I'll keep this brief...or try.
I'm a contractor at a huge global company. The pay is only decent for the area but more than anything I have made in my mostly non-profit career. The problem is that as a contractor, I do not receive any benefits and am only paid for the hours worked. So no holidays and vacations and anything like health, dental, is available but I pay a higher premium and no match for 401K.
I have an offer to join a small consulting firm to do what I currently do. The offer would be as a fulltime employee--meaning the lush benefits package. I anticipate the pay would remain the same or only slightly higher.
If it was only down to finances, I would jump. But...I worry about the stability of my position at the small consulting firm. I'm essentially joining to build up a new area of practice for them. The partner heading this practice is in his late 60's. And though we have had a good professional and genial personal relationship--I know he would throw me under the bus as soon as the shit hits the fan and that could happen if the practice doesn't take off. As a consultant, I'd probably have to work much much more to bring in business at the 10-15% rate. Currently, working in-house, we get 100% of most of our deals.
My current place is stringing me along with a promise to bring me on as a permanent employee but it's been over 3 months since the initial conversation. Being slightly paranoid, I can't quite shake the feeling they are hedging their bets--that I'll stay as a contractor and waiting on the federal government (most of our business is from the federal government).
Further complication, I'm pretty sure my current manager knows or has an inkling I have an offer. It's a very small world in our line of business. I don't want to get into the details but it's very incestous.
I know I should push the permanent employee issue with my current company. But it's a sensitive area as I don't want to be too pushy ( a recent salary increase situation got a little touchy). I want to appear committed to the job and they should have no hesitation bringing me on board. On the other hand they may think that it's a sign that they can keep me on as a contractor without having to take on the cost of hiring me permanently. But if I hint that I have a better offer elsewhere...it may spur on the hiring process, but it could also mark me as someone not committed to the team and not worth hiring on permanently.
Breathe...