WWYD - Partner offered job abroad

[Onelifeonly22]

My partner has been offered a fantastic job abroad (beautiful beaches, tropical small island, offshore) - great pay, good work life balance, v interesting opportunity etc. His job here is also good but not secure and he has a long commute.

The dilemma is that I have a great job here (great company, can wfh when I want, flexible hours, good pay etc although it's not perfect, but what is). My company won't permit me to work remotely from abroad.

I am lucky in that I could get a good job in the country where we'd potentially move due to my professional qualifications on similar/higher pay but I'd have to go back to a much more corporate environment, in a different area and be in the office 9-6 recording billable hours to clients.

On the one hand it is an adventure and a slower pace of pace, and a chance to save more money than we could here to put towards a forever home. It is also apparently an amazing place to raise a family (we'd be trying soon) and a chance to be near beaches and nature. However, I also can't imagine going back to being in an office 5 days a week etc and the mat leave is less good. I have spoken to people who have moved there and they all love it but none has been in my job situation.

Has anyone taken the plunge and moved abroad when it meant leaving a good job? Any regrets? We'd go for 3 years.

Sounds amazing to me. I’ve done it a few times when my boyfriend/husband got new jobs in different countries, including in some that would generally be seen as quite “challenging places to live. At first, I managed to find great jobs for myself, then I had kids and didn’t want to work for a while, and now I work part time, flexibly from home (still in a foreign country) for a company I worked with in a previous country. All the new adventures have been worth it and we’ve been lucky that the financial package has allowed us to afford help with cleaning, nice houses, good schools for the kids, and travel opportunities etc. Good luck, if you decide to go for it!

Sounds like a fab opportunity! You say you can't take a sabbatical as it's 3 years, but you wouldn't need to go on those terms.

You could say, e.g. you will take a year's sabbatical if that would be allowable, then by the end of the year you would know if you want to continue or not. You could come back to your old job at that point if you wanted to, or get a new job in Bermuda at that point if you'd rather stay there.

I have no idea on the legal implications but presumably if you became pregnant while on sabbatical you could then start a mat leave on UK terms??

Why would you return to that kind of job - I'd your current one s special you wouldn't get another like it?
If it was me, speaking as someone in their 60s, I'd go. What a fantastic once in a lifetime opportunity. And should your relationship fail (no guarantee either way) you could still stay there if you loved it or return.
The only thing that would stop me if if I had a about to do GCSEs or A levels - but not an issue with you! I think you need to have a job to go to though.

I worked abroad three times and loved it - it changed my life totally. However I did go with a job. I think you’d have to feel really secure in your relationship and also think about if it would be easy for you to come back and get a job in the UK easily if for sone reason it didn’t work out. If it is I’d go for it.

Just to add My partner and I have discussed doing this together in the next 5 to 10 years as he would love to. I’d go with him in a heartbeat - but I have a job that I could get anywhere in the UK and abroad in international schools - so that bit I’m not worried about because even if I went with him initially without a job I’m confident I could get one. I think looking at job/ finances is important.

Pre kids I absolutely would have done this.

Go! Bermuda is amazing, one of the beat places in the world to live. When you get bored it’s a short hope to New York.

I worked there a long time ago and still miss in, if I had my time again I’d arrange things so I could stay out there permanently.

😍

Demand a ring and go!
It sounds like an amazing adventure. Tell him if you do this you're going to need some commitment too in a legally secure relationship, and you're going to need it quite soon.

Then wait. No proposal, no travel.

The adventure sounds amazing but late thirties, no children, nice job? Doing this a risk and potentially lots of down sides if you break up, you need that ring.

Thank you everyone for your input - first time I’ve sought advice on here and it’s really helpful to get different perspectives. So truly thank you for taking the time! I’m feeling more excited at the possible adventure. I have a habit of over thinking personal decisions, focusing on the possible risks / downsides, backing out of things and then regretting doing so (job opportunities, houses etc) and this could what I’m at risk of doing here! So it’s good to get impartial input!