DH changing jobs? What would you do?

[CrunchyDoula]

My DH has been working with a small company for over 8 years. They treat him pretty poorly and he hasn't been given a raise in over 3 1/2 years. There also isn't much room for advancement. But HE has health insurance covered through them and is paid once a month salary, which is pretty crappy, but is consistent.

He has been offered a job for another company doing sales. He is great at this and these are great people we know, so we trust them. They are offering him a base pay + commission. They haven't talked hard numbers yet.

I guess my question is would you take the job? There is loads of room for advancement and the company is growing like crazy. There is also potential for a much higher wage then what he is earning now. But, the stability of the paycheck is what kills me. We are a family of three with another on the way and I've never had to deal with fluctuating paychecks. Well...its not like were making all our bills right now anyways, but still.

I think it is a great opportunity for him, but I'm stuck on the commission part of it, what would you do?

[A&A]

What will he be selling?

The economy is poised to tank.........selling things will get a lot harder (unless he's selling hybrids, or wood stoves, or bikes, or other such things that people think will make financial sense.)

Can he keep his job for awhile and try a little sales on the side to see how it goes?

[1growingsprout]

A couple things stand out in your post
1. You say he hasn't rec'd a raise in 3.5 years... If he is commission based this is not uncommon. Does the Co. give holiday bonus, year end bonus, occassional perks?
2. He has health benefits. will the new employer offer benefits, what are the costs, how are the co-pays, premiums etc
3. Is the new company "small" now, meaning about the same # of employees as the current co.? A growing company isnt necessarily a good thing in this economy. Is there a developed company that DH can apply at? Start ups are not something i would bank on right now.
4.It does not sound like you are meeting your minimum bills per month as is so either DH needs to increase income via new job or 2nd job or you need to gain income yourself.

All things to think about but possibly most importantly will DH be happy? I have learned over the years, many and most times happiness wins out over income. You may not want to have a job right now but you may need to find one.

[CrunchyDoula]

Originally Posted by 1growingsprout

A couple things stand out in your post
1. You say he hasn't rec'd a raise in 3.5 years... If he is commission based this is not uncommon. Does the Co. give holiday bonus, year end bonus, occassional perks?
2. He has health benefits. will the new employer offer benefits, what are the costs, how are the co-pays, premiums etc
3. Is the new company "small" now, meaning about the same # of employees as the current co.? A growing company isnt necessarily a good thing in this economy. Is there a developed company that DH can apply at? Start ups are not something i would bank on right now.
4.It does not sound like you are meeting your minimum bills per month as is so either DH needs to increase income via new job or 2nd job or you need to gain income yourself.

All things to think about but possibly most importantly will DH be happy? I have learned over the years, many and most times happiness wins out over income. You may not want to have a job right now but you may need to find one.

No, DH's job right now is not Commission based, it is a set salary. And is about $10,000 less then what average pay should be for his experience. He gets zero bonuses. Last year, for Christmas bonus, we got a $5 GC to a grochery store

We haven't figured out if they offer insurance or not yet, but are almos 90% sure they do.

The company he is applying for is a very well established company, it is just growing faster and needs more employees.

DH would love to work at this new job. His current job is a small mom and pop shop who I am sure is not going to fair well in the economy.

I have been a SAHM and cleaned houses on the side. I quit cleaning when I got pregnant, because my M/S is so bad. Our bills are very low, he is just getting paid very little. I did however just get a job, today actually, but for now we are using everything I get to put the work into our cars so they will last the winter!

[jayb842]

You could put the extra into savings or pay off debt quickly. Make sure you check on the insurance. We changed companies a few years ago and didn't check insurance. It was almost three times cost of our old company. Ds and I are on private insurance.

Jay

[velochic]

It certainly sounds like it has a lot of potential... both positive and negative. He could be happier, but never having worked in this job, there really is no way to know that he will be. He could change jobs and then find out he really hates it. Do you have another option in case he doesn't enjoy it? It also doesn't sound like you really have a lot of details about the job.

The first in my mind would be that in order to earn commissions, you often have to work very long hours. My cousin is a salesman and he works absolutely horrid hours. 80 hours a week typically. They just had their first baby in February and he really hates not being there (really at all) when the baby's awake.

I agree with A&A that I would be scared to switch to a new job, especially one like sales, in this rapidly declining economy. And particularly since it would be a new profession for me.

Ultimately, I would not make this move unless the job was affecting my physical or mental health. And I'd certainly need a lot more info before making a definite decision (no health insurance would be an automatic "No Way!" for me).

[BetsyS]

My dh is paid on comission. He is about 50/50 salary/commission. His company has really struggled with the recent economy (he's in building materials), so this is a recent change from a 70/30 salary/commission mix.

Commission has its goods and its bads. We are lucky that the salary pays for all of our needs. All of our bills come out of salary. Commission pays for all of the extras, from cable to christmas to eating out and gas for my car (technically gas is extra, because I'm a SAHM, and I don't HAVE to go anywhere). His commission checks are enough that we can do this.

I do think that the commission puts a lot of pressure on dh, though. He knows that the more he works, and the harder he works, then (theoretically, at least), the more he'll get paid. Now, "more" for dh is about a 50-55 hour week, not 80 hour. But, still, sometimes, it's hard for him to shut his brain off and make the switch from work to home.

But, for us, in the end, commission seems to work.