Should i accept the offer? 15k pay raise but....

[djones123]

Hi,

I have been invited for a 4th round face to face interview with the CEO of the company and i am hoping that i will get a job.

Company is based in slough and offering 15k more salary than i am on now but i am not sure if i should accept the offer.

Cost of living is very high in slough or in near by areas and i will be paying £400 more in house rent plus i will lose £200 in child tax credit as my salary will go up by 15k. (I am not sure if my child benefits will be stop as well becuase i will be earning 40k plus).

At the end of the month i will be just better of £200 and i don't know if its worth moving from yorkshire to West London with two kids.

Should i ask for more money? There are paying me maximum of their budget but some recruitment agencies are advertising this same job with higher benchmark (may be its just to attract candidates).


Additional Information:

- This is a medium size company and i will be looking after their IT software systems on my own.
- There is no career progression as i will be a only Software person in their IT department.

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NOTE: I never said that i will live in Slough, for me an idea place would be Maidenhead. Most of the replies are related to living in Slough.

For me, there is a big difference b/w working in slough and living outside slough.

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Edited by djones123 on Sunday 27th November 20:19

Edited by djones123 on Thursday 1st December 08:57

[randlemarcus]

Not enough information to accurately comment, but we'll do it anyway

Is this a summit position, or will it lead anywhere further? If the latter, leap at it.

If the former, look very carefully at the area you will be moving to. There are some lovely bits surrounding Slough, and there are some bits that fully justify the Friendly Bombs.

If the job is advertised with other agents for more money, pursue it, explaining that you are relocating your family. As long as it's the same job, and not a similar one.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Good luck, tough choice, sloughs not great but fine to work in, some lovely areas nearby to live though.

It is a pricey area though, I look up north and really envy the house prices/rents

I would probs go for it

[Piersman2]

I would suggest that the degradation in quality of life would not be worth the extra £200 a month assuming that you're living somewhere decent enough up north and not in a scummy northern hellhole

Although it can be nice down here, the driving around anywhere is a nightmare. And in Slough you'll just feel that your driving from one town directly into the next most of the time, you'll not have the 'space' that you can get oop north

[Simbu]

Maybe consider the long-term benefits to your career - IT jobs are more plentiful down here in the UK's 'silicon valley'. So, even in a few years if you want to move on, finding another job in the area won't be as difficult.

[T_Pot]

40k a year and you would still get hand outs from the state? how the hell does that work?

[hidetheelephants]

T_Pot said:

40k a year and you would still get hand outs from the state? how the hell does that work?

Child benefit is not means tested; if you can spawn you're eligible.

[rog007]

Rule of thumb; don't move roles unless 20% increase in whole package. If its below that, use that figure to renegotiate, but only if you really want the role. Quality of life is priceless; be careful how you choose. Assume family, both immediate and extended, have a view? Spouse and children's quality of life need to be considered too otherwise you'll become another divorce statistic. Good luck!

[anonymous-user]

hidetheelephants said:

Child benefit is not means tested; if you can spawn you're eligible.

Only until 2013 when any families with at least one higher rate tax payer will lose it.

[don4l]

Based on the information that you have given us, I would no.


However, if you are aged less than 35, and this job would help you to achieve your long term goals, then I would say yes.


Don
--

[angusfaldo]

Inkyfingers said:

hidetheelephants said:

Child benefit is not means tested; if you can spawn you're eligible.

Only until 2013 when any families with at least one higher rate tax payer will lose it.

But the OP is talking about child tax credits not child benefit.

[marcosgt]

Rural Yorkshire vs Slough? If that's the choice, then no way should you move.

However, if there's a 15K hike in salary are we talking about a better, more fulfilling job? If so, that would weigh heavily in favour.

If not, then stay where you are - Having a bigger number on your CV is irrelevant if it doesn't improve your quality of life and £200 a month doesn't go far these days.

M

[HowMuchLonger]

djones123 said:

...my salary will go up by 15k. (I am not sure if my child benefits will be stop as well becuase i will be earning 40k plus).

By the looks of it you are currently earning under £40k, in which case the £15k extra is a huge percentage increase.

Ignore the money side of it and look at the quality of life in the two locations.

[djones123]

I am 32 yrs old and live near leeds, i think here quality of life is better than Slough.

I have done alot of research on slough area and i think ideal place to live would be Maidenhead but its rent which is killing.

My current salary is 25k and after including child tax credit and child benefits my house hold income goes up to 31k.

As soon as you hit the 30k mark you lose all the child tax credit and left with family element which is £10 a month.

From a saving point of view, i would be saving about £300 extra or may be less.

In last 6-8 months i had about 4-5 job offers and all of them were paying upto 30k but none of them were better than my current job. I normaly don't apply for jobs in south/north west becuase of high living cost.

If they make me an offer then it might be worth asking them for reconsidering their offer.

Edited by djones123 on Monday 28th November 10:55

Edited by djones123 on Monday 28th November 11:00

[rhinochopig]

Rural Yorkshire to Slough. Hell no. There is no finer county than N Yorks in terms of low numbers of people, countryside, low crime, etc.

I could easily double my salary if I moved out of N Yorks, but quality of life is what counts IMO. People come to rural N Yorks on holiday - does anyone ever visit slough if they don't have to?

[T5R+]

Is "relocation allowance/assistance" part of a potential offer?

Do the sums over finances but also consider career prospects.

It is always a trade-off in the north/sarf decision.

Spent a decade down there and loved it - came back north for quality of life, only downside = limited career progression options in my vocation.

[Deva Link]

djones123 said:

I have done alot of research on slough area and i think ideal place to live would be Maidenhead but its rent which is killing.

..and on £40K unless something dramatic happens to your financial circumstances, you'll never be able to afford to buy a reasonable family house in that area, so your rent will go up and up.

I looked at moving (from near Chester) some years ago, and I worked down there for a couple of years but stayed in hotels during the week. The financial difficulty for me was that I get paid a "Southern" salary anyway, so there was no immediate step up in money, although there was a roadmap to a higher paid job.

Also, my wife and kids would have moved if push came to shove, but they really didn't want to. Schools were a big issue; they're all very good around here and we were concerned about the experience of our next door neighbours - they had 3 bright boys and they moved areas a couple of years before and they never got their kids back on track.

I like being down South - it just feels more vibrant than the North, but my missus, for the short times that she spent down there, hates it. It does concern me when I hear colleagues say they try to go shopping at the weekend and give up as they can't find anywhere to park!

[Bullett]

6 years ago I moved from Lincolnshire to Reading. Similar % pay rise, although I was single at the time.
Best thing I ever did. IT roles are much more plentiful, I've virtually doubled my salary again in the time I've lived here those opportunities wouldn't have been open to me in the North.

You've looked at the figures and they are positive. £200 a month in your pocket is pretty significant against a starting salary of 25k.

I'd not live in Slough though!

[Mikeyboy]

They talk a lot about opportunity costs in some areas of business and I would say the extra rent and potential loss of income from the child benefits will be yours.
The opportunity is the chance to move from an area with low opportunities for advancement to one where due to the nature of the businesses around there, you will probably have more chance for senior an better paying jobs in the future.
You don't have to keep the job forever. By my rough calculations you will be about flat in regards to income but up in terms of position and potential.

To me it seems worth the hassle

[anonymous-user]

angusfaldo said:

Inkyfingers said:

hidetheelephants said:

Child benefit is not means tested; if you can spawn you're eligible.

Only until 2013 when any families with at least one higher rate tax payer will lose it.

But the OP is talking about child tax credits not child benefit.

Read his post again, he mentions both Child Benefit and Child Tax Credits.