would you take a much lower paid job ,just to get back into work ??

Got made redundant 4 weeks ago from a place that payed well , been there 12 years in total .
Today ive been for a interview at a smaller place for a similar job and got offered almost 10k a year less !!
question is , do i just suck it up and take the lower pay and carry on looking , or turn it down and stay on the rock n roll for a bit longer ??
Ive still got 3 months in lieu of notice money , so im not desperate yet

original job payed around the 25k mark for a 4 day week, they just offered me 14.5k for 4 and half days

cheers

Impossible to say – depends on how likely you think you are to find work in the three months you've got money for, how much saved/spare cash you have if you don't find work, will the role maybe lead to a better job in the same place, etc.

FWIW, we recently hired for a role that 2 years ago got school leavers with little experience. This time, for the same money, we got people with 10ish years experience (IT support) all because the job markets are very slow and there are people dropping their salary expectations in order to get jobs.

Depends, 10k difference is massive if you were on 25k, but if you were on 250k, then its not much.

I would rather get back to work, than have nothing to do, but I probably wouldn't work very hard if I felt that they are taking advantage of the current economic climate to pay low wages and undervaluing my skills.

is the rest of the job good? Good team to work with, interesting projects, good terms and conditions?

If its a good job apart from the pay perhaps take it. How easy is it going to be for you to get a different job?

Yes
I tried the sitting at home twiddling my thumbs. Got bored. Got frustrated. Went and did agency work. Then got a real job and I'm happy now. I also have a family to support so we need all the money we can get.

Take the job. Bottom line won't be 10K less due to tax etc and you can use the notice money to supplement your income. I got made redundant last year and was out for 6 months before I got another job. It is easier to look for work when you are in work and you will be gaining valuable experience. If you turn this down and don't get anything else within 3 months then you could have real problems.

I wouldn't be thinking in terms of what you used to get. Your old job paid you to go away and are now paying you £0 a year, these people are offering you cash money.

Depends on your situation tho, I'm guessing you don't have kids as that would affect the decision.

If you can afford to live on the wages then you should.

also check if you'd be in line for any benefits etc

Take the job. Any potential employer will question periods of unemployment, so minimising these looks better in the future.

If you can work your way up in the company, good on you but if not, you can use the time there to build your skills to move on.

I just took a big pay cut to get back working in the UK. When I was redundant last year I was choosey at first. 6 months down the line I took a job I hated and was stuck with for a year. Have just escaped that

Have you tried bargaining?

wot Steve g said.
some money is better than nowt. i'd ask if they couldn't make a better offer, or if they really can't afford more money, what about increasing your holiday entitlement? otherwise take the job, but take a month off if you fancy/can wangle, before starting.

stay on benefits have you no self respect 😉

If I was out of work I'd take any job that paid enough to cover the bills.

i wouldnt – it's a big step backwards regarding your salary – on average you only get a couple grand increase when you move jobs (obviously not always the case)

As Shackleton says, is that their first offer? Either negotiate the salary up or the hours down, but be prepared to justify why you're worth it. What you got paid in your last job isn't reason enough.

42% pay reduction to do a similar job and working an extra 0.5 day.

Hmmmm! Depends on how desperate you are I guess 🙂

Shackleton – Member
Have you tried bargaining?

yeah , they didnt want to know

and steve g , i do have kids … mostly grown up now though

Between job seekers and child tax credits , we get almost £200 a week and that job dont pay much more !!
and we lose some benefits as well

as for the Job , its the setting of BIG power presses up to 800 tons and i have the responsibilty of setting and signing the safety guards off for the presses to run , if i get it wrong , people can die and im not sure its worth the risk for 14k a year ..
cheers for all the replys

In answer to the original question, no.

If it's the same skill level as the previous job, then they are taking you for a mug by offering you so little money.

If it's a far less skilled job, then you are going to be bored, pissed off and no money to make it bearable.

I suppose it depends on your circumstances and the field you are in – but weigh it up carefully.

It is easier to look for work when you are in work

Load of crap it is a nightmare and very obvious taking days off and not enjoyable being sneaky to people you get on with.

will be gaining valuable experience.

Good point as you will gain some other skills, which are always good.

I was in almost the exact same position this time last year £24k made redundant end of July took job start of november on £15k.

Whilst the people are nice it is a headache earning so little and I am gradually eating into my savings to the tune of £300 or so a month, plus my brain is rotting.

Either negotiate if possible even for a grand or two, or treat them as a stepping stone. As remember they will get rid of you if they have to so there is no reason you should act with honour, but do keep things polite.

I would not take the job it's too little money in comparison.

You can work at Tesco's for a lot more than that. They are taking advantage which is the worst kind of employer IMHO.

I took a 10K pay drop earlier this year, as I had no other realistic option.

Then again, I moved from a well paid IT job in central London, to one near Blackburn….

xiphon – Member
I took a 10K pay drop earlier this year, as I had no other realistic option.

Then again, I moved from a well paid IT job in central London, to one near Blackburn….

Yes , but was you only on 25k to start with ??

I was made redundant last year and after approx 6 months I had to take an unskilled job. I have been at a supermarket working on the tills etc however I finish there in 5 weeks now. In the current climate there are so many people all going for the same jobs. Unfortunately those hiring seem to have the upper hand. Investigate your sector, speak to recruitment people etc and that will give you a clearer idea of how the market is.

