How much would it take to make you leave your current employer

[cypher1]

If the new firm offers you more, and you accept, you may find that your new employer will THEN counter when learning of the news...if so, then I would not take the counter, because it indicates they only do this after learning of a legit threat of you leaving. Not a good trend to be part of!

I'm going to assume you meant ORIGINAL employer, not NEW employer. Unless I just misinterpreted it. Keep in mind if someone did take counter offer and stayed with original employer, that doesn't always imply a negative trend. It can go both ways. From the potential new employer, I could see why they'd feel burned, or just used as leverage. This is getting more greedy, but I suppose if you really wanted to, you could take the counter offer from original firm, and leverage it back to the potential firm. That's even more risky, but if you know your skills are invaluable, it can be done. I would never do it, but I knew a couple programmers who pulled it off due to the timing.

[JoeP]

I'm going to assume you meant ORIGINAL employer, not NEW employer. Unless I just misinterpreted it. Keep in mind if someone did take counter offer and stayed with original employer, that doesn't always imply a negative trend. It can go both ways. From the potential new employer, I could see why they'd feel burned, or just used as leverage. This is getting more greedy, but I suppose if you really wanted to, you could take the counter offer from original firm, and leverage it back to the potential firm. That's even more risky, but if you know your skills are invaluable, it can be done. I would never do it, but I knew a couple programmers who pulled it off due to the timing.

You're right, if the original/current employer may counter knowing you are planning on leaving. You make some very good points.

[witchkizzle]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Interview went great!

It looks like I'll be looking at around a 27% increase and a promotion to go to the new firm.

Here is my next question:

should I feel like I "owe" my current employer anything? They helped pay for my school and my CPA testing and review. I had to sign a two year deal after that and it's been over two years since then.

I don't want to burn any bridges and I'm feeling guilty. But a 27% increase is way too good to pass up. I feel like I have to do what is right for my family...

[esb3357]

My husbands military so we have seen more than most. From my experience, EMPLOYERS look after themselves. I would not feel like I OWE them anything. If they had to cut anyone, they would probably dismiss you because everyone else had the most seniority. Honestly, I would give my hundred percent, not burn any bridges, but take care of myself.

[LuckyRobin]

I would accept the offer. The new place sounds like an all around better deal for you and your goals and expectations. The old place sounds like they place little value on you. If you have fulfilled your obligation of working so long for them after they paid for your school, then you shouldn't feel guilty about anything. You've given them the time that you owed them. You don't owe them anything else. Giving them two weeks' notice of your resignation if it won't interfere with your starting the new job would also be a good idea.

[moneybags]

I was thinking if I did get an offer for a higher amount (which is not a "for sure" thing by any means) I would approach my current firm with this:

I was approached by another firm and they are offering me a deal that is hard for me to pass up. With my family's goal of my wife being a stay at home mom when we have a baby, they are offering me XX more in compensation a year to come over there. I think I would be doing my family a disservice by not talking to you guys about this. I want to stay at *current company*, but like I said, *new firm* is offering a hard to pass up opportunity for my family.

I would leave all the personal stuff out of the conversation. I would stick to the job facts and leave it at that.

[dawnwes]

You don't owe them anything.....but perhaps they will counter offer???? And you need to decide how you wish to handle that. Would you stay if they match the offer or exceed it?

My husband is an accountant for one of the big 4 and has gone both ways. Once he left for a better offer and once he got a counter offer and stayed.

Dawn

[witchkizzle]

You don't owe them anything.....but perhaps they will counter offer???? And you need to decide how you wish to handle that. Would you stay if they match the offer or exceed it?

My husband is an accountant for one of the big 4 and has gone both ways. Once he left for a better offer and once he got a counter offer and stayed.

Dawn

Hey dawn, if you don't mind, did your husband feel like accepting the counter offer and staying with the old employer hurt him in any way? Like did he feel as if they tried to "stick it to him" on subsequent raises or bonuses?

I'm kind of afraid that might happen.

Thanks to everyone else for the advice!

[dawnwes]

No! Unfortunately, that is the way these accounting firms work. People do it all the time. They didn't treat him any differently at all. In fact, they wanted to keep him. They told him next time to just come ask for a raise, but honestly, he knows he wouldn't have gotten as significant of a raise without another offer on the table. They never mentioned it again.

Right now my DH has been with this current firm longer than any other firm (7 years). He is feeling like he is stagnating and has actually started looking for another job. If he finds the kind of job he wants, he will be jumping ship, and my guess is that no counter offer will work at that point as he wants to branch out and can't where he is.

My one criteria at this point is that we don't move. We have teenagers and it is not a good time to move. We moved here for his job (across the country) 7 years ago, but now my kids feel this is home now and I don't want to uproot them.

