Take a 45% cut post tax for a perm job to just about pay off the bills or wait?

[AnthonyQuinn]

If anyone is considering a break after finishing a contract recently and is wondering what the market is like, well it's bad. Really bad. Having been on the bench late last year, then started a new gig briefly to then be diagnosed with a serious illness that laid me off work from March to June (yes just before COVID lockdown hit), my options have pretty much dwindled.

Living off the warchest, I thought I would bounce back within a month with a shiny new contract but nope. With less than 2 months buffer I have been furiously applying for perm jobs and even temporary jobs, as the market is just that tulip for contracting. Didn't ever think this would be how I'd be looking for work but it's with the prospect of losing the roof over my head it had to be done. So two interviews lined up for perm jobs next week, 45% less money than my usual day rate after tax etc. , with small, public sector organisation, completely different to the blue chip companies I've worked for over the last 10 years. Junior salary really.

Hate the thought of taking either one because of the possible message it sends to potential recruiters in the future and my skillset? Basically going backwards job wise and moneywise and think I've damaged my ability to earn my worth again. Would you do it or hold out to the bitter end?

This will also mean folding the company as after tax and VAT payments it's not worth keeping it running. With IR35 looming next March, I think my contracting days could sadly be over!

45% cut from WHAT?? A theoretical contract which you think you will have at some point in the future. The role is paying you 100% more than what you have now, which is 0.

[hugebrain]

45% cut from WHAT?? A theoretical contract which you think you will have at some point in the future. The role is paying you 100% more than what you have now, which is 0.

100% more than 0 is still 0.

Hang in there dude.

[ladymuck]

100% more than 0 is still 0.

Hang in there dude.

Just don't divide by zero...

[PCTNN]

Personally I could probably survive on around £500 per month (that's down to the damn bone - no mortgage) realistically probably 1k, I have very little outgoings in terms of subscription services, only absolutely essential (Netflix, prime sky etc is not essential only broadband and sim only is essential).

I've always been curious about how much I could survive on and how long I could go for, even just a social experiment.

Like, how much would I save in a month if I only ate:

- instant coffee
- milk
- bread
- instant ramen noodles (and not the good ones...I mean the cheap tesco value/lidl stuff)
- 1 supermarket pizza a week (to boost morale)

what other foods are cheap as f**k?

Surely my health would be awful after even 1 month of the above diet.

[SueEllen]

I've always been curious about how much I could survive on and how long I could go for, even just a social experiment.

Like, how much would I save in a month if I only ate:

- instant coffee
- milk
- bread
- instant ramen noodles (and not the good ones...I mean the cheap tesco value/lidl stuff)
- 1 supermarket pizza a week (to boost morale)

what other foods are cheap as f**k?

Surely my health would be awful after even 1 month of the above diet.

Buy a multivitamin pill from the supermarket.

Though I think the milk is expensive and requires the use of a fridge to keep it cold.

[ladymuck]

Powdered milk would get around that but that too can be expensive.

But you don't need to go quite to those extremes:
30 meals you can make for under GBP1 - Asda Good Living

[jayn200]

I've always been curious about how much I could survive on and how long I could go for, even just a social experiment.

Like, how much would I save in a month if I only ate:

- instant coffee
- milk
- bread
- instant ramen noodles (and not the good ones...I mean the cheap tesco value/lidl stuff)
- 1 supermarket pizza a week (to boost morale)

what other foods are cheap as f**k?

Surely my health would be awful after even 1 month of the above diet.

Don't eat like that.

You can eat just as cheaply eating things like

Lentils, beans, rice, carrots, onions, potatoes

Would be nice to also get in some green leafy vegetables you can just buy whatever leafy veg is cheapest as well.

Probably could come out of it spending 50 a month and healthier than you are now.

[Lance]

Don't eat like that.

You can eat just as cheaply eating things like

Lentils, beans, rice, carrots, onions, potatoes

Would be nice to also get in some green leafy vegetables you can just buy whatever leafy veg is cheapest as well.

Probably could come out of it spending 50 a month and healthier than you are now.

this makes more sense.
Need some fresh fruit/veg to avoid scurvy.

[sira]

Feel your pain OP. Rest assured were all in the same boat. I'm about to accept a role thats paying 20% less than the perm role I had secured pre-covid, and circa 40% less than my contracting income. Not ideal, but thats the new market - just need to accept that its going to be like this for a few years and try to enjoy life outside of work as much as possible.

[Old Greg]

I've always been curious about how much I could survive on and how long I could go for, even just a social experiment.

Like, how much would I save in a month if I only ate:

- instant coffee
- milk
- bread
- instant ramen noodles (and not the good ones...I mean the cheap tesco value/lidl stuff)
- 1 supermarket pizza a week (to boost morale)

what other foods are cheap as f**k?

Surely my health would be awful after even 1 month of the above diet.

I can eat super-cheap if needs be:

Pasta and tomato sauce
Rice and dhal
Baked spuds

I draw the line at instant coffee.