[Kody]

As most of you know, I work two jobs. Mon through Fri I am the Director of Administration at a child development center and every other weekend I am a Newborn Hearing Screener at a local hospital. I just started the DA position in November.

On Friday of last week, my supervisor at the hospital called me and told me that she accepted a position working with the state of Georgia; she wants to recommend me for her position which is Head of the Hearing Screening Dept at the hospital. She knows that I just started a new job, but really feels that I am the best person to move into her position.

I was completly dumbfounded, but at the same time thrilled. I have worked very hard at the hospital; my surveys are excellent (her words not mine), my screening times are low, my refers are low, and she has always said I would make a great coordinator....I just didn't think it would acutally happen. So now I am in a bit of a pickle..... here is why:

At the school, I am paid salary of $31,000.00. I work Monday-Friday and my hours are either 630-330 or 930-630 (usually the latter of the two though). This makes it very hard to spend time with my children; my mom sees them more than I do honestly because after I drop them off at school, I don't see them until 7pm. They go to bed at 9pm so, on average I get 3 hrs a day with them. I don't cook anymore because anything I put into the crock pot at 730 (when I leave to drop them off at school) is burnt by the time we get home at 730pm and my house is a disastor because I'm gone alot. However, the pay all but makes up for everything else...financially I'm doing great. Come February I will get insurance on myself as well; the children are covered by their father's insurance. Deep down however, I do not like this job. I can do it and do it well, but it's not what I love. But with four children, I don't get the option of loving my job if you know what I mean.

At the hospital I will be paid hourly. My supervisor said the avg pay is only $15.00 an hr, but she said that I am more likely to get higher pay through negotiation because she is leaving by March 1st and they have to have somebody trained and in her position by that date. I am also already screening so only have to be trained on the "office" side of the position. All my statistics are great, and the company already knows this. The position is Monday-Friday but the hours are only 30hrs a week. Because the hospital is one of the smaller ones in the area, they don't need a 40 hr a week coordinator. The plus side of this is that I will work about 6 hrs a day (on average) which will give me much more time with my children, as well as more time for home mang, the down side is that I will not be making $31,000.00 (which I make as a DA at the school) and will also not get benefits. If I request at the lowest, $17.00 hourly, I will probably be okay financially; but I want to request $20.00 and see if they will negotiate. There is NO WAY they will pay me $20.00 an hour, but I need at least $17.00. My gas cost will drop tremendously because I live 15 min away from the hosptial, and I will not be eating out as much because I will have more free time to cook. I will also not have to purchase "office" clothes because I would wear scrubs at the hospital. I love what I do at the hospital...no doubt about it and this position would make me very happy.

If I wasnt' supporting children on my own, I would, without a doubt, take the position at the hospital...but because I have babies to care for, on my own, I am unsure what route to go. I am sure you all can see the pros and cons and will help me figure out the question I am lingering on.....

What should I do?

[Butter]

I'd pray hard about it and maybe even get a blessing for clarity in making the right decision. And it won't hurt to ask for $20 an hour and see what happens. The worst that can happen is that job doesn't work out and you stay where you are. I'd also take a look at the numbers and determine if you absolutely need $31K a year like you are making now. You said your gas, food, and clothing costs will go down with this job. So there might be a little leeway in the amount of pay you absolutely need (but I'd still start out asking for $20 an hour, possible a dollar or two more!).

[Kody]

Originally Posted by Butter

I'd pray hard about it and maybe even get a blessing for clarity in making the right decision. And it won't hurt to ask for $20 an hour and see what happens. The worst that can happen is that job doesn't work out and you stay where you are. I'd also take a look at the numbers and determine if you absolutely need $31K a year like you are making now. You said your gas, food, and clothing costs will go down with this job. So there might be a little leeway in the amount of pay you absolutely need (but I'd still start out asking for $20 an hour, possible a dollar or two more!).

When you take out my taxes and the tuition I pay for my son, I get around $400.00-$450.00 a week so I'm not really making $31K a yr.

[Elsa]

Sounds like a really tough decision. I agree that you should make prayer part of your decision making process, and for what it's worth here's my two cents. I would figure how much money you need to make per year in order for your family to be reasonably comfortable and if you get offered anything within that range from the hospital take it! Even if it's less than you make now. Here's my rationale. 2 yrs ago I was in a job I really didn't like and I took a pay cut in order to move to a job I knew I would like better, and I can't tell you how much happier I was. My home life was more harmonious because I was less stressed and I was just all around happier. That happiness was well worth the pay cut to me. So as long as you can still reasonably make ends meet with the hospital job I would take it.