change jobs to benefit family time or remain to benefit family financially

FtbDreaming

The problem with taking a pay cut is then later on, how is this understood are you then putting yourself in a weaker position for later negotiations. Imagine having to write salaries (honestly) on the next application form.

The op wont be taking a cut in salary... just wont be getting unsociable hours enhancements

downshifted

Do go to the debt free board for help with budgeting, put up your SOA. Also take a look at the oOld Style Board for money saving help with food shopping and batch cooking. The thing that would swing it for me, which no one has yet mentioned, is that there are definite health issues with night shift working. If you can change to something else it will be better for your health in the long run.

pickledonionspaceraider

Bouncybubbles wrote: »

Hi all
So I work nights as a district nurse I am not able to change in my current post as our team is the 'night team' so we permanently do nights. Anyway I am constantly tired due to nights so any time off I get impacts the quality of time I have with my son/husband due to my almost constant exhaustion. Due to this I applied for a job in our local walk in/ minor injury unit and hopefully I should hear if I am successful on Monday after interview last Thursday. It would be 4 days a week early or late shifts (haven't got the childcare for full time) so I would be at home every night however obviously it would be quite a large pay cut I'm talking £500+ a month :eek: we are not well off in the slightest and this would make life very frugal for us rather than ok as it is currently. So we had our work xmas do last night and I couldn't help but think how much I would miss them all if I left they have been one of the nicest teams I have ever worked with and I worry if I leave the new team might be horrible etc etc. What I am asking is has anyone been through similar? have you left a relatively well paying job and managed just to improve your family life? or have you ended up staying somewhere just for the money or your good colleagues then regretted it? I am just very uncertain of everything at the moment and am scared about taking the leap into the unknown especially as it will impact so hugely on finances and as a result our family life. Many thanks for reading :A

Hi OP

Yes I have done it, this year

My old job was really stressful with a lot of responsibilities

It was very well paid and bonuses were astronomical.

Now I work for a not-for-profit organisation on min wage. It is extremely stress free.

and....I have never been happier (work-wise)

I have found ways to be frugal, mainly food shopping and menu planning - and I always buy charity shop clothes.

What I find is that some people who take this plunge seem to be swapping long hours of work, for long hours of finding bargains - ie going to five different food shops to save £1.50 on shopping. I don't do that

The lack of stress / more time for my family and hobbies, really outweigh the lack of money

New year, new you x

Primrose

Making the change will also depend on how good you are as a couple with saving money.
Right now with the current uncertain political and economic climate I wouldn,t risk it. Having no savings and emergency leeway is not a good place to be andI don,t think you should bank on expecting your family to bail you out.

Things have a habit of unexpectedly turning against yiu. What if your husband suddenly lost his job?. Every penny you earned would be doubly vital to your survival.

I moved from full time to a part time job because my ageing parents needed increasing care 100 miles away. I didn,t bargain for my husband to be made redundant shortly after that happened. So plan for the worse, at least for another 12 months and save every penny you can. If you want to sleep easily at nights, the time for working shorter hours is when you've put money innthe bank to offset those contingencies.

Family life may be hard now when you often feel exhausted. Would it really be any better if you had a little more time but were constantly worried sick about falling deeper into debt? You'd only be swapping one problem for another.

SensibleSarah

Echo what some of the other posters have said. Don't drop down unless you are prepared for it financially, if at all possible.

I'm currently taking on some freelance work on top of my full time job, which is making life pretty miserable to be honest, but it should enable me to go 100% freelance in six months time, with a decent savings buffer, which will make a significant difference to my quality of life, although I'm sure I'll be earning less. Even if it doesn't last forever and I have to go back into full time employment after a year or two, it will still be worth it for me - you don't get these years back! Short term pain for long term gain.

gwynlas

Some good advice given by previous posters.
Whilst you might or might not get this position what are your thoughts?
Did you apply for new role solely to get off nights or to gain further experience and advance your career?
What are your plans for the future, and do you want to increase your family?
Is there agency work available in the area you could do for occasional top up?
Whilst nights and running a home are exhausting is there a way in which you could stay until you have built up an emergency fund?
You might get more help by posting an SOA.
Really use this time to think about what you really want, you might be better off timewise but quickly run up debts. It is infortunately r to easy to do.