Job offer - opinions please!!
Jan 20th 2006, 7:31 pm
#91
strangely floppy..
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ohio - originally London
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Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by Ray
Strange ways... I always do ....
Jan 20th 2006, 7:34 pm
#92
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Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Virtual Reality
Posts: 10,831
Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by Rete
As for the second question, then work for a school system. Perfect hours for you and they get benefits too. I should know, my husband works in one and his benefits (healthwise are better than mine). Plus you can be off on school holidays (with pay) and on summer vacations (without pay).
Nothing wrong with wanting to work part time and that is what working under 35 hours a week is considered. You are listing a 35 hour week but with a lunch break definitely 30 to 32-1/2 hours.
Nothing wrong with wanting to work part time and that is what working under 35 hours a week is considered. You are listing a 35 hour week but with a lunch break definitely 30 to 32-1/2 hours.
Unfortunatley I have 64 college hours but no degree so it looks like it may always be sub work (no benefits) but that's something I'll eventually work on too...besides when the kids are grown I can work full-time..and beleive me I'm in no hurry to do that 
As for the other stuff it's not really my gripe
...I loved being a stay home mom and was never torn between choosing a career/family cos I never had one(career) I do have friends though who've put their careers on hold and then feel torn between wanting the best of both worlds, seems for them the part time option would be perfect but it just isn't available.
Jan 21st 2006, 2:56 am
#93
Here we go Pittsburgh!
Joined: Aug 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA, USA
Posts: 581
Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by Glasgowgirl
Just been to my first US interview (after the battles with USCIS to get my EAD!) and I'm 99.9% sure that I'll get offered the job.
Job itself sounds good and I like the guy I'd be working for, but the owner/manager of the company spent most of the time telling me how he thought Brits were work-shy and how did we get anything done with the short hours we worked and when we took naps in the middle of the day (!!??) I answered all his objections which seemed to amuse him, but I lost count of the amount of times he stressed that it's not a 9-5 job (he reckons he works 5am-midnight) and that they don't do vacation time.
I'm aware of the diffrent culture here and have no problem working long hours with hardly any holidays, but I'm not sure if they sound extreme even for the US. As it was my first interview I don't have anything to compare it to so was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about it all. I'm aware that I'm lucky to get offered a job that I like so quickly given the problems I've read here that people seem to have, but also wary of taking the job for the wrong reasons when I'm unsure about the culture of the company.
Any thoughts? Cheers!
Job itself sounds good and I like the guy I'd be working for, but the owner/manager of the company spent most of the time telling me how he thought Brits were work-shy and how did we get anything done with the short hours we worked and when we took naps in the middle of the day (!!??) I answered all his objections which seemed to amuse him, but I lost count of the amount of times he stressed that it's not a 9-5 job (he reckons he works 5am-midnight) and that they don't do vacation time.
I'm aware of the diffrent culture here and have no problem working long hours with hardly any holidays, but I'm not sure if they sound extreme even for the US. As it was my first interview I don't have anything to compare it to so was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about it all. I'm aware that I'm lucky to get offered a job that I like so quickly given the problems I've read here that people seem to have, but also wary of taking the job for the wrong reasons when I'm unsure about the culture of the company.
Any thoughts? Cheers!
Jan 21st 2006, 4:48 am
#94
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Posts: 104
Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by Celtic_Angel
and why can't an employer ask about kids then? ...I'd say it was a very valid question because if you have kids you have other HUGE commitments and prob won't be avaliable from 5a.m til midnight
signed ..desperate housewife
...I'd say it was a very valid question because if you have kids you have other HUGE commitments and prob won't be avaliable from 5a.m til midnightsigned ..desperate housewife
In California the regular working day is 8 hours and if you work anything over that in each day you must be paid at time and a half over time rate by law.
Personally if it was me thinking about that job I would look else were.
Jan 21st 2006, 4:58 am
#95
Powder Maggot
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: Nuevo Mexico
Posts: 4,452
Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by Glasgowgirl
So I've decided to give it a go at least for a couple of months and see how it goes
Jan 21st 2006, 12:10 pm
#96
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Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by BigDavyG
Devil's advocate time 
Imagine that you are an employer. You advertise for a position and end up with a shortlist of two equally qualified and capable candidates. One is a 46 year old woman with 2 kids, both away from home at college. The other is a 28 year old woman who you believe may be keen on starting a family as she is recently married and came to the interview with a copy of 'Expectant Mother' magazine.
Who would you employ ???
Imagine that you are an employer. You advertise for a position and end up with a shortlist of two equally qualified and capable candidates. One is a 46 year old woman with 2 kids, both away from home at college. The other is a 28 year old woman who you believe may be keen on starting a family as she is recently married and came to the interview with a copy of 'Expectant Mother' magazine.