I did it last time I was made redundant in 2000.

I couldn't stand the shame of signing on and would rather be working for shit money than not working so I took the first job I was offered even though it temp with rolling contract.

Within 1 month the manager pulled me aside and told me he was making me permanent and gave me a decent pay rise. It's nice when things work out like that.

I left when an old boss called me and offered me a real job a few months later but hey ho.

If I lost my job tomorrow I'd do the same again no questions asked.

Get in there and get busy!

I wouldn't take it. The % change is massive and as others have said, it is very hard to get back up once you are paid a small amount.

I'd rather do supermarket work for more money and have that on my CV than something career related for low pay. That way at interview you can say "I did it so I didn't have to claim dole whilst I found the right job". Much easier than "well you should pay me double my current wage because I just took that as I was desperate"

Er, have you been offered the job ?

Here is another perspective – I wouldn't employ anybody that so obviously was going to jump ship asap. You might look down on their wee job and think you are too good for it, but they want the right person, not some previously overpaid know-it-all, sorry….

would you take a much lower paid job ,just to get back into work

Did.

It was either that, or watch what remained of my life collapse into a blanket, sheet of cardboard and a mangy dog on a piece of string…

but they want the right person

Then pay the right f**kin money.

sounds like you had to be made redundant as your position was overpaid, a mistake that the smaller business cannot/will not make.

a lot of you seem to think that getting supermarket work is easy, they look at their recruiting in the same way as any other company.

you're comparing it to a job you no longer have.

Should you not be comparing it to how much more than the benefits you're getting? Or how long is your redundancy going to last.

Its all about putting food on the table for your family. No matter if your only £5 a week better off by working, you should take the job no questions asked.

If its £5 less… sadly its the other option.

SOOBalias – Member
sounds like you had to be made redundant as your position was overpaid

I was made redundant , because the are out sourcing the work to fooking china , me and another 60 + lads
overpaid position .. yeah right !! … more like taking advantage of peoples skills for not alot of money

OK, since we now know the original salary was £25k…

Presumably then you don't have lots of saved up cash and presumably you need your montly pay to actually get by for much more than a month.

If so, I'd suggest taking the £15k job now, use the notice money to cover any shortfall from the new lower salary and that effectively gives you 7.5 months at your current £25k salary to find a new job that pays closer to £25k – maths below:

25k/4 = 3 months notice = 6.25k notice money
10k per year less = £830 per month less

6250/830 = 7.5

I did it last year – dropped nearly 50% in salary. I like the job and the people, but I'm still looking to get back into something similar to what I did before. I need the money, unfortunately.

What is the market rate for this type of job, it its what I think it is then its in the £17K region, in that case £25K is above market rate isn't it? Is it realistic to wait for another job paying £25K, do they exist anymore, don't forget you are now competing with china, eastern europe etc.

I got made redundant in dec 2007 was offered a job with a rival company on about half the money, which I declined then in Aug last year when out of work they offered me the role which I took, and am still there.
The only bad part is the difference in wages, the hours are better, the management is better, the staff are better, the job is better all in all I'm happy.
If I was you I'd take the job for now just to have a job and keep the redundancy for a rainy day.

Take the job!!!!

They may give you a rise, promote you, you may make contacts that will get you a better job etc etc. You will get none of that sitting at home!

If they don't improve your package, at least you are gaining experience and are not floundering. Be mindful that in the long term, experience you gain now in a lesser role can be worth a lot more than the remuneration.

Recruiters and employers will take you much more seriously if you have a job, than if you don't.

Believe me, a few months can easily turn into a year (or more) and over time, you will loose your get up and go, you confidence etc. The recruiters will destroy your soul with their false hope spam, their useless comprehension of your skills and how to match them with the jobs they seek to make a commission on. They will aslo block your applications from highly suitable roles out of sheer ignorance, despite you making your best endeavours to get your message through their thick skulls! Sure, they aren't all useless, but they are not interested in you. YOu are a commodity and will treat you as such.

The internet is awash with CV's and getting yours noticed is a pretty mamouth task. Many applicants are already employed and continue to speculate, so you have many challenges.

The job market is therefore extremely tough, we are in a recession like no other in modern times, so i recommend you bite their arm off!

Finding another job while you are working is tough as job hunting is often a full time exercise. You also need time off for interviews and sneaking off to take phonecalls during the day can be very awkward. That said, you are still better off getting paid something rather than nothing.

Good luck!

My standard statement is "it's easier to find a job when you are working". Take the job offered. You have three months pay from your last job to pad out the low salary. And there is nothing to stop you finding a better job while you work at the new place.

I have now been out of work just shy of 12 months. 2 months ago I was hoping to be offered a job at £18k when my last was £37K (though I was travelling 4 hours a day which cost £7-8K of that £37K. The £18K job would have been bike commutable so low cost for travel.

Do yourself a favour, accept the job and while you wait to start get your CV sorted if not already done so and get registered on as many jobsites as you can. If you fancied a break tell em you've got a 2 week hol booked so you couldn't start until mid August or whenever.

I don't advise joblessness at the present and I feel it will get worse as the new Govs plans start to kick in (loads of civil service jobs going down the chute).