DH accepted a new job offer 100 quid less per week but says it will eventually advance his career...

[Cruella78]

DH went back to college & studied a field related to his career... He recieved a job in his new field but the salary is 100 quid less per week that we can't afford!! He says that the salary will increase & also that he will have greater earning potential I the future... Aibu to feel uneasy about this? It feels risky.. His old salary was 80k per year & I am a sahm as I don't want to pay a fortune in childcare & we have no family support...

What hours will he be working
if you pick up a few hours in the week (evenings/weekends) you could make this £100 per week up

Sounds reasonable as its an investment, surely this was on the cards when he started to retrain? Perhaps you could work some evenings and weekends to make up the shortfall?

It depends on the faith you have in him and his track record of reliability. My husband did this about 5 years ago and we have had to rein things in, but his new job has more scope for progression and he will soon overtake his previous salary with room to grow still further.

Do you mean his old job was 80k and the new one is 75k? Or something else?

So his pay has dropped from 80k to 75k? After 40% tax its £60. Can you look for an evening job and do a couple of shifts per week to make up the difference?

So he's on about £75k instead of £80k? And this is temporary? You'll be fine.

It's not unusual to have to take a pay cut when moving into a different career. If he's put the effort into studying in a field that will ultimately lead to a better paid career he may have to take a step back, before he can take a step forward.

If his salary was 18k annually I'd agree.

But 80k?

I could definitely like on the resulting 75k a year if I meant he would get back there at some point and he was happier

So now he's on closer to £70k. Tighten your belts, £100 a week (which is a strange way to think about a drop in salary, think of it as monthly to understand better what it means for you re bills etc) is not a huge amount when you're on a higher salary.

It sounds like you need to cut back on spending and find a job.

Yes old job 80k, new one approx 70kish...

He's still a high earner.

Consider getting a job, lots of us have to pay for childcare/

He gets family health insurance with new job with 5% salary going into a pension plan..

Not the topic I know but I'm curious what college course gets you a 70k job

YABU from the info you've given.
After tax, it's about £60 per week you'll be down in the short term.
But what about the other costs associated with the job? How much will travel to work be compared with the previous job? Have you factored that in? What are the hours like? Does the lower salary come with greater flexibility?

Dont brand yourself a SAHM forever. Your children will soon get older and you'll be able to do some work if you want to.

Are you feeling uneasy because you're concerned the new career doesn't actually offer your DH better prospects? If not, you really have nothing to worry about.

He's earning well, and he should have the option to develop his career in the direction that he thinks will be best in the long term.

If you have no childcare costs etc, how is it that you can't afford to live on £70k? It sounds like you need to reduce your outgoings, or work a few hours per week to make up the difference. If you do weekends or evenings, or whenever your DH doesn't work, you shouldn't need to pay for childcare. Or do something wfh in the evenings once the kids are in bed.

That's still a pretty decent salary, I'm sure if you go through your finances you'll find somewhere you can cut out £100 a week ( especially if that's before tax). Or as others have suggested could you work a few evenings/ a weekend day?

Sounds like a good, long-term decision.

Perhaps you could work some hours around his if you don’t want to pay for childcare, and you’re worried about the difference.

Will he be happier? If so it’s worth going from 80 to 70 especially as there is greater warning potential on the future.

I mean, if that loss means you will struggle to afford paying the mortgage/bills/food and you have no savings to plug that gap then obviously YANBU. But if you 'can't afford it' meaning you have to sacrifice additional expenditure for a year or two then I think YABU. It was the likely outcome of a career change - surely you had this conversation long ago?

We were kind of this situation years back and you muddle through and it did pay off and then some.

If its that big a deal to you then you will have to work too. You would get a certain amount of free childcare anyway so that would help too. You would have to do much to make up that shortfall.

It was an extension to his previous qualification... Allowed him to upskill & also change career.. Think along engineering lines.

If you need to work you need to work. You will earn more than childcare will cost (and I agree that childcare is extortionate) but it's the way it is. Many, many families have to rely on paid childcare to earn that they need to live. If you can't make £70k work for you, it's what you'll have to do - weigh up between working around DH and having less family time or paying for childcare while you work at the same times.

Well you had better look for a job then hadn't you?

I don't see the issue.

If you want the extra money, you can always pick up some evening or weekend work.