Quitting on vacation

May 23, 2007 5:14 PM

I have a good job that's a little boring but a good opportunity. I recently scheduled all of my 2-week vacation at once to go to Europe, and I'll be leaving next week. An opportunity has come up to work over there for the next few months and it's really tempting. I had no idea this would came up when I scheduled my vacation, and when my boss jokingly asked me, 'you're coming back, right?', i said 'of course!.'

So anyway, i guess my question is how to handle it if i do decide to leave. I won't be able to confirm this new opportunity for sure until the day before i leave. i get good reviews at my job and would probably get good references from them currently. But I'm afraid not coming back from vacation would look pretty flaky and immature. How big of a deal do you think this would be? and what would be the best way to break it to them...as quickly as possible? letter or phone call? email would probably be bad. should i try to convince them it wasn't premeditated? should i make something up?

before this happened, i'd planned on quitting in a few months, towards fall. maybe i'm overthinking this, leaving jobs has always been difficult for me under normal circumstances too. but this would kind of leave them in the lurch, a lot of things would be left up in the air, & i wouldn't want to do anything that would seriously jeopardize future job prospects etc.

posted by octavia to Work & Money (6 answers total)

if it's a great opportunity, take it, especially if you weren't planning on staying much longer anyway. i wouldn't worry about how it looks--i don't think anyone would fault you for jumping at this opportunity.
posted by thinkingwoman at 5:22 PM on May 23, 2007

You planned on leaving in a few months anyway? Why not quit now, take the job in Europe or not as you please, and then if you don't take it, come back and look for something else?
posted by thehmsbeagle at 5:23 PM on May 23, 2007

Everyone--even bosses--understand the concept of "the offer you can't refuse." Your current employer will probably be a bit caught off guard, but generally sympathetic.
posted by HotPatatta at 5:56 PM on May 23, 2007

I'd document everything you can about where projects you're working on currently stand, where things are on your desk or computer, etc. If you can leave them with a transition document for the person they have to have take over your work, you'll be looked on much more favorably than if you just take off for Europe and say, "screw you, suckers!" Present the new job as a last minute opportunity you can't pass up, but show your current job you respect them by making things as easy for them as possible.
posted by MsMolly at 7:44 PM on May 23, 2007

Well, there are really two questions here - about just not returning to your job from holiday, and moving to Europe at the drop of a hat.

Regarding the second, I'd be careful about doing anything so major without adequate preparation. I moved from New York to London in 1997 at the request of my then current emloyer, but before that I had been working here sporadically since 1995. Although I knew a fair amount regarding what I'd be getting myself into, there still were surprises, and not always pleasant.

Even with the best preparations a large percentage of ex-pats simply don't stick it out. Cutting yourself off from your family and friends is a big step. The honeymoon period in ex-pats is will documented; early on everything is new and exciting. Then the reality hits - the long established friendships are somewhere else. Your support network is someplace else. At this point many ex-pats get depressed to the point of terminating their assignment early, returning to their home country. This is expensive and although many multinationals recognise the problem and actively deal with it, this still happens. I've heard of it several times, and I've lived or worked outside the US for about one third of my adult life now.

Also my sense is perhaps you haven't really considered all the messy details - for example your flat where you live now - keep it or dump it? If you're keeping it, rent it out while you're gone, or pay all the bills yourself? How to pack for this trip - short holiday or extended relocation to Europe? Work permit for the European country you're headed to? Taxes? Assuming you're in the US you'll still be responsible for filing US tax returns - will you report this income? If so do you realise the IRS will verify your income will their appropriate European counterparts? Will you have to file in that country? What happens if you don't file in Europe but do so in the US? Flip side as well - you don't report in the US but in Europe, what happens when they verify income to their US counterparts? Exit strategy from the European job and, closely related, where will you work once you return from your extended working holiday?

When I relocated even with a multinational helping me and arranging things a remarkably larger number of details were overlooked and frequently caused problems.

Appropriate opportunities will always be there, but forethought and planning will increase the chances of success.
posted by Mutant at 11:46 PM on May 23, 2007 [1 favorite]

What do you know about getting a work permit in your chosen bit of Europe, or didn't you plan to bother?
posted by Idcoytco at 4:55 AM on May 24, 2007