Job choices....when is it more than just the money?

[BMEPhDinCO]

Hi all,

So dissatisfaction with my current job (salary, title, politics, flexibility, feeling like skill set not used well) led me to apply for other jobs. I also had a conversation with my boss and his boss about everything. Well fast forward a month and a half and I now have a verbal offer from a new location as well as a verbal offer for a promotion on my current location. The new location would require packing everything up and moving to a new country, while the new offer for the current job will give me a new title and a much higher salary, but many of the same problems would still exist, especially since the promotion isn’t changing my actual job responsibilities much or opening up my ability to use my skills. My question is, should I stay at the current job location, which would be paying me over $35,000 more in salary and benefits, or should I go to a new country with a much lower salary, but an exciting adventure and a new location in an office mates? My husband works remotely and would be able to continue doing what he does in either location.

Th new location would make it much harder to save for retirement, probably putting us 7 years behind total.

[nereo]

There's no way anyone who doesn't know you personally can answer this question reliably, but I can give you my thoughts

First - these two options are almost certainly not the only ones available to you.  If your current workplace is offering you a $35k raise and another employer in a foreign company is willing to take you on, you've got a marketable skillset.  I'd wager you could find another job at another company which pays at least as much as your current salary without the need to relocate to a foreign country.

That said - I spent about 8 years living in a foreign country, and there were moments when it was hard, infuriating, bizarre and isolating. But I'm damn glad I did it, and it will forever be a formative experience.  Coming back we have realized the time spent away has given us a different perspective on my home country (the US).  But realize that no matter how friendly and how similar this other country may seem to your own, it will be an adjustment and it will not all go smoothly.  To judge just how bumpy that ride may be, reach out to some expats who live there any seriously listen to their experiences.

Finally - could you live with the problems that are inherent with your current job?  More money can make things easier, but to borrow a phrase from my colleague there are only three options with regard to office problems - ignore it, fix it or leave.  You've already said the problems won't go away (i.e. you can't fix them), so it's either leave or put up with it for the rest of your working career. Again - money won't solve the problem(s), so you've got to ask yourself if you can ignore it/them in perpetuity.

[Linea_Norway]

And what are your priorities?
Reaching FIRE as fast as possible?
Learning a new language?
Having a bit of adventure?

I can say from experience that the first 2 years or so in a new country are exciting. After that, it quickly becomes business as usual.

[elliha]

I think the key question is: Do you want to move to the new country? If so, do it! If you don't want to move I would suggest that you take the offer from your job but keep looking for a new one. Even if it is not ideal, it is still a step in the right direction so you can still say to yourself that you are moving forward. As to FIRE, there is a life now and hopefully one later, the life here and now is the one you know you will have, the future is never certain, the healthiest person may be run over by a truck tomorrow.