Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
  • Jobs and Location
  • teenrat
    Full Member

    My girlfriend and I want to move from where we currently live. It’s just got to the point where careers need to progress and also a change of scenery.

    I currently work in the public sector and an opportunity could come up for me which would represent a promotion doing the same work i do now. However, the job is in Buckley, North East Wales. We went up there last week to have a look and it really didn’t feel like a place i wanted to live.

    We then went over to Sheffield, as my mums side of the family are all from there ( although there aren’t any family left there). Whenever i go there, i instantly get a feeling of home and belonging and i love the place. However, moving here would most likely be a jump into the private sector which i am unfamiliar with and will probably result in more work pressure, less leave etc.

    So i now have questions flying around in my head which are:

    Is it better to have a job you would be more happy in (familiar with and with more benefits, leave etc) in a place you don’t really want to live

    or

    A job you are unfamiliar with (less benefits, potentially more work pressure, less leave etc)in a place you really want to live?

    atlaz
    Free Member

    Both. Depends on you really rather than us. I live somewhere I never imagined living (as in it had never crossed my mind rather than I’ve got a Monaco penthouse) for the job and I’m quite happy. On the other hand, if I was offered a decent job in somewhere like Lyon where I’m close to the mountains, has awesome food etc I’d probably pack up and head off.

    So for me, the second choice wins over the first TODAY. Tomorrow I may say otherwise. If it’s not a lifetime commitment to either of the choices, sit down with your other half, pick one and give it a shot.

    ThePinkster
    Full Member

    Sounds to me like the familiarity, benefits & leave are more important to you at the moment so if I was in your place I’d stick it out until something came along in the right place at the right time.

    I don’t see the benefit in moving unnecessarily it there are no real world advantages to it. I’ve done this a couple of times in my working life but only when the pro’s have significantly outweighed the cons.

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    Gary_M
    Free Member

    It’s just got to the point where careers need to progress

    will probably result in more work pressure, less leave etc.

    Not sure I understand, you want your career to progress but don’t seem keen on more work pressure?

    Is it better to have a job you would be more happy in (familiar with and with more benefits, leave etc) in a place you don’t really want to live

    or

    A job you are unfamiliar with (less benefits, potentially more work pressure, less leave etc)in a place you really want to live?

    Is there an option C, I don’t fancy either of them.

    thepodge
    Free Member

    Sheffield does that to people. I’ve been here 18 years now.

    I’d go for the nice place over the nice job, other jobs may present themselves in or around Sheffield, doesn’t sound like other towns will present themselves around the job

    geetee1972
    Free Member

    At the risk of being an agony aunt….I wonder whether you’re reducing this to too polarised a decision. Why not explore the potential to have both the job and the location you want?

    I’d also not polarise the public and private sectors quite as extremely as you do. You might still have a positive experience in the latter and a negative one in the former.

    teenrat
    Full Member

    OK, maybe ‘work pressure’ wasn’t the best phrase to use. What i mean is the need to do considerable time outside the contracted hours My out of work time is very important to me, but is more out of work time better in a place you dont want to be. I’m happy with added pressures associated with career progression.

    The field i work in is specialised and opportunities to move up in the public sector don’t come around very often, but an opportunity will come up very soon, which is why i am asking myself these questions as i need to know what i’m to do.

    Maybe i’m just not putting any of this into words very well!

    Thanks for the replies so far

    EDIT: I know i’m polarising both the public and private sectors, but i’m going off my experiences in dealing with both sectors

    tmb467
    Free Member

    Nowt wrong with private sector work but plenty of public sector work in yorkshire

    What do you do that means you can only work in Wales? And what does your missus do?

    I’d always moved for the job but going somewhere small like Buckley wouldn’t ever appeal

    EDIT: not sure that working long hours outside the contracted hours is something you’d be expected to do in Private Sector

    wl
    Free Member

    Personally, I moved to where I wanted to live (in the hills, among mint trails) then organised my working life around it. Still here 15 years later. Depends almost entirely on the individual and their priorities/tolerances though. I would have thought Sheffield was a very versatile location, with scope for striking a great balance even if it takes a couple of years and possibly another job change somewhere down the line. Remember, it’s always going to involve compromise.

    Sue_W
    Free Member

    Would you actually have to live in Buckley? There are some fantastic places within easy commuting distance eg the villages around the clwydian hills – great for both mountain biking and road cycling, an active mountaineering club, and easy access to Chester, Liverpool, Manchester etc for more urban culture.

    I certainly value my holidays and working hours, and would be reluctant to trade that in for a more familiar location.

    I’d suggest giving both options more thought, and take some time to properly explore the areas within commuting distance of Buckley.

    ebennett
    Full Member

    I did option A for a year, didn’t mind it at the time as I enjoyed the job but once we moved on to somewhere we actually wanted to live I realised how much I had compromised on quality of life. However, I’d probably still do it again given the chance to go back as it’s resulted in a job I’m really happy in. So it may be worth it as long as you go in with an exit strategy in mind.

    Also, will your girlfriend be able to find work easily enough there? Mine really struggled with getting something that wasn’t soul-destroying, and it weighed on me knowing that she’d uprooted herself from family and friends for my career and was stuck doing a crap job to pay the bills.

    teenrat
    Full Member

    We stayed in Llanarmon yn Ial, visited Ruthin, Llandegla, Llangollen, Mold, Buckley and although there is some great countryside and riding, it just didnt feel right – my girlfriend felt the same. Could i learn to love it – i dont know!

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    OP, excuse me but you do sound very public sector, “outside contracted hours” 😯
    I mean that is fair enough, is your choice but you yourself recognise your career has stalled but you don’t seem willing to make the most obvious jump which is into the private sector.

    I suggest you look for a public sector job in a better location for you. Good luck but it’s my view the next 5+ years will be tough in the public sector as further budget cuts (whoever wins the election) are a certainty. Those work hours and extra holidays you like will come at an increasing cost vs the private sector.

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