Career advice

[steveg]

Hi
currently work in ICT , job is nice and local , pay is ok

Been head huntered from another company who are offering 10 k more pa however will be away from home most of the week installing software at customers sites

The extra money would be nice , however don't recon it's worth not seeing the family for 10k extra a year ?

What do you recon

[Specialone]

Money aint everything imo, nice when you got it, aint the end of the world when you havent.

[G]

Your family will either cope with you being away or they won't.

I work in Denmark, it's supposed to be everyother week but I've been out of the uk almost every week since Christmas.

It's hard on your family and it really ****s up your routine, my weight has gone through the roof from eating out all the time and not getting to the gym as much as I'd like.

One benefit for me is I don't get the chance to spend any money as I am almost always on company expense, unless you really love the job (fortunately I do), your used to a bit of upheaval and are fairly laid back... It's probably not worth it for £10k

[timwilky]

I work in IT done it for 30 years.

I spent 15 years working 3 weeks a month in China, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, etc. managing software development/deployment on power stations and missed a lot of my kids growing up. I dictated my resignation over the phone 3 times and each time it was rejected by my director who would change my contract to allow the wife to fly out to spend time with me etc.

Since then I have been UK based but spent the week away from home and home for the weekends etc.

Living in hotels is a miserable time. Going to a restaurant and asking for a table for 1. Hoping to find someone in a bar who is as equally lonely/miserable so at least you can have some conversation.

I assume if you are permanently on the road a car comes with the job. Therefore expect to loose 3 of that 10 in tax for the car. then 4 of it goes to the taxman for income tax. so you are in real terms 3 grand better off.

Not worth it. enjoy your time with the kids

[Bri w]

My dad worked in the middle east thro' the late 60's, early 70's. It was no fun seeing other fathers on the touchline, in the stands, in the audience.

I promised myself I'd never do the same to my kids.

Me, scared? No not at all.

[husky03]

you've answered your own question mate-its not worth 10 grand or 100 grand to miss out on the wee things that make life special, hearing your wee one saying bye bye every morning or i love you at night is priceless-as a biker you never know whats waiting round the corner so you tend to appreciate things that wee bit more imoa.

[G]

or 100 grand .

I wouldn't go that far... Lol

[husky03]

I wouldn't go that far... Lol


i would mate - my family is what I live for:)

[steveg]

Thanks for the replies

Recon I'm going turn job down , would have to cover Midlands and south which would mean crazy miles aswell :(

Cheers Steve

[grimey121uk]

Id take a 10 grand cut to get away from the mrs :)

[husky03]

Id take a 10 grand cut to get away from the mrs :)


fire a pic up and we can then run a poll and see if we agree or might be able to do a "rehome"

[Bri w]

Id take a 10 grand cut to get away from the mrs :)

I'd give you 10k to take mine:D

[grimey121uk]

fire a pic up and we can then run a poll and see if we agree or might be able to do a "rehome"


http://www.publicsectorpm.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ball_and_chain.jpg

[husky03]

http://www.publicsectorpm.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ball_and_chain.jpg
:winner:

[SoulKiss]

Thanks for the replies

Recon I'm going turn job down , would have to cover Midlands and south which would mean crazy miles aswell :(

Cheers Steve

Wait a minute tho....

Get a written offer, show it to your current boss, see if he gives you a raise :)

Just be prepared to have to take the other job in case the gamble doesnt pay off :p

[fizzwheel]

will be away from home most of the week installing software at customers sites

I've done that. I f*cking hated it after about 12 - 14 months, endless travelling, living out of a suitcase. No company in the evenings etc etc.

Frequently I was sent out to customers where somebody else had already been and f*cked the install up, queue p*ssed off customer who would then take it out on me.

If you like travel and meeting different people and not having a static working environment, you'll probably like it. I dont, I like being in an office and being able to put the phone down on people when they start shouting at me rather than have them ranting in my face.

[kaivalagi]

Not worth it for an extra 10K, no way and no worth it for the long term IMHO either no matter how much money is at stake.

I've spend the last 12 months or so working away every 2 of 3 weeks coming home at weekends and it sucks for the most part. I did it cause I was made redundant and then offered a contract by the parent company, the pay has been great and it was fun for a while....at first the staying away in hotels, flying to work, all expenses covered etc etc is all novel but after a bit you will get sick of the table for 1 and the boring evenings and wish you were working somewhere you could get home from in the evening.

