Looking for biased advice :)

[gav240z]

Hi everyone,

I am having a slight dilemna. I have been in Dublin (Ireland) now for at least a month. I have been to several interviews for various jobs. My background is in IT and when I was in Melbourne I was working for a large internet based service company. I was in their online marketing department helping people with search engine marketing and website marketing, however one of my passions is web design.

 

I have been looking for a role that offers both and I have found some and been to at least 10 interviews. It's now really down to 2. I have been offered 2 more but they don't really interest me as there is no design work with one and the other is a low pay rate until after a 6 month review.

 

Here is a description of each of the finalists:

 

1.) Media Company with Several Car & Entertainment Magazines.

 

They produce car magazines Yay! and it's a really young working environment that seems like loads of fun. However pay wise they are the lowest offer I've had so far, although they are happy with a commission system depending on how well I go. We haven't clearly defined the goals yet or targets but I could potentially earn as much as job #2 or even more. There is also a cool social life attached to this job with media conferences and other promo's and fun nights out.

 

This role involves some design work and unfortunately having to use some Flash (I think flash is pretty useless) but also some search engine marketing and website usability work.

 

I should also point out that I wouldn't be involved with the car magazine's to start with but could possibly move in that direction over time if things pan out with another website I'd be managing for them.

 

2.) Search and Web Marketing Company

Seems like a really cool place to work but alot smaller with a team of maybe 7-8 people. Working primarily with search to begin with but working toward web design down the track. Pay is better for a base salary and I had to work pretty hard with this one. I had 2 interviews and I had to prepare a presentation for the company stakeholders.

 

Both require travel.

 

I guess I am asking a silly question here. I mean we are all car enthusiasts, but both represent a great opportunity for me. So I'm looking for some opinions and keep in mind that rent here is expensive 950 Euro per month.

 

Cheers,

Gavin.

[JP]

The two points I would consider since your overseas are:

 

1) Which will look better on your resume for future jobs back home

2) Which would facilitate more social activity i.e provide more out of work activities/experiences that make living overseas so worthwhile.

 

This depends of course how short term this is. Long term I would be looking at company stability and the money 

[620Z]

Go the second one. Go the more pay plus it sounds more fair dinkum. The first would just be using you up and probably never get far nor will it hold to much credibility when using it as a reference for future. Go the money since it ight only be short term then even if you don't like it the pay is reasonable plus you have a base to work on to negotiate if you went for another job later on.

Good luck.

[atticus]

Mate it depends what your goals are o/s.  partying? travel? career?

 

IMHO it's not worth being stuck in a miserable job for months at a time just so you can stick it on your resume.  however if the money is a big issue and will fund further travel etc, it might be worth it.  i have mates who did the london thing, ended up in jobs they hated and regretted the entire 6 months.

 

it's hard for me cos i love my job and get paid decent money 

[warrenz]

Hi Gav,

To me it depends on why you went OS in the first place. If it is a 1-2 year thing to work while you see that part of the world then take the job you feel you will enjoy the most as long as the money is enough to fund your plans. If the money is not sufficient take the higher paid role for a while and keep a look out for something better and move on when you get a chance.

 

Warren

[chris240]

find a rich Irish girlfriend with your charming aussie accent...and get her to spoil you.

make sure she likes zeds !!!

If that fails, take the job thats offering more $$, and if your not happy , CHANGE JOBS..

If that doesnt work, come back home (less the Irish girlfriend) and start up a zed car importing business.

With your software development  skills ....you should be your own boss.

Keep up the guiness.

chris

 

[gav240z]

Hi everyone,

thanks for the feedback. I'm going with option number 2 since it's similar to what I was doing back home and it will allow me to continue to improve my web development & design skills.

 

The car magazine folks just couldn't come to the table with enough money. The difference was $13,000 Euro between that and my highest offer so I just couldn't say yes to less money.

The good news is that there seems to be lots of demand for someone with my skill set so if it doesn't work out I'll just go elsewhere.

 

Gonzo,

As for getting an Irish girlfriend, it sounds great but my girlfriend of 5 years wouldn't like it. Plus my current girlfriend is a good cook .

 

If only there was enough money in early Zcars back in Australia, but there just isn't. It's a hobby and passion not a career, ah well.

 

I went overseas to travel and have fun so I guess I should stick to the plan.

 

Also I do want to start my own company, but I think that will come a bit later on. Probably when I get back home.