Who would you employ ???
If I have a good candidate and she may get pregnant in the future so what, I could also have a good candidate who may leave the company for another job in the future...it seriously doesn't cross my mind when interviewing. My main questions are
i) Can they do the job?
ii) Can I get along with this person?
Conversely when I'm going for a job interview my main questions are
i) Will I be happy doing the job?
ii) Do I think I can get along easily with the person who interviewed me?
So it's a two way process.
L
Jan 21st 2006, 1:08 pm
#97
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Posts: 4,323
Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by Shish kebab
...In California the regular working day is 8 hours and if you work anything over that in each day you must be paid at time and a half over time rate by law...
Everywhere I've worked in the US, workers have been divided into those who are paid an hourly rate and receive overtime, and those who are salaried and don't.
You're right that a (usually lower paid) hourly wage worker gets time-and-a-half overtime beyond 40hrs per week, and often double-time on Sundays/Holidays.
Most salaried workers have a clause in their contract saying that they will be expected to frequently work beyond the core 40hr work week, and that any additional hours worked will not be paid.
This is often offset slightly by having additional benefits such as unlimited sick days, flexible working hours and/or personal time allowance for salaried workers.
I'm able to work fully flexible hours so long as I work >80hrs in any two-week period, and I'm allowed unlimited sick days and, at my manager's discretion, unlimited "personal" time. For me, that all outweighs the lack of overtime payment, even though I typically work ~10hrs overtime per week.
Jan 21st 2006, 2:15 pm
#98
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Location: Richmond, VA, USA
Posts: 4,316
Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by Rete
Nothing wrong with wanting to work part time and that is what working under 35 hours a week is considered. You are listing a 35 hour week but with a lunch break definitely 30 to 32-1/2 hours.
I should mention we both work in retail, so maybe it's an industry thing.
Originally Posted by Celtic_Angel
and why can't an employer ask about kids then? ...I'd say it was a very valid question because if you have kids you have other HUGE commitments and prob won't be avaliable from 5a.m til midnight
Everyone has commitments, but that doesn't mean the potential employer has the right to know every detail about one's personal life in order to decide whether to hire that person or not.
~ Jenney
Jan 22nd 2006, 2:56 am
#99
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Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,865
Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by dbj1000
I doubt that's the whole story (although it's CA, so who knows?).
Everywhere I've worked in the US, workers have been divided into those who are paid an hourly rate and receive overtime, and those who are salaried and don't.
You're right that a (usually lower paid) hourly wage worker gets time-and-a-half overtime beyond 40hrs per week, and often double-time on Sundays/Holidays.
Most salaried workers have a clause in their contract saying that they will be expected to frequently work beyond the core 40hr work week, and that any additional hours worked will not be paid.
This is often offset slightly by having additional benefits such as unlimited sick days, flexible working hours and/or personal time allowance for salaried workers.
I'm able to work fully flexible hours so long as I work >80hrs in any two-week period, and I'm allowed unlimited sick days and, at my manager's discretion, unlimited "personal" time. For me, that all outweighs the lack of overtime payment, even though I typically work ~10hrs overtime per week.
Everywhere I've worked in the US, workers have been divided into those who are paid an hourly rate and receive overtime, and those who are salaried and don't.
You're right that a (usually lower paid) hourly wage worker gets time-and-a-half overtime beyond 40hrs per week, and often double-time on Sundays/Holidays.
Most salaried workers have a clause in their contract saying that they will be expected to frequently work beyond the core 40hr work week, and that any additional hours worked will not be paid.
This is often offset slightly by having additional benefits such as unlimited sick days, flexible working hours and/or personal time allowance for salaried workers.
I'm able to work fully flexible hours so long as I work >80hrs in any two-week period, and I'm allowed unlimited sick days and, at my manager's discretion, unlimited "personal" time. For me, that all outweighs the lack of overtime payment, even though I typically work ~10hrs overtime per week.
I've never been paid overtime either in the UK and the US, and nor would I want to be. However, I've always had a job where I can work pretty much when (and now where I want) and the stock options have often been rather lucrative... if this wasn't the case, I'd almost certainly feel rather differently.
Jan 23rd 2006, 11:20 pm
#100
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Thread Starter
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Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 83
Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
OK - new take on this....
As I mentioned I spoke to the nice guy at the company on Friday and was pretty happy with the offer he made me. However I now have the full offer.....
Pros - good base salary and fair incentive plan
Cons - no vacation time, no sick days, no 401K, no health cover for first 3 months
Given that I'm going in at manager level, I expected a couple of sick days, 10 vacation days (knew it wouldn't be more than that) and some kind of 401K plan. My husband's colleague is here at the moment (US born and bred) and reckons that they are pretty poor for a US employer.
