Voluntarily take a pay cut?

DonGotti

Just out of interest: has anyone here (or you know someone) who has voluntarily taken a pay-cut or undertaken a job they're overqualified for, for the sake of job satisfaction rather than a huge salary?

wigginsmum

I'm technically overqualified for my job; I could walk out the door tomorrow and be paid up to £12k more for an identical job in a different company, but I wouldn't change it for the world, as I'm very happy with the job and the colleagues.

DonGotti

Thanks wigginsmum.

moggins

My DH did this last year, he went from a job with a huge workload and high responsibility to a job with half the workload and a little lesser responsibility and took a 5K a year paycut to do it. At least with this job he does get paid if he does overtime so that makes a difference, we have less money but he's a far nicer person and at least he's not been signed off with stress since he started this job

DonGotti

Thanks guys. I've begun working in the city. I'm really grateful for the job, but don't want to do it for my whole life whereby money consumes me. I hope one day I'm financially secure enough to take a job where I can interact more with people and make a difference to the world (we live in hope!)

saubryn

I used to work in a call center, and one of my colleages there was a filthy-rich 'Lord' with a helicopter, huge mansion, nice car, and enough inherited family money that he could never work again and still live the high life.

He started working there because he was bored, and he loved it - he really enjoyed working there and helping customers, and he never got annoyed when he got rude ones. He told me it was because he knew that he was there to help the customers, and he felt nice and smug when they started calling him a lackey / untrained oik straight out of high school.

I think he was mad, and I was glad to get out of there

headcovers

I had a job between 1985 and 1992 where I was earning a fortune. I was paying in tax more than I earn today.

But I was miserable, working a 12 hour day and weekends. The money was building up in the bank, but I never had the opportunity to spend it. I had panic attacks when I came close to missing monthly targets and I was bad tempered and a pain to live with.

I gave it all up to work for the civil service with flexible working hours and holidays that they ensure you take.

I have never looked back and regretted it, even though I could still take my skills outside and earn twice as much as I do now.

Astaroth

The misses voluntarily took a pay cut so that she could follow me to London when I got my "big break". Hers was a true pay cut (as in take home money was less) and mine was a really a pay cut too (take home pay was more but not as much more as the increase in living costs were).

Mine was done for the opportunities the job offered and thankfully they paid off where as hers was done so that we didnt have to spend mon-fri a part but since taking the job and moving here she did get the job that she really wanted in counter fraud (which did have a large pay rise too) and so thankfully it worked out for us both

kennyc

Hi, i recently did this...i was an assistant mgr for a well known pc retailer.
I had been in electrical retial for nearly 15 years, but the job was taking over my life.
My wife and children never saw me as i was always at work (sometimes till the early hours) and the stress became far too much for me, my wife & children. the upshot, i quit.. took a job working for half the money, with no stress, less travel (10 minutes each way not 60-70) weekends off and no more chronic headaches and grumpiness.
yes the money drop has put another severe strain on things until they are sorted out by the benefits offices, but the end result are worth it..like

1) not missing my children grow up (and then despise me for never being there!)
2) a wife who see's me awake for more than an hour a day! (she may see that as a negative!! lol!)
3) the improvement in our homelife that i could never have seen unless i'd quit that job.

OK it may be drastic steps to some, but to me you cant say £25k a year is worth missing your kids grow up and turn into ungrateful little teenagers!!
(only joking i love em really!)

so this is my story, if it helps.. im glad, if not...thanks for reading..just dont flame me coz you disagree!
PS Big thank you's to EVERYONE on this site...i aint posted much but i read it nearly every day...all your efforts are appriciated by people like me!

mrcow

I quit my £39k pa job to become a full time mum and took a part time job paying £3k pa.

I've never been happier

DonGotti

I've given up my job in the city to work for the Met Police. There is inefficiency, but I feel good that I'm making a positive contribution in helping reduce crime. My colleagues aren't as great as the ones at my other job, but hey nothing's ever perfect when it comes to jobs.