£40k or £80k job

[Justice4Friend]

This shouldn't really be an issue - £80k for the money alone should swing this decision.
But I am undecided.
£40k is a low wage but I'll enjoy the company, the job, the people and the day to day of what the role entails.
The £80k is just salary - not too enthused
About the job, manager, company or the team. Can see myself getting down in this role.

Am I being stupid to even have this dilemma?

I’ve just had a similar situation. Took the higher salaried role despite all my reservations.
Hated every minute.
Left within months and looking for a new role.

What is the difference in:

• commute
• workload
• stress
• progression
• position in terms of seniority
• industries ?

@BadActors
This is what I want to save myself from.
Maybe if I hear enough stories why high paying jobs aren't all that, I won't feel so weird about rejecting the £80k.
The whole process felt 'off' the money isn't making it any better to look past.

£40k is a low wage?!

Take the 40k and live the way you want to, as long as that's enough for where you are.

If you took the higher paid role is it likely you would find one with a salary in the middle soon afterwards or are these the only two jobs available for a while? Is the lower paid job the only one with a decent environment likely to come up?

I must say that money would be tempting. Ultimately for me it would depend on how much the money would make to your life. If you are already comfortable and 40k will be enough to stay there then do that. 80k would be transformative for me and navy others and it's tempting to stick it out for a year or two.

Hmm what happens if you take the 40k job and there's a change in the management/team? I've had this happen a few times and completely destroy the culture.

So much of that stuff is outside your control so I'd opt for the higher paid job and ensure strong boundaries and setting the tone from the beginning.

Obviously if the 80k job looks seriously problematic then that is different and I'd pass on it.

If you are being offered roles at 80k though I don't know why you'd accept 40k. Can you keep looking for a higher salary AND everything else you're looking for?

It is by comparison when the other job offered is paying twice that much.

I had a very similar dilemma twice within the last 5 years. I chose job satisfaction over salary. I appreciate I was in the position to afford to do it, but I don’t regret it one bit. I love my job, have a supportive team, a great manager, and I get to work hard and do something rewarding each day.

i bet the take home wont be massively dissimilar

£31,771 for £40K and £56,203.40 for £80k so 77% higher.

i stand corrected

Always go for half the money you could get and moan about it forever.

I'd go for the money. You can always move and you'll have more leverage.

I always think I can stand anything for 6 months. And presumably the higher role comes with a better possibility of a sideways move somewhere better. I'm afraid I'd go for money and title and give myself options.

Nobody ever wished on their deathbed that they’d spent more time at work. So in that vein I’d choose the one that gives you the best work:life balance and the happiest mind.

It's not a low wage, but it's also no longer really a high wage. Minimum wage for 40 hours a week is almost £24k, and the average gross wage for full time employees was £35k in 2023. So it is above average but it's no longer the real chunk above average that it used to be, even vs 5 years ago.

What’s the employer pension contribution for both? Health insurance ? Gym membership? Other benefits? Annual leave ?

Unless something listed above swung things massively for that differential I’d go for the higher paying role, even if you just stuck it out for a year then took 3 months off on holiday with the money you saved taking the higher paid role.

Take the money.

Sometimes life surprises you.
If it doesnt suck it up for 10/11m and start interviewing for 100k pa jobs...

I turned down a higher paid job in favour of an average-wage one. I agonised over that decision, and wondered for ages if I'd done the right thing. Ten years on, I can confidently say that I did. I have come to appreciate the Comfort Zone and realise that it isn't actually a bad thing.

(It also helps that I ran into someone from the workplace I turned down, who told me I'd had a lucky escape.)

I'd always say that if you can afford to choose job satisfaction over a high salary, then you should. But if you need the money, then obviously it might be worth putting job satisfaction on hold.

I'd give the higher paid role a go. Your assumptions may be wrong and it's far easier to take a step down that step back up.

I should have added a bit more to my opening post.
My last job ended in August - that was on a salary of £110k.
I told not enjoy a day of it!
I've enjoyed not working for a month and a half.
The £40k job to me is like having a job without really working intensely - kind of like a paid break.
My dilemma is that this isn't a hypothetical issue - I never thought I would seriously consider a lower paid job especially when the salary is twice as much for the non desirable job.
I'm looking for reassuring stories where the lower paid one worked out over the higher one.
If I only had the £80k offer, I would've taken it even though there isn't anything appealing about it.
The £40k one, I can see things happening, real change without much adversity and for me personally not a lot of effort to expend.
Then, I feel ungrateful for not taking what destiny is offering in terms of £.

Can you go part time in the higher paid one? Would a day or two off a week compensate for the other stuff?

This! You may well regret it if you don't at least try it!

I once moved to a lower paid role when I was newly qualified because it appeared that it would be much nicer. It was awful and I completely regretted. I'm now in a role paying 4 times that amount and actually it is far nicer, less stressful, shorter hours etc. I don't think a lower salary means it's necessarily going to be better.