Would you take this job?

LegacyUser

Someone I know was made unemployed a month ago with no redundancy. He has a family and is the sole earner. He's applied for alot of jobs but has only been called for 1 interview. He's just been offered a job away from home but still in Ireland but not within commutable distance. The salary is much less than his previous job and will just about cover the family costs and with alot of scrimping may cover the costs of being away.
He is talking about not taking the job because he feels he's selling himself short taking the wage drop and working hard to just about (but maybe not) break even. He feels he'd have to stay in this job for at least a year.
Would you hold out for a better paying job or would you take it?

sardineta

Your friend needs to be asking the question here, rather than relying on your synthesis of any responses.

snowy2008

definatly hold out, there has to be something else

Wagon

If he's going to be miserable, underpaid, away from his family then it's not worth it. He should definately hold out.

LegacyUser

In this day and age, who knows when another job may present itself. A lot of people are in serious threat or becoming entrenched in debt. My thoughts on the current situation are to just try and keep your head above water. Take the job, at least it keeps something coming in, better being unhappy and money coming in, than unhappy and in debt, which brings a whole barrell of stress with it!!

See it as short term, keep looking for jobs at home, but at least in the meantime there will be something coming in!

LegacyUser

The thing is that he feels that if he takes this job he needs to stay in it for a year or two so it doesn't look odd on his cv. The type of jobs he looks for are senior postions so being seen as only staying in jobs short terms could potentially put off employers. This opinion is verified by a good friend in HR. So if he takes the job it won't be a short term fix.
He's looking for advice from me. His opinion is the same as Teresa2008 and Wagon but mine is more along the lines of Unregistered. I'm just seeing what others think.

Danbo!

Take the job, and keep looking. We're in a recession, once jobs start appearing again and people are going for interviews, it wont be strange to have a gap in 2008 or 2009 on the CV. There'll be 300,000+ people with gaps on their CV. So if he ends up only staying for a month or two, he can leave it off his CV

KM56

he should take the job. the country is in trouble. if he waits god only knows how long till another job will come around. sure other people out of work would jump at the chance like

professore

No no no. He shouldn't take this job. He'd be better off doing anything closer to home. By the time he pays rent he'll have nothing left and be miserable.

LegacyUser

I am unemployed since start of November and I have had 3 offers which have been withdrawn due to lack of funding.

I would happily now take any job. Even one that will pay me 1/3 of what I used to be on. So long as it covers my house, bills - I can live on nothing.

He should take the job. Its going to be worse, a lot worse before it gets better. If the job is outside Ireland, he might qualify for Tax Free status as non resident.

There is talk that the IMF is running out of money, which is unfathomable.

Hold onto your jobs for dear life and take anything that's thrown your way.

smares

He defo needs to take the job. The way things are going he can't be fussy this could be the only job he gets offered.He needs to think of his family and supporting them.

MJOR

personally i would take it.... but that is just me

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Take it, but keep looking for somethin else in the mean time. It might only be for a few months and it'll be easier once the days get longer.

Teh Noob

Any job is better than no job at all. Take it and keep looking.

MagicMarker

If he finds another job soon after starting this then he can just leave it off his CV and make up a reason for the gap, it's hardly rocket science.

Between Jan and Feb of this year there was an increase of 26,000 on the national register, unemployment is now at 10.5%. A no brainer really.

Electric Sheep

Wondering?? wrote: »

Someone I know was made unemployed a month ago with no redundancy. He has a family and is the sole earner. He's applied for alot of jobs but has only been called for 1 interview. He's just been offered a job away from home but still in Ireland but not within commutable distance. The salary is much less than his previous job and will just about cover the family costs and with alot of scrimping may cover the costs of being away.
He is talking about not taking the job because he feels he's selling himself short taking the wage drop and working hard to just about (but maybe not) break even. He feels he'd have to stay in this job for at least a year.
Would you hold out for a better paying job or would you take it?

Take the job and have his spouse get a job as well.

Firetrap

He should take the job. As things stand, he has no job at all. What he's been offered might not be what suits him but it's still an awful lot better than being on the dole. When he goes looking for a better job down the line, being in a job will be an advantage.

LegacyUser

Electric Sheep wrote: »

Take the job and have his spouse get a job as well.

We've gone through the figures and the wages don't cover the home expenses as well as the expenses of being away. He's even gone through the figures with the agency today and no one can make them match up.
The spouse going back to work isn't feasible as every penny she earned would be going to a childminder-her earning potential isn't great.
I'm of the idea that he should take it. He has to give them a final answer by Monday.

linola_c

One question - why was your friend made redundant with no pay?He has rights to a redundancy package.

This is becoming a very real problem at the moment!!!Know your rights!!

CDfm

Wondering?? wrote: »

Someone I know was made unemployed a month ago with no redundancy. He has a family and is the sole earner. He's applied for alot of jobs but has only been called for 1 interview. He's just been offered a job away from home but still in Ireland but not within commutable distance. The salary is much less than his previous job and will just about cover the family costs and with alot of scrimping may cover the costs of being away.
He is talking about not taking the job because he feels he's selling himself short taking the wage drop and working hard to just about (but maybe not) break even. He feels he'd have to stay in this job for at least a year.
Would you hold out for a better paying job or would you take it?

Take it. We are in a recession.

When you have something you are in a better position.

Financially =it will tide him over.

JJJJNR

Take the job, they could end up liking it. The worst thing they can be is at home doing nothing watching the bills mount up. Do a trial for a few weeks and if things then dont work, well thats life at least they can say they gave it a go.

Was in a similar situation myself a few years ago and ended up working in a fish factory shelling whelks, it was the most disgusting job i've ever done, but it kept me busy and forced me to find another job. At least this role is in your industry.

Any relatives/friends that you could stay with for a couple of nights a week, on the cheap.

Miss Fluff

Take the job. It will afford him the chance while in gainful employment to look elsewhere. A girl I know in insurance law who was on a salary of €75k is now looking at €35k roles which she is WAY overqualified for. That's the nature of the market at the moment. Tell him to take the job, he will at least have a salary coming in and hell, he may even like it.

craichoe

Don't take the Job,

Ireland has a problem at the moment in that the recession is hitting especially hard due to lack of funding in infrastructure and general greed that has set in over the good years with:

Buy to rent
Buying a new car every two years
living 20% - 30% beyond your means

He should find a job in Continental Europe (Germany,Holland,Belgium,Finland) and move the whole family away from the problem, its only going to get worse over the next 2 years.

@Poster who said the IMF are going to run out of of money ? Do you really know how the economy works ? They just print more money, hence inflation.

Bottom line, the family needs to sit down and have a serious talk on what the best solution is.

There are jobs out there, its just that theres more people applying for them.

Overheal

Just because you start on a low wage doesnt mean you'll stay on one. Some employers will keep people on a probationary/minimum wage and with a bit of honest effort and good fortune you can seek a higher wage from an employer that may wish to retain you for being above average. Take the job, work hard, look elsewhere. If you find something better, give your notice. If youre good enough, they may just make you a counter-offer.

estar

i know its radical. but for the short term that is what i would do. that makes more sense than running two households.

he should take the job. no question in my mind. gaps on CVs are laughable at this stage considering we will all have spent some time on the dole by the end of this.

LegacyUser

He turned the job down on the basis that the figures didn't match up and the company came back with more money so now he's taking it. Thanks for the advice folks.