Should I give up health insurance for a job?
A few weeks ago I went to meet a really nice woman - it was an informational interview for a job where I'd roll up my sleeves and be in the trenches of the business.
This is a large high-tech manufacturer in the suburbs, unfortunately. In the good ole days of skyrocketing growth (2000), this company had 300 people on staff. When the high tech boom went bust, 300 dwindled down to 50 and with our economy in a recession, the staff level is at 8.
They've had a lot of layoffs but need help getting a stable department up and running. I'd learn everything I wanted to know in the business - from conception to final product stages to getting the product on the shelf.
The problems?
- It's a temporary position. No healthcare benefits, 401K or anything like that.
- No healthcare, am I crazy to take a job with no healthcare?
- They won't be hiring or offering permanent positions until '09 and after the presidential elections are held.
- The commute. I'm looking at a job in the suburbs of San Jose and from San Francisco it's a 2 1/2 hour commute - 4 transfers from where I live. There's the option of working from home two days a week after I get settled. But is working from home 2 days a week enough of an incentive to travel so far 3 days a week?
It sounds like they want to make me an offer Thursday or Friday and have me start Monday.
I get no time off from my current job before starting this job. They have another temp in this position at the moment who found a job and is leaving Friday - just a few days notice.
I'd learn so much and gain so much knowledge in just a few months. But the commute is really a problem ... they'd have to pay me at least $80-90K for me to go that far and work from home the other 2 days a week.
But I'm really worried about not having health insurance for at least 7 months or longer.
Would you give up health insurance for a job that gave you an opportunity to learn everything and decide ultimately if it's what you want??
Being an adult means having to make tough choices. And from my position, no choice is decent.
I've looked for jobs in the Peninsula and getting there is just a pain even on Caltrain. I have to walk about a mile to some of the companies I interviewed even after I get off.
The problem with jobs in San Francisco - lack of growth at the big companies and different commodities. If I train in the consumer goods sector, I'd have a really hard time moving into high tech or bigger value items. The rules are completely different and I'd have to start from scratch.
Choices. Ahh, being an adult is no fun sometimes.
Update: I haven't heard back from her after explaining how uncomfortable I am with not giving two weeks notice. And I mentioned the commute ... if she gave me some more time, I could explore moving out of San Francisco which is the last desperate resort if I don't mind something closer.
I have to be patient. I don't want my desperation to show even though I've only shown enthusiasm and the highest praise for my company. I guess I'll just wait to see what happens next.
Thanks to everyone's comments. I can't believe I was insane enough for a moment to even consider making the commute. I guess I am VERY desperate to do something more useful than entering numbers all day.
This is a large high-tech manufacturer in the suburbs, unfortunately. In the good ole days of skyrocketing growth (2000), this company had 300 people on staff. When the high tech boom went bust, 300 dwindled down to 50 and with our economy in a recession, the staff level is at 8.
They've had a lot of layoffs but need help getting a stable department up and running. I'd learn everything I wanted to know in the business - from conception to final product stages to getting the product on the shelf.
The problems?
- It's a temporary position. No healthcare benefits, 401K or anything like that.
- No healthcare, am I crazy to take a job with no healthcare?
- They won't be hiring or offering permanent positions until '09 and after the presidential elections are held.
- The commute. I'm looking at a job in the suburbs of San Jose and from San Francisco it's a 2 1/2 hour commute - 4 transfers from where I live. There's the option of working from home two days a week after I get settled. But is working from home 2 days a week enough of an incentive to travel so far 3 days a week?
It sounds like they want to make me an offer Thursday or Friday and have me start Monday.
I get no time off from my current job before starting this job. They have another temp in this position at the moment who found a job and is leaving Friday - just a few days notice.
I'd learn so much and gain so much knowledge in just a few months. But the commute is really a problem ... they'd have to pay me at least $80-90K for me to go that far and work from home the other 2 days a week.
But I'm really worried about not having health insurance for at least 7 months or longer.
Would you give up health insurance for a job that gave you an opportunity to learn everything and decide ultimately if it's what you want??
Being an adult means having to make tough choices. And from my position, no choice is decent.
I've looked for jobs in the Peninsula and getting there is just a pain even on Caltrain. I have to walk about a mile to some of the companies I interviewed even after I get off.
The problem with jobs in San Francisco - lack of growth at the big companies and different commodities. If I train in the consumer goods sector, I'd have a really hard time moving into high tech or bigger value items. The rules are completely different and I'd have to start from scratch.
Choices. Ahh, being an adult is no fun sometimes.
