help me decide!

carawasa · August 2014

ok, currently I am working at a credit union in the loan department and it is boooooring as hell. I like pretty much all of the people I work with, but it's still a 8-430 job and not flexible. They treat the employees well, Christmas parties, 401K, health insurance buyback 2400$ a year (which I get at the moment but was probably thinking of taking the insurance in January).

My best friend works as an office manager at an eye doctors office. There is about 5 people all together who work in the office, including the two doctors. She used to be my old manager (at the company I currently work for) but when she had her dd she was a SAHM for a little while. She said the people she works with are amazing and the hours are super flexible, and I could work 4 10hr days if I wanted, and take Emma in with me if I needed to, as they all have kids there so they're deft family oriented.

she offered me a job last night! BUT it's the same pay. the office is really busy, and she said I would get a raise by Christmas time. They don't offer a health insurance buy back, but they do give you a pair of glasses each year. Any frames you want! And also contacts at cost (which I use)

Should I take it? The fact that they are so flexible is really appealing to me, but it's the same pay, so I don't know if it's worth it!

ETA: if I could work 4 10hr shifts I could probably get LO out of daycare and save myself money there, too.

deedee1017 · August 2014

Saving on daycare is really appealing to me. How long has your friend worked there? is the insurance good there or at least pretty equal? Good insurance is important to me too I'd you need it. Those are things I'd consider, but again, saving on daycare and the flexibility would be REALLY appealing to me.

mancila60 · August 2014

I would also say that getting the same pay would be fine if you get to save on daycare then you technically feel like you make more. I love having flexible hours and if you can bring LO with you then it really helps out. I too would want to know about insurance but other than that it sounds like a really good job plus she said you would get a raise around Christmas which isn't that far away.

carawasa · August 2014

Oh yea she is my best friend but she was my manager first so I do respect that, ya know? She's wicked cool and the doctors seem cool, too. One is a gay man who has two adopted babies, and the woman has 4 adopted kids!

The health insurance through my current job rocks, but we don't use it, as we use my FI. The health insurance at the other place is prob super expensive but I guess it doesn't matter because we can take it through my FI.

However, working at a bank I get all the holidays off, I have to find our about that part.

Thanks for all the input!

carawasa · August 2014

@wedding06 I didn't even thinking about splitting hours like that! I would love working 4 days I think.

KerCo51 · August 2014

If you get decent insurance through your FI, then I would say go for it. Saving on daycare and flexibility with having a baby are awesome.

hlb622 · August 2014

Oooh, I'd probably take it! Although, consider that a lateral move without the insurance buyback is like a $2,400 paycut. But if you make that back by cutting down daycare expenses, then it's a wash. Alternatively, you could try to negotiate an extra dollar an hour to fully recoup the loss.

I'm a nerd, so I make decision grids weighing the pros and cons of every major life decision. Will your friendship be a problem or an advantage? What will the position be? More or less responsibility/authority? Is there room for advancement? And about the raise, can you get that in writing so it doesn't get overlooked? Which paid holidays, if any, do you get? How much time off do you get per year? Is it salaried or hourly?

I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!

tl;dr If the pay is the same, it's all about the benefits/perks. But I probably totes take it. Yay you!

jennlin · August 2014

is it stable/guaranteed? long-term wise, banks are usually more stable..but if you're comfortable with the stability, i'd say go for it. and how is the 401k? is there a matching program? was there one at the bank? you have to calculate the matching into your pay as well. can you bring baby in EVERYday? or just as needed? because you *are* losing money from the insurance buy back.

emmylou78 · August 2014

Who would watch your LO for the 4 days you work? Flexible/family oriented sounds great. I would just be worried she may have bulked up the ability to bring your LO in as needed. If not though, that's awesome.

I work 12 hour days, 3 days a week. The days I work, I only get a few hours with her (I work eves, so that helps), but the days off are nice. I'd much rather work 2 more hours a day and get an extra day off per week.

carawasa · August 2014

She's only been there for a short amount of time and her almost 2y/o goes with her at least once a week. However, one of the guys that works at my job right now is one of the doctors partners, and my friend has known these guys forever. The company is def growing, and it would just be me and her and one other pt employee and the two doctors. I've worked with her before and have a lot of respect for her, as my manager and as a friend. I deft feel like I draw a line between the two.

Salary, paid holidays, 2wks vaca 5 sick days. Not bad! There prob isn't too much room for advancement there, but honestly I want to go back to school and so it wouldn't be a forever job, and nether is the one I'm in right now. I can def move in the company I work for now, but I don't want to. It's boring lol.

I would probably not want lo with me at work often, but it's nice to have the option. Yes I am losing $$ with the buy back, BUT I was planning on taking the health insurance if I stayed at my current job in January, so its like I was going to lose it anyways. My company now offers a 5% match on my 401K so that sucks because there is no 401K at this other job. But I could open a Roth IRA or something too.

So many decisions!!!?

jennlin · August 2014

The 5% match on your 401k is a good chunk of money. I think I would stay at your current job bc of that plus all the paid holidays thank banks get and most other places don't. 4/10 is nice, but so are random holidays.

carawasa · August 2014

@carriet2018 yea I deft would not bring her multiple times a week i could already see that going poorly. I wouldn't even want to do that tbh. But it makes me feel better knowing that I can if I needed to. They also are very flexible as in I can work whatever hours I need to if I had something come up or wanted a day off, as long as I make the 40hrs.

@jennlin I know what you mean and the 401k we have here is amazing. But is it really worth having more time with LO? Idk? If we could make it work so she doesn't have to go to dc, i would save a crap ton of $$ and my FI has a pension and a great 401k too. I would deft try to figure out other plans for retirement

jennlin · August 2014

carawasa said:

@carriet2018 yea I deft would not bring her multiple times a week i could already see that going poorly. I wouldn't even want to do that tbh. But it makes me feel better knowing that I can if I needed to. They also are very flexible as in I can work whatever hours I need to if I had something come up or wanted a day off, as long as I make the 40hrs. @jennlin I know what you mean and the 401k we have here is amazing. But is it really worth having more time with LO? Idk? If we could make it work so she doesn't have to go to dc, i would save a crap ton of $$ and my FI has a pension and a great 401k too. I would deft try to figure out other plans for retirement

if you can work it out to the point where you do not need daycare, or whatever is saved on daycare, then you should calculate that towards the new salary. but a 5% matching on your 401k is money...it's money you can't touch for floppity years, but it's money....and it's included as part of your salary (sort of) at your current job.

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