Would you take this job - 75K on the beach, free rent

MCPWannabe · December 2008

So, I got contacted by one of those tourist countries with a job right next to the beach. They are in desperate need of a programming instructor and willing to fly me down if I make an agreement.

Now, I have said that I would never work for anyone again other than myself.. But, there are some offers that make even me reconsider.

Here are the perks to this one:

1. Located on one of the top beach/resort/tourist destinations in the world
2. Located in a first world country
3. Rent is payed for
4. Would teach 16 out of 30 days every month. The other 14 days of the month would be my time
5. Can I say it again, it is an AWESOME place to live!
6. 75K but I don't know if I would have to pay taxes for that country as I would be working there.

Footnote: I spent 2 years living in the Caribbean before returning to my current boring state of residence. It was the greatest 2 years of my life. This would be a different situation but it would one of the most beautiful places in the world -- and the same good looking ocean.

Disadvantages:
1. 2 year agreement
2. It's a paycut from being an independent contractor in the states
3. Leaving all of my family
4. Wife jealous from all the hot women
5. Eventually, I would pressured to teach more than 16 days a month as I would be the only MCPD there and I'm not the kind of person who likes to work 5 days a week. Just being honest.
6. I would have to leave my house in my home state.

What do you guys think? Would you consider it?

TechBoy22 · December 2008

Sounds good for someone who is single and looking for a new start. It sounds like a dream job, but I do not know if it is worth dropping everything you have in the states. To basically lose what youve worked for just to start over wouldnt make sense, especially if it means a pay cut compared to what youre making now. Face it youre a married man with a life that you've built and i dont know if you should take such a big step out of that.

I may sound corny but to me family is important as well as the things youve built from working hard. Time is money and the rewards you gain from it should not be given up so easily.

Merry christmas and happy new year. Good luck with your decision.

dynamik · December 2008

I'd say go for it if you weren't married. There's no chance she'll go with? How often will you get back home? What about hurricanes?

Or just get a divorce

skrpune · December 2008

if you're still relatively young and looking for a bit of adventure, then go for it. It's rare that opportunities like this come up, and as time goes by we find more and more reasons not to take offers like these.

Let's look at the disadvantages you listed:

1. 2 year agreement

Is this really a bad thing? The economy right now is pretty crappy in most places, and getting a solid two year agreement from somewhere wonderful in my book. It means you have a sure income for two years, which is more than most people in the US can say right now.

2. It's a paycut from being an independent contractor in the states

While you don't get tax advantages of being an independent contractor, you also don't have the burden of running you own business/managing yourself. Also, what's the cost of living like where you're going? If you're not having to pay for a place to live & if the cost of living is low, then it might be a relatively pay raise.

3. Leaving all of my family

This I can't argue too much against. But if you're getting paid nicely and have ample time off, you can always visit family OR have them come visit you in your tropical getaway...you have more of a chance getting family to visit you in place with nice views & beautiful weather than colder or even temperate climates.

4. Wife jealous from all the hot women

I'm sure they're hot women everywhere, but I'd assume that because of the nice weather/beaches they just might be wearing less & baring more. From a female perspective, I can say that as long as you don't start ogling other women as they go galavanting by in their teeny bikinis, then your wife should be fine!

5. Eventually, I would pressured to teach more than 16 days a month as I would be the only MCPD there and I'm not the kind of person who likes to work 5 days a week. Just being honest.

What if you make your terms clear up front? Perhaps if you get the expectations & schedule in writing, you can avoid being pressured into doing anything you don't want to do later. Or maybe you can make it into a shorter term contract with room for renegotiation down the line.

6. I would have to leave my house in my home state.

Do you own your current house? Would you be able to rent it out? Or do you have family that might be able to take care of it for you? Perhaps you have a relative or close friend that's having some financial difficulties or in need of a place to stay...it could be a win win situation if you give them discounted rent in return for having them be a caretaker.