Update: I haven't heard back from her after explaining how uncomfortable I am with not giving two weeks notice. And I mentioned the commute ... if she gave me some more time, I could explore moving out of San Francisco which is the last desperate resort if I don't mind something closer.
I have to be patient. I don't want my desperation to show even though I've only shown enthusiasm and the highest praise for my company. I guess I'll just wait to see what happens next.
Thanks to everyone's comments. I can't believe I was insane enough for a moment to even consider making the commute. I guess I am VERY desperate to do something more useful than entering numbers all day.
posted by SF Money Musings at
11:29 PM
11 Comments:
I wouldn't take this job. They want you to start immediately for a temp job. I wouldn't burn bridges with my current job by not giving notice.
I would absolutely not go without healthcare. At the very least, find a less expensive major medical coverage plan and pay out of pocket. Seriously, it's Murphy's Law, as soon as you're not covered, something will happen. It's part of making adult decisions!!
I just researched all this when my fiance started his own company. If you're young and healthy, you can get $5K deductible insurance cheaply. We kind of viewed it as a back-up if he got in a car accident.
But it sounds like you need more care and use your doctors more. Wouldn't it be awful if you were deterred from getting the help you need because of cost?
Why not call the doctors you frequent? Tell them that you are considering temporarily taking a job with no insurance benefits. Ask them how much a visit would cost. Then you would have some data.
But this wouldn't even be a choice for me. That kind of commute would drain me quick.
I wouldn't take it. It's a temp, you are pretty much guarantee you will be out of a job after 7 months. Why take the risk even though you do learn something. They will have to double/triple your current salary for you to even consider taking that job because of the far commute and no future guarantees. They are rushing you to start next week, don't you think it's kinda sketchy? Maybe the previous person in that position left because the job sucked and they need someone asap? I know someone who held a fulltime position but quit that job and moved to a temp job. She was later fired a month later and was out of a job for 6 months.
Would your commute be 2.5 hours each way or altogether?
Living in Canada I can't speak to the (lack of) healthcare part, but with all the concessions you would need to make to gain the experience, it doesn't sound like the greatest fit right now.
Hi I just stumbled on your blog but felt I had to jump in on this one - don't take this job! As someone who struggles with mental health problems myself I know just how hard it is to think about getting care without insurance. And professionally, if they are predicting to be in a better position to offer benefits in a few months and they really want you, they'll want you in a few months.
As for the commute? That just stinks! I don't know your field (need to read more) but I'm sure there's something better closer to home. As a general rule, you should never rush into something as major as a job change like this.
Good luck!
If you essentially double your current salary you could always buy your own insurance, so I don't think it's a matter of going w/o insurance (which in my opinion one should never do if there is a choice in the matter) or taking this job--you could very well do both. If you are fairly healthy, getting a basic plan can be fairly affordable even if the salary was lower than what you note here.
However, I would not take a job like this b/c of the commute. It also sounds like the job security will be even less stable than usual. But the commute issue is a personal one, everyone has their own tolerance.
I've done 1 hour commute each way and I think it's the max I'd do, give or take a bit, but it
s definitely not ideal, and a ton of transfers would make it worse for me. (Also I hope you meant 2.5 hrs total, not each way, obviously. Each way would just be undoable in my view.)
You just have to decide if you could live with the commute w.o going crazy. Going w/o insurance I think shouldn't even be an option, it should be company plan or your own plan, unless you literally have no other option, which isn't the case here. (just my opinion obviously.)
Oh and I agree with one of the other commenters, I would not start the job w/o giving 2 week's notice first. Starting in a few days' seems ridiculous. They could get a short term temp until you are ready, if you decided to take it. Asking for less than 2 weeks is crazy--would they want you to not give appropriate notice when you leave their position? It's asking you to do something uncool and I think that is not right of them.
That's an insane commute. Mine is 1.5 hours long and after nearly four years, I'm pretty tired of it. This is five hours out of your day! I know it averages out ... but I feel like you'd be so exhausted the rest of the time it might not be worth it.
Sorry to hijack, but Karen, I didn't have any contact info for you and I wanted to let you know of a change over at my place, if you're still reading the comments here. C'mon over!
Take a new job! Whatever the employment stats are these days - I see a lot of high paying jobs on employment sites -
http://www.realmatch.com
http://www.monster.com
http://www.simplyhired.com
I dont see how the stats match the market at all.
I agree with most other people NOT to take this job; the commute is just too long. And what happens if you have a medical emergency?
The extra money simply isn't worth it - you'll quickly acclimate to the higher salary but you'll be stuck with the miserable commute. I had a 75 minute commute (each way, with two transfers) for about 10 months; it wasn't sustainable. Even now I commute up to an hour each way and it's too long.
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