is open 11 hours a day? I'm finding school harder to deal with and my DC both want to do so many out of school activities now (ages 7 & 10), a lot of which start at 4.30 or 5.

In other words, I needed to be more flexible after they started school. Depends if your DH will step up?

I think you really need to consider what your priority is right now.

You will lose all child benefit and the top portion of your pay will be taxed at the higher income tax bracket, so you need to consider what the difference in your take-home pay will be. But it's potentially up to 1500 per month which is significant. The higher paying role would allow you to pay significantly more pension contribution if you wanted to avoid the higher rate taxation and loss of child benefit which would then allow you to retire earlier.

Also remember that the higher paying job doesn't have to be forever, you could literally do it for 1 or 2 years (or even less time if you didn't enjoy it).

A very difficult, but very nice, problem to have. I hope you are able to make the right decision for you and your family OP.

It sounds to me like you could probably seek out a better opportunity than the one offered - if you have previous experience at this higher level of seniority then why not look for a job that offers better money and some flexibility too?

New role or another role. Blitz for a few years and take a step back a bit later.

@CheshireSplat agree this is an issue. We use private nursery right now and there is flex for an early or late pick-up etc. School - next year - will be more of a logistical challenge.

@hazelnutlatte Yes true. There are many roles offering WFH/claiming to be flexible around children BUT I'm finding part time really hard to come by.

Does your current role have the potential to progress at all ? in the future ? When i was looking for my current job , flexibility and work life balance were more important to me than salary ( and i am the main earner in my house too) Got the job with flexi time and more holidays, not a four day week but a five day week, but allowed to work your hours up things early or start late when needed. Had a commute which did eat the little increase i got. However three years on i have progressed, salary has increased, still have my flexi time and now after covid have WFH. What is your priority ? At the time i was job hunting work life balance was my priority and the rest came after

No real room for progression in current role. I am bored and worried about stagnating. My priority was work life balance and I have that....maybe too much 'dead' time sometimes. BUT I love the thought of picking my children up from school etc. I didn't have that and I hated it. But the extra income would cover nice things - holidays, cleaner etc.....