Am I in the right career?

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

persa wrote: »

Are you an accountant yourself?

Standard accountancy contracts automatically opt you out of the working time directive and specify that you must do additional hours to meet the demands of the business. Overtime is part of the job.

There are some rare firms which offer time in lieu or paid overtime, but overtime is generally always expected, whether paid or not.

I've never seen it tested, but if you were to refuse to do overtime in peak seasons, I guess it would be breach of contract...

Lots of standard contracts demand that - I am not in accountancy but my contract says exactly the same. Unless accountancy is different from every other job, the fact is that in every company and every profession there are those that do, and those that don't. Those that do are the ones that get promoted and get better salaries, but people simply don't get sacked for saying, except in occasional cases of real emergency, that they have after work appointments and need to leave on time. The OP is (presumably) not talking about peak times but about a regular long hours culture, which is by no means confined to accountancy.

In fact the people who are known not to work late usually stop being asked to work late once it becomes known they won't. It's much easier to ask someone who you know is going to say yes.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Scorpio33 wrote: »

That's exactly it, which is why I then question if I am in the right career. Surely it would be better for my long term sanity to move to a career where the hours are easier.


My goal in life is to have the best family life possible. The career is a means to an end. The issue is that I earn good money, but can't see my family and when I do, I am so stressed that I snap at them and shout at them when I shouldn't do.
Then again, moving to a less stressful career would mean I have more time with my family and I would actually be happy when I spend time with them, but then we would not have the same lifestyle we currently have; something I feel my family would hate me for. It would feel that I would be sacrificing the good things I could give my family for my own happiness, something that feels too selfish.

So if it is only at peak times you have to work long hours, how often do these peak times occur?

d70cw6

I am also 36 with a wife, 2 kids and an "accountancy" job paying over £50k. However I work in internal audit with a large company and rarely work over 20 hours a week. The rest of the time i bum around on the internet and troll forums.
Have you considered a move away from whatever your current role is and into internal audit?

Scorpio33

d70cw6 wrote: »

I am also 36 with a wife, 2 kids and an "accountancy" job paying over £50k. However I work in internal audit with a large company and rarely work over 20 hours a week. The rest of the time i bum around on the internet and troll forums.
Have you considered a move away from whatever your current role is and into internal audit?

As long as you are able to leave work at a decent time and leave work at work, that job sounds ideal.


The issue is how to find jobs like that.

d70cw6

whereabouts do you live?

Scorpio33

d70cw6 wrote: »

whereabouts do you live?

South Coast

missbiggles1

Scorpio33 wrote: »

South Coast

I'm not particularly recommending it but had you thought of moving into education and training within the accountancy field?

http://offer.jobisjob.co.uk/canterbury-kent/cccu/lecturersenior-lecturer-in-accounting/job-offer-y3xpewnaz6iqvozbxxdw3ft5fy?cat=_PR_ED_&pos=4

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Scorpio33 wrote: »

As long as you are able to leave work at a decent time and leave work at work, that job sounds ideal.


The issue is how to find jobs like that.

There aren't any jobs like that, he was being sarcastic. I imagine.

Seriously, you are not going to find a job where you can work half the time you do for the same money. If you had skills in that sort of demand, you would already either be doing it, or be working full time for twice as much as you are on.

Again, how often do you have to work long hours? If it is at occasional peak times, then you are not going to get a 50K a year job that doesn't require that from time to time (unless, again, you have some in-demand skills you don't have).

Why don't you just stop working routine long hours at the job you are in? Do you honestly think they will sack you? It will halt your career where it is, no doubt, but you don't seem to mind that.

[Deleted User]

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

There aren't any jobs like that, he was being sarcastic. I imagine.

I'm 36 in a month.. I make close to £60k in IT Consultancy, working from home.. and I guess I work 30 hours and fart around on the internet for the other 10 hours.

These jobs do exist, live the dream! I get to drive my kids to school most days and see them from 5pm onwards.

And to think i'm considering working/commuting in London to earn another £10k and not just have to talk to the postman for social interactions during the day.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

ringo_24601 wrote: »

I'm 36 in a month.. I make close to £60k in IT Consultancy, working from home.. and I guess I work 30 hours and fart around on the internet for the other 10 hours.

These jobs do exist, live the dream! I get to drive my kids to school most days and see them from 5pm onwards.

And to think i'm considering working/commuting in London to earn another £10k and not just have to talk to the postman for social interactions during the day.

I didn't say they don't exist. I said they only exist if you have the relevant marketable skills. You clearly do, and are therefore already doing it. He doesn't, hence he's doing his job.