I think I'm back to my initial thoughts of declining to job - right?
As I mentioned I spoke to the nice guy at the company on Friday and was pretty happy with the offer he made me. However I now have the full offer.....
Pros - good base salary and fair incentive plan
Cons - no vacation time, no sick days, no 401K, no health cover for first 3 months
Given that I'm going in at manager level, I expected a couple of sick days, 10 vacation days (knew it wouldn't be more than that) and some kind of 401K plan. My husband's colleague is here at the moment (US born and bred) and reckons that they are pretty poor for a US employer.
I think I'm back to my initial thoughts of declining to job - right?
Jan 23rd 2006, 11:25 pm
#101
Powder Maggot
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: Nuevo Mexico
Posts: 4,452
Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by Glasgowgirl
Cons - no vacation time, no sick days
BTW, looks like you've found out why they have high turnover. Suggest to them that they can help you help them lower that turnover number.
Jan 23rd 2006, 11:25 pm
#102
Septicity
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 23,762
Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by Glasgowgirl
Given that I'm going in at manager level,
Jan 23rd 2006, 11:27 pm
#103
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Location: Melbourne, Oz to Banbury, England to El Mirage, AZ & now back to England!
Posts: 5,989
Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by Glasgowgirl
OK - new take on this....
As I mentioned I spoke to the nice guy at the company on Friday and was pretty happy with the offer he made me. However I now have the full offer.....
Pros - good base salary and fair incentive plan
Cons - no vacation time, no sick days, no 401K, no health cover for first 3 months
Given that I'm going in at manager level, I expected a couple of sick days, 10 vacation days (knew it wouldn't be more than that) and some kind of 401K plan. My husband's colleague is here at the moment (US born and bred) and reckons that they are pretty poor for a US employer.
I think I'm back to my initial thoughts of declining to job - right?
As I mentioned I spoke to the nice guy at the company on Friday and was pretty happy with the offer he made me. However I now have the full offer.....
Pros - good base salary and fair incentive plan
Cons - no vacation time, no sick days, no 401K, no health cover for first 3 months
Given that I'm going in at manager level, I expected a couple of sick days, 10 vacation days (knew it wouldn't be more than that) and some kind of 401K plan. My husband's colleague is here at the moment (US born and bred) and reckons that they are pretty poor for a US employer.
I think I'm back to my initial thoughts of declining to job - right?
Jan 23rd 2006, 11:36 pm
#104
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Thread Starter
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Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 83
Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by Partystar
Is that no vacation/sick days/401K & health care for 3 months or no vacation/sick days & 401K at all & no health care for first 3 months?
The job is permanent. No vacation/sick days for the first year and then 10 days vacation OR sick days thereafter. No healthcare for the first 3 months. No 401K plan at all exists within the company for any employees (or so they say!)
No mention either of public holidays but to be fair I haven't questioned them on that yet.
Jan 23rd 2006, 11:43 pm
#105
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Joined: Jan 2006
Location: Dubuque, Iowa, USA
Posts: 3,770
Re: Job offer - opinions please!!
Originally Posted by Glasgowgirl
OK - new take on this....
As I mentioned I spoke to the nice guy at the company on Friday and was pretty happy with the offer he made me. However I now have the full offer.....
Pros - good base salary and fair incentive plan
Cons - no vacation time, no sick days, no 401K, no health cover for first 3 months
Given that I'm going in at manager level, I expected a couple of sick days, 10 vacation days (knew it wouldn't be more than that) and some kind of 401K plan. My husband's colleague is here at the moment (US born and bred) and reckons that they are pretty poor for a US employer.
I think I'm back to my initial thoughts of declining to job - right?
As I mentioned I spoke to the nice guy at the company on Friday and was pretty happy with the offer he made me. However I now have the full offer.....
Pros - good base salary and fair incentive plan
Cons - no vacation time, no sick days, no 401K, no health cover for first 3 months
Given that I'm going in at manager level, I expected a couple of sick days, 10 vacation days (knew it wouldn't be more than that) and some kind of 401K plan. My husband's colleague is here at the moment (US born and bred) and reckons that they are pretty poor for a US employer.
I think I'm back to my initial thoughts of declining to job - right?
Hi Glasgow Girl,
The Cons are pretty much the standard in US Travel Companies......I work for one!
Are the first 3 months classed as a Probationary Period?
I had 5 days vacation for my first 5 years, which increased to 10 after that, and now I'm upto 15 (Woo-Hoo!).
I say take the job. You will make some useful connections, and, will have an opportunity to move on.....once you meet the right people
Good Luck!
Jim.