So, I'd say if it were a doubling of your current wages it might be worth it for a while to put some cash away but even then after a time you'll want it to end...

[L3nny]

If you don't want the job I'll do it. Sounds like my ideal job.

[Stuuk1]

I work away from home and don't actually mind it. I am saving a he'll of a lot of money from it and I plan to do it for 2 years while the gf is an uni.

I wouldn't do it if I was married with kids.

[keith_d]

I've done a job with more than 50% of my year spent travelling.

The good bits were:

* Living on expenses saves you a fortune
* Your holidays are all on Airmiles
* It's great for the first year or so eating in good restaurants every night and expensing the bill.
* When you're single, weekends away with your work mates in a hotel on the lash are great fun

The bad bits are:

* It's bloody hard to keep relationships together
* You can never plan anything because you might not make it back that weekend
* Lunches and dinners with customers really pile on the pounds
* It f**ks up your social life something horrible
* Staying in hotels and working long hours soon gets very dull

I did it for a few years, but these days I would need more than £10k/year to tempt me. But as other people have observed it might be quite a good bargaining point with the current boss.

Keith.

[kaivalagi]

I wouldn't do it if I was married with kids.

That's the thing right there, it's alright in bits and bobs but when it's all the time it is a bit much...I started on the premise it would be working from home with the odd trip for workshops here and there and it became 2 weeks away and 1 week home (and that I have had to constantly fight for...). I have a 7yr old son and a girl almost here, I want to be at home (most of the time) :thumbsup:

I may well continue the job again after a month or 2 break at home with the new baby helping out for a while and spending quality time with the gang....that's on the premise they still need me after such a break....if not I'll be on the look out for something closer to home rather than having to travel to Preston from Norwich all the time

edit: Keith_d has hit the nail on the head with the pros and cons...and 10K isn't much really when you look at what you might be giving up

[G]

I've done a job with more than 50% of my year spent travelling.

The good bits were:

* Living on expenses saves you a fortune
* Your holidays are all on Airmiles
* It's great for the first year or so eating in good restaurants every night and expensing the bill.
* When you're single, weekends away with your work mates in a hotel on the lash are great fun

The bad bits are:

* It's bloody hard to keep relationships together
* You can never plan anything because you might not make it back that weekend
* Lunches and dinners with customers really pile on the pounds
* It f**ks up your social life something horrible
* Staying in hotels and working long hours soon gets very dull

I did it for a few years, but these days I would need more than £10k/year to tempt me. But as other people have observed it might be quite a good bargaining point with the current boss.

Keith.


That is pretty much exactly it... It's great while your young, build up amazing experience and CV material.

But if you already used to something and have kids, stick with what you know as its a completely different lifestyle and you have to be 100% committed to it will kill you.

Edit: having just re-read one of your replies it says your covering the midlands and south!!! That's not a big deal at all... It's not like your going to be all over the world out of contact with people all the time.

[steveg]

Will be far enough away not to get home all week

that will suck big time

I'm lucky to have a less than 30 min commute by bike to work at the moment

cheers Steveg

[Bluefish]

not worth it imo, if you had no kids then i would say go for it, other wise a recipe for disaster, as said the 10k won't make you 10k better off, money is not everything, still your choice, good luck either way, andy.

[timwilky]

I may well continue the job again after a month or 2 break at home with the new baby helping out for a while and spending quality time with the gang....that's on the premise they still need me after such a break....if not I'll be on the look out for something closer to home rather than having to travel to Preston from Norwich all the time




Move to Preston then, us natives don't bite. But we sure can drink

[kaivalagi]

Move to Preston then, us natives don't bite. But we sure can drink

That's what I am afraid of! I've had too many nights in the bar drinking until 1am...that's the trouble with those hotel bars, you think they'll kick you out at 11 and then it's early hours :lol:

The Norman Jepson Premier inn is the worst, there is a regular stayer called Jerry there (a scotsman who has been staying there for 5 years) and if you get into rounds with him you're doomed. He loves the rum like I do......:smt101

Being up that neck of the woods with a bike would be good though, the highlands aren't too far away :)

The wife wouldn't have it though....you know what it's like, they call the shots ultimately