should i move on or stay in my current job

Well as the title suggests i'm considering whether or not to move on from my current position. I work at a small accounting firm in Australia with only about 8 staff (5 accountants & 3 admin staff). Normally there would be around 10 staff consisting of around 7 accountants and 3 admin staff.

I'm basically at the point where for the moment i've gone as high up in the business as i can, with 2 senior accountants working above me (although both are elderly neither are looking to retire anytime soon). I love working with the people i work with, however had inteded to discuss with my boss during my next performance review that if i wasn't provided with some more advanced work that i would be looking to move on.

My problem is this i don't really want to drop my boss in it by leaving him so short staffed and have just found out that another staff member (the office manager) has resigned after 14 years with the firm he can i'll afford to lose another long term staff member (i've been there for 6 years from the graduate stage).

So my question is do i still have the conversation with him, or given the current staffing predicament hold off until a more suitable time, as i dont want to be seen to be taking advantage of the situation.

your opinions would be most welcome...

How long have you worked there? You want to stick with a job long enough so you don't look like a job hopper. Prospective employers don't like that. Telling your boss you intend to leave cold be risky. There might be retaliation. He could fire you or otherwise jerk you around. Wait until you have a signed letter of intent for the new job and then give two week notice. Good luck. I don't know what the job market it like in your town, but in Lawndale it ain't so good.

Instead of asking your boss to provide you more advance work, why not take initiative and just do it?

This is actually the question about where do you move on, no?

Even if you come across as a "traitor", I am sure that after the emotions pass, you boss will really understand you and there is no point in limiting your ambitions, esp if you cannot move up any more.

Originally Posted by jol123

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My problem is this i don't really want to drop my boss in it by leaving him so short staffed and have just found out that another staff member (the office manager) has resigned after 14 years with the firm he can i'll afford to lose another long term staff member (i've been there for 6 years from the graduate stage).

So my question is do i still have the conversation with him, or given the current staffing predicament hold off until a more suitable time, as i dont want to be seen to be taking advantage of the situation.

your opinions would be most welcome...

Er, why is that a problem? Loyalty to your boss or customers is overrated.
If he is short staffed, he can always find 2 other people to replace you two.
If he cannot find them, it means the job is fucked up and you shouldnt be staying there.
I promise you even if you stayed, it would not be appreciated and would be forgotten. You are not going to get a bonus for being considerate. Therefore worries for your boss is unnecessary. Its not like he is going to close down the company because you go. Even if it does, are you there working for free, is it your fault? You are just working there, its not like you are Mother Teresa.

You should consider the reason why you do not want to stay.
If those are valid, you move.
Talking to him about advanced work will likely not help.
He will tell you he will try his best to give to you etc etc, but if the company dont have it, there's nothing you or he can do. You might as well join one of the big 4 now.

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!

First, you shouldn't phrase it as a threat (I'm going to quit if you don't do x), that won't help you at all.

Have a talk with your manager where you tell him your career goals and ask how you can move in that direction at the current company.

Under any circumstances, do NOT communicate to your manager that you have any intention to leave the company until you have an actual offer in hand. I cannot stress this enough.

Orsini, i've been there for 6 years and was at my previous one for around 5 so I don't think i could be seen as a job hopper..

Smartxtai, unfortunately it's not quite that easy, i'm in public practice and in our firm your generally allocated a particular clients work. Unfortunately as the seniors are ahead of me I'm basically third in line for the larger clients which tend to have the more advanced/interesting work.

I guess thinking about the reasons I think it's probably time to move on is really about the current lack of oppotunities to further develop my skills and career in my current role.

I work in a small firm so I guess it's quite easy for the lines between your business & personal lives to blur somewhat after several years. I think the reason i'm not too sure of my next move is that the director has also been a bit of a mentor for me in my personal life aswell as career but I agree that loyalty should only be taken so far and at some point I need to consider whats best for my career rather than whats best for their business.

Thankyou all for the advice and please keep it coming....