Jobs.

[CyFan61]

I'm debating whether to accept the offer letter from a company. They'd give it to me in September but I'd have 30 days to accept. Or I can risk it until November and possibly not have an offer...

It'd be messed up to accept and renig on their offer wouldn't it?

Any thoughts? I don't think I'd have a problem finding a job (already have a couple other offers and interviews lined up) but this is a pretty good company.

The offer would be around 75k in the Seattle area.

Even from a purely selfish, look out for #1 perspective, you have to weigh the pros of continuing to search for a job after accepting another and potentially finding something better against the cons of burning bridges with the original company that you accepted.

At this stage in your career, is________ (be it a better location than Seattle, a better job title, more upward mobility, higher pay, etc. - whatever you get from Company #2) worth the negativity that Company #1 will likely associate with your name?

Only you can really know that answer.

If it were me, I'd probably stick with Company #1 for at least a year, make my $75k, enjoy Seattle, and then feel unencumbered and able to jump somewhere else if I really wanted to with that experience headlining my resume. But you might be different and that is fine too.

 

[urb1]

When I was laid off, I was provided career placement counseling. In a weekly meeting, someone raised the same question. What if I take a job and another comes around before or right after I start? The counselor's response was this. How many of you were shown any loyalty by your company when you were laid off? There are people in this room that were only on the job a few weeks when they were downsized. In this day and age, loyalty to your company is not something I would worry about, because it isn't a two-way street anymore.

 

[erikbj]

Its all about the $$$..............if you accept a job and then someone offers you more later, then you take it and tell the other place they were offering X% more and i am taking it.

They can't get mad if you someone offered you more cash.

 

[CtownCyclone]

Just make sure you understand any financial penalties that might exist if you bail on them. Signing bonus, relocation money, etc that may need to be paid back if you leave before a certain amount of time.

 

[Daserop]

Seattle huh...

 

[cyeah]

Would have to be one heck of a summer job to get you close to 100k. Most districts are going to top out around 60k or maybe a little more with a Master's, and for coaching you're looking at around 5k if you're a varsity coach and less obviously for an asst or MS coaching job. Not saying it's impossible but it would be a very rare situation for you to hit 100k as a teacher.

Ohh those poor, poor underpaid teachers who were forced into teaching. If teaching doesn't pay well enough choose a career that does pay what your are worth. If you love to teach and the lifestyle recognize it is not a lucrative choice. I get so darn tired hearing about how underpaid teachers are. It is a lifestyle choice, deal with it.

By the way most of the HS coached around me are right at or over $100K and all they do is coach but that is Texas high school football for you. http://www.chron.com/jobs/gallery/High-paid-high-school-football-coaches-69043/photo-5038115.php

I imagine there would be a bunch of whining about that is Iowa...

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Ohh those poor, poor underpaid teachers who were forced into teaching. If teaching doesn't pay well enough choose a career that does pay what your are worth. If you love to teach and the lifestyle recognize it is not a lucrative choice. I get so darn tired hearing about how underpaid teachers are. It is a lifestyle choice, deal with it.

By the way most of the HS coached around me are right at or over $100K and all they do is coach but that is Texas high school football for you. http://www.chron.com/jobs/gallery/High-paid-high-school-football-coaches-69043/photo-5038115.php

I imagine there would be a bunch of whining about that is Iowa...

I don't think he was whining, just stating realistic numbers for teachers, most likely in Iowa. Base rates & top end rates fluctuate nationally because of the differences in cost of living, just like almost every other job. $40K is a decent (if frugal) salary when living in Iowa, not so much when living on either coast.

 

[ISUME]

75k is nice, but you will be living in a big city so the cost of living will eat some of that. What does the complete package look like?(Insurance, Pension, 401K, bonuses, tuition reimbursement, etc)

 

[Rhoadhoused]

Take your time, accept the offer as late as you can, and go get other offers and professionally leverage those offers against each other.

 

[cyrocksmypants]

Ohh those poor, poor underpaid teachers who were forced into teaching. If teaching doesn't pay well enough choose a career that does pay what your are worth. If you love to teach and the lifestyle recognize it is not a lucrative choice. I get so darn tired hearing about how underpaid teachers are. It is a lifestyle choice, deal with it.

By the way most of the HS coached around me are right at or over $100K and all they do is coach but that is Texas high school football for you. http://www.chron.com/jobs/gallery/High-paid-high-school-football-coaches-69043/photo-5038115.php

I imagine there would be a bunch of whining about that is Iowa...

I don't think anyone is whining. But I do think we approach teachers wrong. We need to look at them more as an infrastructure, because everything we have in the future is built upon what they do. Instead we currently treat them as a dispensable asset. I wonder how many actual good teachers we lose just because we don't pay them their value for what they do.

