stay abroad or come home?

LegacyUser

I am currently living and working (as an application developer) in Belgium and I am trying to decide whether to return home or not. I originally came here almost 3 years ago on secondment and from my old position and have been offered a new 2 year contract here. I am expected to return to my old position at home in a few months time so I need to decide whether to take the contract or return.

I do enjoy my life abroad. Also, the salary is higher and job responsibilities are more suited to me in Belgium. The opportunities for advancement are certainly better. However, I definitely wouldn’t want to stay here forever, and I am afraid of leaving my permanent, pensionable and quite enjoyable job at home. I also feel some loyalty to my boss in Ireland who set up the secondment for me in the first place and I don’t want to let him down by quitting! I fear that if I stay here another few years, maybe I’ll be closing the door on Ireland for good.

I acknowledge that I am very lucky to have two good job opportunities and I realise that nobody but me can make this decision, but I’d like to hear some input anyway!

not even wrong

unsurewhatjob wrote: »

I also feel some loyalty to my boss in Ireland who set up the secondment for me in the first place and I don’t want to let him down by quitting!

You've been there for three years, that should be enough to repay any loyalty you owe him. It's not like you're walking out after six months...

Mrs OBumble

I wouldn't be certain that any job here is permanent any more.

The illusion of permanency is probably one of the things that the government needs to change, sooner or later.

Investigate private pension plans ....

Stheno

JustMary wrote: »

I wouldn't be certain that any job here is permanent any more.

The illusion of permanency is probably one of the things that the government needs to change, sooner or later.

Investigate private pension plans ....

The OP works in software development, which is in a very healthy state here at the moment with most companies unable to fill all vacancies.

OP I'd suggest that if you have kept up to date with changes in technology etc, that coming home might find you in a better position, i.e. you can search here for a better job whilst you return to your permanent one.

leeroybrown

As Stheno says the marketplace for skilled/experienced IT professionals in Ireland is very good. It's the one area where salaries have risen year on year through the the recent mess. I think that you have far more options here than you're considering. The first thing I'd do would be to look into the Irish employment market in your area. The next thing I'd be thinking about would be talking to my former manager to find out what opportunities if any exist in my old work place. That leaves you with multiple Irish options of a new job here, an improved job at your old workplace, a short (<6 months) stay at your old workplace while you seek a suitable role or just going back to your old position.

I know not all workplaces have the size/flexibility to advance people but to be honest I wouldn't feel like I owed an employer much if they brought me back with three years extra experience to a less responsible position with less pay. I'd also be worried that in the eyes of future employers the advancement I'd made over the previous three years would be partially lost if I went back to the old role. My gut feeling would be that after less than six months I'd end up regretting the decision and have move on.

Another thing to factor into this is the state of the economy here. You might have a relatively safe pensionable job here but you're going to be paying a hell of a lot more tax (both direct and indirect) than before you left three years ago, things like health insurance cost a lot more than they did then and the level and quality of public services are dropping. It's well worth factoring it into your thinking.