Moving away from your family for a new job

[Bradford]

So here's the situation. I have accepted an offer to take a job with the State of California starting on June 1. This means moving from Phoenix to Sacramento.

My wife is a high school teacher and department chair in Phoenix, tenured with 10-years of experience and a Masters degree in Education. Basically, no matter what happens there is no way she can lose her job in her current district.

Our two boys are 5 and almost 3. The oldest is in kindergarten at a very good public school here.

My wife is looking for teaching jobs in Sacramento, but if she gets one she gives up her seniority and runs the risk of being cut if there are layoffs - and with the current California economic situation that is a possibility.

We own our house in Phoenix and while we could sell it and make some money, the mortgage is only $1100 per month - which my wife can easily pay out of her current salary.

What we've been discussing is that perhaps I should move to California and my wife and kids would come over and spend June and July with me and then go back to Phoenix in August.

Following that I would be in Sacramento and she and the kids would be back in Phoenix.

That gives me time to ensure that I really like the job and that I don't get laid off in 6-mos or so.

Plus, if something does happen to my new job in California, my wife still has her job and we still own a house.

Also because my wife is a teacher, she gets a lot of time off - a week in the fall, Thanksgiving, 2-weeks at Christmas, Spring Break + all the 3-day weekends.

In my position, I get 4 1/2 weeks of vacation + 14 paid holidays.

The way I figure it, if we use our vacations properly - we would still see each other every 3-4 weeks and we could use Skype and the internet to see the boys.

I should say that I'm really excited about my new job and see a lot of potential - but in the current economic climate I think we might be smarter not pulling up our roots and moving everything - just in case.

What do you guys think? Has anyone done anything similar?

 

[Threak]

You can always visit during the work furloughs, and send IOU's home to help with the bills.

 

[Bradford]

Originally Posted by Threak

You can always visit during the work furloughs, and send IOU's home to help with the bills.

Yeah - that's pretty much exactly the scenario I fear, which is why I'm thinking it might be smarter to leave my wife and kids in Phoenix for a while.

Supposedly my department will not be impacted by the furloughs - but the whole furlough/IOU situation is pretty damn scary.

 

[freefinancialadvice]

Depends on the following equation:

(Sacramento income + new job opportunity - being home w/ kids - cost of living in Sacramento

is greater than?

Phoenix possible income + opportunity in Phoenix).

or something like that.

You didn't state what your new income is vs. income in Phoenix.

OR you could retire and have the wife pay all the bills.

Also, isn't California close to bankruptcy anyway?

see: http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/583802

What's the job?

 

[jefe]

Seems like a pretty decent plan to me. I know the housing/economy situation in Phoenix kind of sucks right now, but Sacramento is worse.

Assuming the position works out, would you be in Sacramento for a long time?

 

[Threak]

I'm currently working for the State of California under the judicial branch, which hasn't been impacted yet either. With all you hear in the media, the administration keeps assuring us that we won't be affected. Each time they say it, though, they sound a little less confident.

 

[mikeber]

Originally Posted by Threak

I'm currently working for the State of California under the judicial branch, which hasn't been impacted yet either. With all you hear in the media, the administration keeps assuring us that we won't be affected. Each time they say it, though, they sound a little less confident.
If they say it, you may be affected. You were in a better situation if they said nothing.

Originally Posted by Bradford

So here's the situation. I have accepted an offer to take a job with the State of California starting on June 1
Check again in May to see if the job is still there...

 

[Hombre Secreto]

I would say go for it, but your boys are still really young. Who knows how your absence will affect the babies.

 

[Threak]

Originally Posted by mikeber

If they say it, you may be affected. You were in a better situation if they said nothing.

You could be right. The question was first brought up because the union had negotiated a raise for us in October, and back then we were still dealing with $4+ gas, so people were getting worried it might not happen. That was during the time that the Governor was talking about dropping everyone's pay to the federal minimum wage. The administration followed through with the raise, though. They only really mention it when people ask if what they saw in the news is going to affect us.

The article up there posted by freefinancialadvice is right in saying that DMV is already closed 2 Fridays a month, effective this month. I didn't find out until a work meeting on Friday, and sure enough, when I had a DMV question at work and tried their back-line, all I got was a recording.

I'm planning on leaving my job in a few months, though, so I'm not too worried about it.

Good luck, though.

 

[Orsini]

What's wrong with the job you got?

 

[gdl203]

I could never do that

 

[Jumbie]

Originally Posted by gdl203

I could never do that

Me neither. I don't see how this is a good idea unless it was a short-term thing and it certainly doesn't seem like it.

I see a **** ton of cons and you didn't really list any pros other than you being excited about the new position.

 

[Bradford]

Originally Posted by jefe

Assuming the position works out, would you be in Sacramento for a long time?

Assuming it works, it would be a permanent move, yes.

Originally Posted by mikeber

Check again in May to see if the job is still there...

Yeah, that's why I'm worried about putting our house on the market and pulling up all of our roots. If the job fell through it would suck to have had my wife turn down her contract here for next year and to have possibly sold our house here.

Originally Posted by Hombre Secreto

I would say go for it, but your boys are still really young. Who knows how your absence will affect the babies.

Good question - I figure its better than the military families where the dad gets sent off to Iraq/Afghanistan etc. for a year or more without any opportunity to see their families during that entire time.

Originally Posted by Orsini

What's wrong with the job you got?

If you're referring to me, this would be my first real career-path job since finishing my MBA last May.

 

[Orsini]

Originally Posted by Bradford

...about putting our house on the market...
If you buy a house in California now it will depreciate.

Originally Posted by Bradford

...If you're referring to me, this would be my first real career-path job since finishing my MBA last May.
You can't get a decent job in Arizona? Why screw up your family situation? I almost forgot: absence makes the heart grow fonder -- for someone else...

 

[x26]

Dear Bradford,
Please think long and hard about the move. Sounds like your family has a lot to lose.
Best Wishes