 

[cyrocksmypants]

75k is nice, but you will be living in a big city so the cost of living will eat some of that. What does the complete package look like?(Insurance, Pension, 401K, bonuses, tuition reimbursement, etc)

Seriously guys. He's single out of college. He's living on his own (I assume?) 75k is a really good number in those circumstances regardless of where you live outside of New York City. It's not like he's got to support a wife and three kids on 75k.

 

[acoustimac]

But if finances are important to you and you have a masters, teaching, coaching, and then finding a summer job, a teacher at the age of 50 could easily make 100k/year.

I want to know what fantasy land this occurs in unless you happen to be in an area where the cost of living makes 100K look like 50. In most schools throughout Iowa a teacher with a Masters at age 50 would be making in the low to mid 40's. Add 1200 if you are a head coach of a sport. That means that summer job better be with a Fortune 500 company that will pay you 50K for three months.

The other numbers tossed around like 4k for even a head coaching position are outliers. Def not the norm.

 

[acoustimac]

I don't think anyone is whining. But I do think we approach teachers wrong. We need to look at them more as an infrastructure, because everything we have in the future is built upon what they do. Instead we currently treat them as a dispensable asset. I wonder how many actual good teachers we lose just because we don't pay them their value for what they do.

So true. The average career of a freshly minted teacher is now three years. Why? Two predominant factors - stress and pay. Some of you may have seen this comparison, but its worth a read. Yes, babysitters get paid more than teachers!
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=182727

 

[carvers4math]

At some point, the type of work atmosphere should probably figure into the equation and not just money.

 

[DeereClone]

Seriously guys. He's single out of college. He's living on his own (I assume?) 75k is a really good number in those circumstances regardless of where you live outside of New York City. It's not like he's got to support a wife and three kids on 75k.

They aren't saying it is a bad income. They are saying that he needs to weigh the cost of living when making the decision.

Probably be better off financially with 60K in the midwest. Especially if family/friends are here and you would plan to travel a lot to see them.

 

[carvers4math]

So true. The average career of a freshly minted teacher is now three years. Why? Two predominant factors - stress and pay. Some of you may have seen this comparison, but its worth a read. Yes, babysitters get paid more than teachers!
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=182727

My brothers were both math teachers, both retired several years but have continued to coach and help out the districts they were in to fill in and teach a year when the districts were desperate with someone leaving right before school started. I don't believe they would have retired when they did, because they both enjoyed the actual teaching, except for the BS in-service and similar stuff. Their wives, also both teachers, retired when they did because of how much behavior of students continues to decline and just not wanting to deal with it any more.

When I was a child, if a problem arose at school, our parents would look at it objectively and if it was the kid's fault, that is where the blame would lie. Parents today always assume it is the teacher's fault and that their little angels could not possibly have done something wrong.

 

[ISUME]

Seriously guys. He's single out of college. He's living on his own (I assume?) 75k is a really good number in those circumstances regardless of where you live outside of New York City. It's not like he's got to support a wife and three kids on 75k.

Ok, I'll drop off the first part. The salary is important but the other factors will carry more weight as you move forward in life.

What does the complete package look like?(Insurance, Pension, 401K, bonuses, tuition reimbursement, etc)

 

[KnappShack]

They aren't saying it is a bad income. They are saying that he needs to weigh the cost of living when making the decision.

Probably be better off financially with 60K in the midwest. Especially if family/friends are here and you would plan to travel a lot to see them.

It's a good thing to explore the world. I'd recommend that any Iowan live out of state for at least 3 years. If a person wants to move back then the doors are always open for a return. However, there's a big horizon out there that needs to be explored! Pack the wagons and head west! Those experiences will stay with a person for a lifetime

 

[Doc]

I think cost of living changes can be a little exaggerated. Housing is obviously a big difference. But if you would like it there enough to buy a house, you would be in a spot where: 1. People want to live and 2. Doesn't have unlimited potential to grow outward. Also, odds are you'll be paid more in Seattle and have to pay a lot less for heat and air conditioning. That was my experience in California, at least.

 

[Antihawk240]

I have an upper management position at my employer and this had led to me hiring and extending offers routinely. Witht that said, do not hesitate for 1 second to feel bad about declining an offer or even leveraging it in your favor. If you are completely honest with them and tell them that you have other job interviews lined up and once all the offers are on the table you will make the best decision for yourself and compare each offer together. This will be nothing new to the person you are dealing with, they have heard it all before and probably are expecting it from you. Since they are in the position to be communicating with you, then they are probably professional enough to know the drill.
Also, experience working in a different state/city/area when you can since it is just you. Once a wife comes along, then you have 2 to look after, then kids come and everything at that point becomes a lot more complicated and quite honestly your job is the 3rd thing you care about.
Finally, look into who you will be working with. It sounds like a large company, so look into your department. Generation gaps are very hard to overcome. If you work with several kids your own age you will be experiencing the same things in your life and the work environment will be much more friendlier. If you are 20 something working along side a 50 year old there is a Generation Gap that at times can be very very frustrating to BOTH sides.