That is way more than you asked for, but there it is.

Dawn

Hey dawn, if you don't mind, did your husband feel like accepting the counter offer and staying with the old employer hurt him in any way? Like did he feel as if they tried to "stick it to him" on subsequent raises or bonuses?

I'm kind of afraid that might happen.

Thanks to everyone else for the advice!

[Goldy]

Nice offer! I would bring it up to your current boss and see what their thoughts are. Often employers like to have a chance to retain their staff before they just slap down a 2 week notice.

[Goldy]

Hey dawn, if you don't mind, did your husband feel like accepting the counter offer and staying with the old employer hurt him in any way? Like did he feel as if they tried to "stick it to him" on subsequent raises or bonuses?

I'm kind of afraid that might happen.

Thanks to everyone else for the advice!

In my experience having this discussion actually makes the employer realize how much they need you and how marketable you are.

[bennkar]

I always find this interesting - my take in the past was if you have to push to get a raise now, who's to say you won't be in the same underpaid position in a year or two. For me I never asked for a counter offer, though I think in every case I got at least a 15% increase, plus a better all-around job, so I never considered sticking around.

That all said, my current job has so many benefits which would be virtually impossible to replicate with another employer (solid pension, semi-early retirement, no-stress commute, in-facility gym for almost nothing, in-facility credit union, low stress job, good insurance, and more...), to compensate for the loss of benefits I would probably need at least a 35% increase in pay to jump ship at this point. So basically I am in this job for the duration, which isn't the worst thing in the world.

[witchkizzle]

I always find this interesting - my take in the past was if you have to push to get a raise now, who's to say you won't be in the same underpaid position in a year or two. For me I never asked for a counter offer, though I think in every case I got at least a 15% increase, plus a better all-around job, so I never considered sticking around.

That all said, my current job has so many benefits which would be virtually impossible to replicate with another employer (solid pension, semi-early retirement, no-stress commute, in-facility gym for almost nothing, in-facility credit union, low stress job, good insurance, and more...), to compensate for the loss of benefits I would probably need at least a 35% increase in pay to jump ship at this point. So basically I am in this job for the duration, which isn't the worst thing in the world.

So consider this:

27% increase in pay equal to about 16,100 a year. Health insurance costs go up from $240 a month ( for my current $5,000 deductible High Deductible plan with a firm funded HSA in the amount of $3,600 a year for me and my wife) to about $550 a month for a typical PPO $500 deductible with $20 co-pays and a $3000 individual out of pocket limit.

Say everything else stays the exact same. Is the $16,000 increase worth it if health care premiums go up basically double every month. Now I know you still come out ahead, but is it enough to consider switching jobs... Kind of like is an extra 500 (or whatever) a month take home worth the unknown?

[bennkar]

$500/mo. is nothing to sneeze at. That said, there will always be differences - you'll have to decide if the extra money is worth it to you. The only downside I can think of not mentioned is if moving between employers after only a few years will be a negative down the road in your profession. (It wasn't really in mine, but for some careers moving between jobs is more frowned upon.) And no matter how you spin it, the co-workers & environment will be different. Will you be happy in them in the new job - only you can figure that out. At your stage in life I would do it given what I know, but that's me.

[mgkimsal]

*usually*, even if a counter offer is made, if you stay, you're 'suspect'. You're doing a crap-ton more work than many others, and being given office politics BS as to why you're not making more. Threatening to leave then getting a 3% raise to stay... they'll be looking to replace you ASAP with someone more compliant.

Worse yet - what if they actually offer you, say, a 40% raise? How would you feel knowing that they could have paid you that 6 months ago but didn't?

I was working someplace many moons ago, getting billed out at $180/hour. Most of us were billed out at $150-$220/hour - I was in the middle. But I was also billing a heck of a lot more than some other people - I think I billed about 1600 hours there one year, which was rather significant. I was making $45k. I asked for a raise (and an office with a door), and got some runaround about baseball teams needing all types of players, not just hitters. Yeah, I get it, there's overhead in a business, and the office manager and HR people don't get 'billed out', so we absorb those costs. Nevertheless, to get ignored when you've brought in more than $250k for the company, and get a pittance of a raise relative to what you're generating, it made it pretty easy to leave.

We only live once - and while money isn't *everything*, it factors a lot in to your ability to enjoy life outside work. I'm sure some people would prefer an average worklife with better pay, enabling them to enjoy off time with friends/family more easily than 'great awesome work/job', getting paid 30% under market rate. Different strokes and all that, but I'd say if you get the other offer, go for it.

Lastly, also, given that you've not worked anywhere else, this will definitely give you some good perspective in your field that you can't get only working one place.