To accept a job offer or not

mark_1981

Hi,
I have been working in a Management role in IT/IS for the last 4 years in Dublin. Prior to that I had been working as a programmer for 4 years. I was made redundant 2 months back due to restructuring.
I have recieved a job offer for a programming role and the salary on offer is 17% less than what I used to earn due to the job being a non-management role. Also the job is not in Dublin. It's down the countryside so I will have to rent out my house here and look for an apartment there. I am married and have no children at the moment.

The main dilemna I am facing is:

1) Is it worthwile taking this role in terms of my carrier direction. Going from a management to a non-management role. If it was a role at a similar level to what I was doing I would not have been too bothered about salary and location then as I know the market is tough.

or

2) Should I reject this offer and wait for a better opportunity to come around?


Any genuine advice would be appreciated.....

Thanks

Capt'n Midnight

what are the chances of a better offer / how long would you wait ?

what are the chances of promotion to a managment role in the new job

have wages of new hires in your sector dropped by 17% in recent times, because if so then you aren't taking a pay cut , you are just going in at the new market rate. or what do you reckon your chances of getting offered your previous wages really are ?

mark_1981

I have had a couple of calls in relation to better jobs but those roles have then been put on hold. So it is very unpredictable really at the moment as to how long I would have to wait for a better job offer. Wages have dropped by 10% so I would be taking a net pay cut of 7% if I account for that. I suppose wage is not the biggest issue I have.
The way I am thinking is that if I take up this offer now and work there for a year and then try to move back in to a management role would other employers not look at me and say why did you take a step back in your carrier? Chances of promotion within the same role would exist but not before atleast a year.
The other thing which has me concerned is that if I take up the job down the countryside then if good offers suddenly start coming up in Dublin I would have to take time off from work and attend those interviews here. If I dont take the job offer at the moment I might end up with a better role in Dublin. But then again if I reject the offer I could be sitting for months like others in my field who were let go ages ago.

Capt'n Midnight

maybe others could comment
but given the employment situation do you really think anyone is going to get worked up over why you were let go and why you had to take a lower position.

Mrs OBumble

The currently labour market is going to be used to explain a lot of odd things on CVs in years to come: you'll look better for having go into a decent job again quickly than for having been unemployed for ages.

Key question: you're married. What does your spouse think of this plan? What does s/he think of the place you'd need to move to? What are job prospects like for him/her?

Also, what rent could you get for your Dublin place, is it more than you'll pay to live elsewhere, in which case it off-sets the salary drop a bit.

jimmycrackcorm

I did the same as the op and I have no regrets. I think a good IT manager needs a solid technical background so it does not harm to refresh technical skills. At least then when going back to a managerial role you have the experience plus you gain back those technical skills that dissipate over time when becoming a manager.

mark_1981

Thanks for the advice guys. I am still considering the pros and cons but most likely I will accept the offer.