would you take a 20,000 pay cut?(update)

[Pooh Girl 71]

Would your DH continue to receive the severance pay if he took the other job?

I don't know that I would take that much of a paycut and no benefits. But, I guess it would depend on how much of a salary we are talking about to begin with. It sounds like you have a good safety net right now. Good luck to you!!

 

[Disney Princess 6]

I'd do that and just keep looking. Something else will come up, and when it does, he can move on. Good luck to you.

 

[msdis]

Been there done that. The other problem is after you get to a certain level in your job the bottom is a long ways down. To start back somewhere is often at a lot less and employers are very reluctant to even hire you for fear you will stay long enough to find another job. Most will not even take the chance in hiring you. I found a job after 3 months at 1/3 my previous pay. They never asked me for an application till after they hired me. They never saw my previous wages till it was too late. I gave a resume only. Stayed there 3 months, even though I liked it, there were office politics and being at the bottom, it was REAL easy to leave. Next job the same thing happened. They asked me to fill out a application after they hired me so they never saw my previous wages. Every single other application with my wages listed never called me back. Qualified, good references, great attitude........no-one would hire me. I say take a job and see where it takes you. If they love you they will make it up down the road. My current boss just gave me the highest percentage raise he could give. I've been there a year. He would recommend me for any position I wanted in the company. They would have never hired me off the street with the same opinion. I have now proven myself. I'm no where's back to where I was, but I like my job better, I've learned a new skill, and the benefits are better. After a certain period of time without a job, panic sets in, and it does some really weird stuff to the mind. My parents went thru this years back and my dad was sole income. He got a severance and they went thru the money, and he ended up with a lot less paying job and still no savings that he could have had. I wonder if the no benefits part is because it is going thru an agency. Maybe there is a contract such that within a certain time frame they will "hire" you as a regular employee. If you take it and don't like it you have lost nothing and gained some education. I agree about the economy. No one can tell where things are headed. Anyone with a job is lucky. Best of luck in your decision.

 

[clh2]

Originally posted by msdis
I wonder if the no benefits part is because it is going thru an agency. Maybe there is a contract such that within a certain time frame they will "hire" you as a regular employee. If you take it and don't like it you have lost nothing and gained some education.

This was my initial thought too. Generally when people go from a contract position to becoming an employee, they will get more money too - afterall - there is no longer a middleman.

Good Luck!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I'd take it... and keep looking.

I agree with what others said.... almost 5yrs ago my DH was laid off from his job of 10yrs and it was hard trying to find a job making the same pay. So he took 2 much lower paying jobs... one of which was just working for a company selling/renting tools within a manufacturing plant... he now works AT that manufacturing plant in a position that he thoroughly enjoys (maintenance- so he gets to be mister fix it man fixing anything that breaks down- machines, electricity, you name it) and makes more than TWICE as much as the original job that he was laid off from!
He's happier- and making more money! And he only got his foot in the door for this job because he was working there in a much lower paying position for a company within the company- KWIM?

 

[keirgrey]

Originally posted by msdis
I wonder if the no benefits part is because it is going thru an agency. Maybe there is a contract such that within a certain time frame they will "hire" you as a regular employee.

It is a 12 month "right to hire" contract. In most cases, being a contractor means no benefits. Just part of the game.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Meaning no one plans on staying past that and that is how they don't have to offer benefits?
Ah-ha.

 

[bjgrazi]

I got laid off in October and only found a job in April, for $20,000 less a year. I took the job and continue to look for a better paying job. I dislike where I am, but keep telling myself it's only temporary. There isn't a day that I don't send someone my resume. I schedule my interviews for after work or during lunch time.

Good luck to you both, I know it's tough out there.

 

[pammypooh]

Not sure exactly what you do, but thought I would describe my DH's job path. For a long time he worked as a full time employee for a firm. Then he realized that if he became a contractor his wages went way up. Yes, we do have to pay our own insurance, but we still are better off with him doing contract work as opposed to being a full timer. He basically goes for about a 6 month contract. Sometimes that is extended, sometimes not. But if you do computer related work, it is an option. We have been real lucky and blessed that there has only been one time that we had a 3 and 1/2 month gap between contracts. Usually its finish one this week, start the next the following Monday.

PM me if you have questions. We are in Southeastern PA and DH is currently working in NJ. Lots of good IT Contracting firms around here if that is your field.

