Should I take this job?

December 1, 2014 5:27 PM

I've been contracting with a company that is most likely going to make me a job offer this week. It's a contract-to-hire deal, which I was pretty excited about when it started, but over the past few weeks my wife and I have decided we want to move across the country to be closer to her family. The job is remote so in theory I could keep it, but then we'd have to pay our way across the country. What to do?

I like the company well enough, but as I mentioned in a previous question I'd be open to something else if it came along, which I guess is a sign of my ambivalence about them. I have been doing the remote thing for a long time (with other companies) and I think I'm really interested in a position where I'm able to work in the same building as my coworkers and get my career moving.

The company is giving me a better title and a chance to work at a higher level than I think I could easily get elsewhere. Taking emotions and the situation out of it, it's a great opportunity. I don't know what the salary would be yet -- we're both being coy to this point. But they're small, and I know what they charge their own clients for work, and frankly I don't expect an extravagant offer. They've made it clear that indefinite contracting is not an option, so if I don't take this job I'll have to scramble to find work.

The move has been something my wife and I have vaguely discussed for a long time, but we've always decided in the end that we weren't ready. A few things have changed lately such that we're both pretty sure that now's the time. If I could do everything over again, a few months ago I would have started looking for a great fit in the destination city with a company that would offer relocation. Now... I don't feel great about turning down a job offer. We already burned through a fair bit of our "6 month emergency cash" while I was looking for this contract. At the same time, we would like to move this summer so our kids can start at their new school in the fall. That leaves me with the following choices:

1. Take the job, but start looking for a new job immediately that offers relocation.
2. Take the job and suck up that we'd have to pay out of pocket to meet our timeframe.
3. Don't take the job, but then possibly be out of money for who knows how long while looking for a new position / interim contracting work. This could lead to more pressure to take the first thing that gets us across the country instead of evaluating a good fit.

Option 1 is what I think is best for me, but it feels terribly dishonest. But being overly honest is going to potentially screw me and my family over. I mean, there is growth in this position... but no money to move... and maybe there's growth elsewhere... I just don't know what's acceptable, ethical, right, or if I'm not being creative enough in my thinking. What do you think?

posted by StockingMarionette to Work & Money (8 answers total)

What are the chances that you're going to find a job that will pay for you to relocate? Is that a typical perq in your field?
posted by amro at 5:44 PM on December 1, 2014

There's a fourth option. Take the job, pay for your own relocation and stick it out for a while and actually give it a go. It took you from the sounds of it, six months to find this and it has a lot of positives going for it. You say it's a better title and higher level that you could easily get elsewhere but if that were the case, you would have multiple offers to deal with at the moment, instead you've burnt through a large chunk of money and time trying to nail down just one, by the sounds of it.

I guess what I'm saying is a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush - sure, you might get another offer elsewhere but are you willing to throw away a sure thing based on a maybe and leave your family really strapped for cash in a new city when you already have an option that works for you? Take the job, and have a really good crack at it.
posted by Jubey at 5:46 PM on December 1, 2014 [9 favorites]

Once you move to the new location, you can look for another job. A company that comes along with a fabulous job offer and wants to pay relocation to the city of your dreams is a fantasy. Sure, it happens sometimes, but "Wouldn't it be great if...?" makes for a crappy plan. Stick with the sure thing until you get your feet beneath you and then you can look for a job that suits you better.

Look, moving to a new city, especially when it's a deliberate move rather than a necessary evil because of a job, is a big change and a lot of stress. Why amp up your stress by moving without a job? You've done the remote gig before and you know how to do it. Worst case scenario, your career progression gets set back a few months or maybe even a year. And for what? The cost of a relo?

The other way to look at is that you and your wife have been tempted for a long time to make this move. Now the stars are aligned to make that possible. You have a source of income in the new city, issues in your lives have resolved, and there's nothing holding you back. And yet you're reluctant because no one will pay your moving expenses?
posted by DrGail at 6:05 PM on December 1, 2014 [4 favorites]

A) You have a job (offer). B) You want to move to be closer to your wife's family. Decouple A and B in your head. They are in no way related, other than you have heard of jobs that offer relocation.

Take the job. Keep looking for a better job in your new city. Don't expect them to want to pay to relocate you. Because the odds are pretty good that where you're going, there is already someone with your skill set who is looking for the same job, because there are people everywhere with every skill set looking for any job these days.
posted by Etrigan at 6:16 PM on December 1, 2014 [2 favorites]

Yes, take the job and move on your own. If the company is positioning you at a higher level than you could easily get, that's also a bonus when you start looking for a new gig- you can then demonstrate experience at that higher level.
posted by TDIpod at 6:36 PM on December 1, 2014 [3 favorites]

I've been working on an article about hiring and what we already know is true: unemployed people have a terrible time getting work. Based on what my sources would say, take the job, suck up the relocation costs, and try to make it work (it might!). If it doesn't work, start looking after you've been there at least 12 months. Anything less and folks will think you're a flake at best. Good luck!
posted by Bella Donna at 7:04 PM on December 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

It's easier to find a job when you already have a job. If you were being flooded by offers from the type of companies that offer relocation, then the answer might be different, but you aren't. Take the job, then figure out the rest from there.
posted by Ashlyth at 8:20 PM on December 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

No company is going to pay to relocate you. Not unless you just got your Ph.D. and the company is Google.

That was never a factor. So take the job, move on your own dime, and start looking for a better job after you've moved.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:08 AM on December 2, 2014