Moving jobs with no financial gain

Fuzzy_Lookup

I'm currently on £65k and the next time I could possibly get a pay rise is in just under a years time.

In the beginning my job wasn't bad, just a bit boring. In recent times though it's become unbearable. I've lost all motivation, doesn't help that the job is completely pointless.

I've started looking for a new job and have an interview next week. Like most job adverts there was no salary specified, but I've been told ahead of the interview that the salary range is £55k - £65k. 

My rule has always been don't move for less than 10% more than I'm currently getting.

I've become pretty desperate to leave my job though so instead I'm thinking potentially a better job for £65k vs the current job I'm in which I hate for £65k.

I don't know whether I'm letting my desperation cloud my judgement though.

Is it worth taking the new job if offered?

MikeJXE

You need to work out first what do you need in a job, happiness or money ? It seems to me you might be moving from a guaranteed salary to a pie in the sky. Why not wait till you are certain what the job entails and what the salary is. You are reminding me of my first trip to France back in the 60's. We were a bit lost so I asked a French man for directions, luckily he spoke English and his reply was the English are always looking for a way out of a town before they get into it. 

tacpot12

Money is not the only reason to change jobs. If you can live on £55K and can find a job that pays this, and where you think you will be happier, I would say move. Just seeing another way of working can useful for your CV.

Before you take your decision I would recommend writing down exactly why you are considering leaving, then put this to one side for a day or two. Whne you come back to it, try to read it as you imagine you would do at the end of your working life. See if the note still seems to provide a sensible justification for leave.  

Fuzzy_Lookup

I'm a Data Analyst so I definitely do it for the money rather than enjoyment.

At the same time though I think I could enjoy it more if I worked for the right type of company. The one thing all the companies I've worked for have in common is they are essentially middle man companies that get other companies to waste money on things they don't really need. The company I have an interview with serves more of a purpose.

I definitely need to move on but at the same time I don't want to just take anything in desperation. Also looking at house prices coupled with the fact I'm not getting any younger places even more importance on money.

Marcon

Fuzzy_Lookup said:

I'm a Data Analyst so I definitely do it for the money rather than enjoyment.

At the same time though I think I could enjoy it more if I worked for the right type of company. The one thing all the companies I've worked for have in common is they are essentially middle man companies that get other companies to waste money on things they don't really need. The company I have an interview with serves more of a purpose.

I definitely need to move on but at the same time I don't want to just take anything in desperation. Also looking at house prices coupled with the fact I'm not getting any younger places even more importance on money.

Nobody here can tell you what really matters to you, but if you read your own posts very carefully that might help you reach a decision. When you respond to the replies you get, and in particular when you don't agree with what someone has said, it can genuinely help to narrow down what your final choice(s) might look like. In particular look at the bits I've marked in bold, which were the comments I found most striking:

 Fuzzy_Lookup said:

I'm currently on £65k and the next time I could possibly get a pay rise is in just under a years time.

In the beginning my job wasn't bad, just a bit boring. In recent times though it's become unbearable. I've lost all motivation, doesn't help that the job is completely pointless.

I've started looking for a new job and have an interview next week. Like most job adverts there was no salary specified, but I've been told ahead of the interview that the salary range is £55k - £65k. 

My rule has always been don't move for less than 10% more than I'm currently getting.

I've become pretty desperate to leave my job though so instead I'm thinking potentially a better job for £65k vs the current job I'm in which I hate for £65k.

I don't know whether I'm letting my desperation cloud my judgement though.

Is it worth taking the new job if offered?

'Unbearable' is a strong word. A salary should be payment for the work you do, not compensation for being utterly miserable. You weren't this unhappy a month ago: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6398276/job-pays-decent-but-feel-too-junior#latest

What's happened to make it so much worse - the fact you were turned down for promotion?