GOOD LUCK to you and your family! Don't get discouraged! The right job is out there and you need to remember to have faith.

Pam

 

[EsmeraldaX]

It would depend. $20,000 is 2/3 of my current salary, and likely any future job I get will settle at or around $30,000 as that is what the pay tends to be for what I do.

To take a $20,000 pay cut for me would obviously be devastating.

I assume that for your DH $20,000 is not such a huge chunk of what he is used to making. However , if it is, you may want to wait.

I would ask yourselves a few questions :

Can you get by on what his new salary will be without having to make signifigant lifestyle changes?

How is the job market in his field/area?

Does this job have room for advancement?

Would he possibly be at or around his usual pay within 3 years?

Would benefits come after a certain amount of time there?

Money is not everything. Would he be happier at this job than at a higher paying job that required more time, travel etc. ?(that's a big thing for me....I could be making a lot more if I was willing to devote more time to a job but I prefer to have set hours and weekends free).

Being employed, IMO, is better than being unemployed and a pay cut is better than nothing. He could always take this and then keep looking/doing phone interviews until something better comes up. The job market is improving, (well, I can only speak for my area). My company alone just hired 6 new employees for the first time in a year and a half.

My only concern about this job would be the lack of benefits / health insurance. I suppose that depends on your personal needs, but I have medical conditions that require ongoing care. If you are paying for health insurance yourselves, you could maybe continue to do so.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide.

 

[tassie42]

pammypooh, I sent you a pm

 

[tassie42]

thanks to everyone for your kind words and support. Dh is on the phone with the company right now!!! I'll keep you posted.

 

[Cruise04]

That is a tough decision. I would take the job and wait and see if the other offers come forth. If they do and they are better, then take that. Like he said, at least he'd have a job. It'd be tough but it'd be better than nothing right now. How bad would it be if he didn't take it and then the others never really happened.

 

[keirgrey]

I just got done with my phone interview. They are scheduling me for a face-to-face sometime late this week or early next.

 

[kild]

Good luck with it. Hope it works out well.

 

[wvrevy]

Two things:

1) It's always better to look for a job when you already have a job. That way things aren't quite so desperate.

2) The tech industry ain't what it used to be...LOTS of us have had to take pay cuts over the last few years, largely because of the tech busts a couple years back, as well as because of the flooding of the market of people in the industry. (more competition = less pay) It's an unfortunate fact of life for anybody in that field nowdays...it just isn't realistic to expect to make the same now that we were making even 5 years ago.

And trust me....I know of which I speak I'm now making about 10k less than I was back then....and I follow the industry close enough to be sure when I tell you that with the current political administration in place (encouraging jobs to be sent overseas), things aren't likely to change real soon.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news (if I was...haven't read the whole thread)

 

[keirgrey]

wvrevy, you aren't the bearer of bad news. I'm not sure what a change of administrations is going to do. The Dems are just as bad as the Republicans, IMO (I'm a Libertarian). They both kowtow to the corporations, so even if Kerry gets in, and I believe he has a VERY good chance of it, I don't expect anything to change in the outsourcing arena.

I'm looking at this as a stepping stone. As has been pointed out in this thread several times, it's easier to find work when you're employed. Of course, I'll be negotiating salaries at the level of this position rather than the Lucent position, but I should be able to get back in fighting trim within a couple of years, IMO.

 

[ehlady]

I would agree with the person that said to take the job because an employed person looks better to a company than an unemployed person. My DH was out of a computer job for two years. He finally found a job in another state and we had to move. We went through all of retirement savings and had to start over. I'm very sorry for what you are going through. Just support him as best you can. We found that this time of distress actually brought us closer together. Good Luck with everything.

 

[minniecarousel]

DH is in the tech industry too. He worked as a contractor for many years. One of his contract jobs worked into hiring by that company. That's kinda common in the field.

Good luck to both of you & anyone else looking for work. My brother in San Jose has been out of work since Thanksgiving too. He calls himself the "King of Interviews"! Never in a million years did I think that lay-offs would hit such a highly-educated ambitious person!

 

[flaps]

Nope, considering that would put me $20,000 in the hole (if you get my drift )

Seriously, though. Good luck to your husband with his job hunt. I hope he finds something acceptable soon. An uncertain job situation is no fun.