Would you take new job with much lower salary?

gettingtheresometime

Sorry you're having such a tough time of it at the moment.

I would urge caution for a number of reasons. Firstly I would find the drop in salary a huge one and would only really consider it if that meant a huge reduction in hours (as in going from full time to part time). Is the £330 after taking tax/ni into account? If not, then have a look at https://www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk to see what the actual drop in take home pay would be. This may make the drop less - if that makes sense.

Also would your expenses be less - is the new job nearer to home for example so that the saving in travelling costs are offsetting the drop in salary

Thirdly were you considering leaving before your brother's diagnosis? Don't forget you seem to be in the ideal place to get information and support not only for him but for you as well.....yes its not nice to be thinking of cancer morning noon and night but you have people around you who can support you rather than be there wondering what's up with the new person......have you mentioned any of your worries to your line manager?

Finally I don't know how long you've been working there but if you do change jobs you lose any protection rights for 2 years and is something certainly to bear in mind

burwat

Hi,

This is something I have just made a decision to do myself and I would advise to think long and hard about it and make sure you have scrutinised every detail you can in regards to how much you really need to make as a minimum to ensure a happy work life balance.
In my case I will be taking a 12k a year pay cut to change jobs and it has taken me quite a while to weigh up the pros & cons to my decision and be 100% sure I can accommodate such a drop in income.
My situation may be a little different as I have decided to take voluntary redundancy in order to peruse something I know I will be happier doing so I also have the safety net of a decent amount to fall back on in an emergency, however this fact did not make me any less cautious with my calculations.

Whatever you decide I hope it works out for you.

InsideInsurance

As a contractor you can earn 2-3x what you would as a perm, there may be some overheads to cover off benefits like Private Medical Insurance but these all pale in comparison to the extra monies.

If/ when I decide to go back to being a perm and thus have a "career" again it will be a massive paycut as I've been fortunate and not had a day out of work between contracts

cavework

I made a choice over 15 years ago resulting in a reduction in salary of approx. 25k..
I took the risk and became self employed
I will probably never hit the original salary again but now I work to live, not live to work.
No regrets and things balanced out

Mockingjays

I'm very grateful to everyone who's taken the time to respond.

I used the salary calculator to work out potential new income, it's on realising that after all overheads are covered (bills, food etc) that I started to realise how much I'd be losing.

As I'd have very little left after the basics were covered I've decided not to take this job but to keep looking. I would like to change jobs at some point, but I also need to be sensible and not jump from frying pan into the fire. At least I can take the job offer as a confidence boost in my search for work, and it's taught me to be more careful about what I apply for.

All the best to everyone, and thanks again.