A salary range usually means that you'll be offered the minimum, so unless you're an excellent negotiator, you aren't likely to even match your current salary (although remember, through your cloud of misery, to take into account the whole package: pension contributions, sick pay, private health, bonuses [almost invariably discretionary but see if there are any indicative figures], car allowance, holidays etc). Desperation often means you settle for less than you'd hoped and will be disgruntled and back in the same boat all too quickly.

Happiness is a very valuable currency...

theoretica

What would your future career development potential be from the two jobs?  Losing motivation doesn't sound good for that.  What is your assessment of the security of the different businesses?

Ath_Wat

If your current job is "unbearable" then of course you should leave as you won't be able to bear it if you don't.

If it isn't actually unbearable and yours is a job market where opportunities are not scarce, it may well be worth hanging on and looking for something that pays more.

Fuzzy_Lookup

It has been getting worse really quickly. The lack of promotion is a factor, but it's also becoming more about the business and less about the data and I've never been convinced by what the company does.

I'm certainly not willing to take a pay cut so if they offer £55k I'll definitely say no. 

I see more potential in the job I have an interview for because the type of business is more my thing.

Hard to say about job security, but it's non-existent in the type of business I'm in at the moment.

ceh209

Don't despair and assume you'd be offered £55k, the range is there for a reason. I'm leaving a job that currently pays £62k+10% bonus, and interviewed for a role advertised as £55k-£65k dependent on experience. They asked me what I was currently on and what I was looking for and I said 'something comparable to my current package' and I've been offered £65k.

My current job is also unbearable and I've lost all motivation, I would have taken the £55k although I wasn't going to tell the interviewers that!

Ditzy_Mitzy

The other thing to consider is that 'downgrading', as appears to be happening, will ring alarm bells for the prospective employer.  Whoever reviews the OP's application and/or interviews him will want to know, for obvious reasons, why he wants a job that pays ten grand less than his current one, especially in the current financial climate.  What's the answer, OP?  'I hate my job' won't cut it, unfortunately, even if it's true.  You are likely to be seen as someone who is trying to make a swift exit from your present role, and questions may well be asked.  If the answers aren't convincing, then the assumption that you are running away from something will be made.  

I have been in a similar position myself: I applied for a job that paid less than what I was then earning, on the basis that it was much closer to home and would have saved sufficient in travelling expenses to have almost broken even.  I was interviewed, but the interviewer didn't seem to buy that explanation and no offer was made.  Oddly the position remained vacant for months afterward, their loss I suppose.  Anyway, I have had other interviews for 'lesser' jobs, desired for reasons of commuting and lifestyle, and have got nowhere.  Going up, however, has never really been a problem.  Make of that what you will.  

Marcon

Fuzzy_Lookup said:

It has been getting worse really quickly. The lack of promotion is a factor, but it's also becoming more about the business and less about the data and I've never been convinced by what the company does.

I'm certainly not willing to take a pay cut so if they offer £55k I'll definitely say no. 

I see more potential in the job I have an interview for because the type of business is more my thing.

Hard to say about job security, but it's non-existent in the type of business I'm in at the moment.

That doesn't tally with finding your current job 'unbearable'....maybe the grass isn't always greener, particularly if money is your main motivation for working? 

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

I have been in a similar position myself: I applied for a job that paid less than what I was then earning, on the basis that it was much closer to home and would have saved sufficient in travelling expenses to have almost broken even.  I was interviewed, but the interviewer didn't seem to buy that explanation and no offer was made.  Oddly the position remained vacant for months afterward, their loss I suppose.  

Or possibly you weren't what they were looking for?

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

Anyway, I have had other interviews for 'lesser' jobs, desired for reasons of commuting and lifestyle, and have got nowhere.  Going up, however, has never really been a problem.  Make of that what you will.  

Poor interview technique - either theirs or yours! Certainly shows the value of thinking through ahead of time what you are going to say, and ensuring that you have a compelling and clear reason for being willing to take a lower salary.