One thing you definitely want to check out before you agree to anything is the income tax situation. Get in touch with someone who knows the tax regulations for that country & for the US. In general, as long as you're still a US citizen, you have to pay taxes to the US. You can either exclude foreign income or deduct foreign taxes paid from your US filings...which way will work out better for you is dependent on how much you make & how much you pay in taxes to the foreign country you're living in. For me, I made out better to deduct foreign taxes that I/my husband paid while we lived in Canada...taxes there were much higher and we were required to pay taxes in Canada for our earnings there, but we still had to file in the US as we were/are still citizens. We found a great accountant that knew both US & Canadian taxes and he calculated things out both ways & filed the way that worked out best for us. If you do your homework ahead of time, you can avoid headaches later & go into the process knowing what to expect.

MCPWannabe · December 2008

Very interesting feedback..

Well, we will see what happens. If I did leave, it wouldn't be till the summer anyway, and my wife is going to law school abroad, so we were going to be seperated anyway.

@Skrpune, as usual, some eloquent and well-written points. Sometimes, I suspect that you are a literature writer trapped in a scientist body.

I do need to prepare you for something. It is something that you will learn after you get your computer science degree. The market for programmers is a whole different ballgame. Job security for programmers who are keeping their skills up isn't even an issue. Believe me, unless something really bad happens like a depression, I just don't see that changing anytime in the near future. Having plenty of work

@techboy22, very good points.. and if my wife weren't leaving for law school, I wouldn't even consider leaving.. But she is.. She gets to go to some cool state while I'm stuck in the great plains living a life of boredom. I don't that is fair. Still, the other point you mention is about the money. You are right. A paycut is a paycut and that is the number one reason for my hesitance. And you are right.. I've only now started reaping benefits. Before that, I had a number of horrible jobs and no one wants to risk what they've worked for..

@Dynamik, no chance that she would go with me on account of law school. I don't even like lawyers!

skrpune · December 2008

MCPWannabe wrote:

@Skrpune, as usual, some eloquent and well-written points. Sometimes, I suspect that you are a literature writer trapped in a scientist body.

Thanks...I think?

Some day I do want to write a book (not quite sure on what topic yet, still trying to work that out), so I do take that as a compliment.

MCPWannabe wrote:

I do need to prepare you for something. It is something that you will learn after you get your computer science degree. The market for programmers is a whole different ballgame. Job security for programmers who are keeping their skills up isn't even an issue. Believe me, unless something really bad happens like a depression, I just don't see that changing anytime in the near future.

Thanks for the heads up, but while I am going for a degree in computer science, I'm not going to be doing a programming concentration...I will be doing at least two programming classes as part of the core curriculum, but my concentration is going to be in information technology. I'm not entirely certain what exactly I want to do career-wise long-term, that's part of the reason I want to take the broader IT concentration so I can get exposure to different areas that I wouldn't get exposure to with the computer science concentration. (I know it sounds redundant, but there actually is a path for a computer science degree with a concentration in computer science!

)

MCPWannabe · January 2009

skrpune wrote: »

Thanks...I think? Some day I do want to write a book (not quite sure on what topic yet, still trying to work that out), so I do take that as a compliment.

Thanks for the heads up, but while I am going for a degree in computer science, I'm not going to be doing a programming concentration...I will be doing at least two programming classes as part of the core curriculum, but my concentration is going to be in information technology. I'm not entirely certain what exactly I want to do career-wise long-term, that's part of the reason I want to take the broader IT concentration so I can get exposure to different areas that I wouldn't get exposure to with the computer science concentration. (I know it sounds redundant, but there actually is a path for a computer science degree with a concentration in computer science! )

Nice looking Avatar. I'm a big dog lover myself. I have a big Mut that I rescued from the pound, and he's the best dog that I've ever had. He's the size of St. Bernard and probably the biggest softie in the world. He likes: my socks, to chew my socks, to destroy my socks, to demolish my socks. I, in term, have to spank his little butt which stops him for 2 days before he goes back to demolishing my socks. But other than that, he's a good dog.

Now, regarding your career path.. we'll just have to see. I didn't think that I would be doing hard core programming at all.. but I'll be honest.. Programming is just something that kind of grabs you. I never even looked at programming until I was on the other side of 30, and I discovered something that I absolutely loved. Networking now puts me to sleep. I wouldn't be surprised if you go through the same experience.

Would you take this job - 75K on the beach, free rent

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