Is job security worth more than a higher salary? I turned down an attractive role yesterday because the company was a startup
Posted by Strange_Head6219@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 37 comments
Hear me out.
I've made peace with the fact that I'll probably never be the person chasing a 20% pay rise by job hopping every two years. When I'm looking for a new role, my search is basically limited to public sector, NHS, councils, civil service, or large well-established private companies that have been around long enough that they're not going anywhere.
Yesterday I spotted a job on Glassdoor. Salary looked great, genuinely tempting. Five minutes of research later and it's a startup. Closed the tab immediately.
Call me boring, but I've watched enough LinkedIn posts from people who landed "an exciting opportunity at a fast-growing company" only to be posting their redundancy announcement three months later. One bloke had barely passed his probation before the layoffs hit. The whole "we're a family here" energy from startups doesn't pay your rent when they run out of investor money.
Maybe I'm leaving money on the table. But the mental load of job insecurity isn't worth it to me. Knowing my position is stable is genuinely worth more than an extra few hundred quid a month.
Would love to hear from anyone who has been in the same position and how it worked out for them.
bars_and_plates@reddit
To me it sounds as if you need to build up some savings.
If you don't overspend then you should not really need to worry about being made redundant.
decentlyfair@reddit
My husband worked for one of the biggest tech companies and although he was never made redundant, many were and this happened multiple times in the ten or so years he worked for them. So if working for a multi national massive company doesn’t give any job security then maybe the concept is a myth.
WGD23@reddit
You turned down even trying, and thats fine.
Proper_Title_9746@reddit
You missed out. A lot. Hundreds of thousands over the course of your working career. There’s no job security anywhere so might as well take a chance at another organization
Bossman_Mike@reddit
I could earn literally double what I currently do, but the expectations would be much higher and I'd lose a lot of very cushy benefits.
Joystic@reddit
I turned down a £300k job at Anthropic yesterday.
Opened it up, checked out the job description, closed the tab.
Witty_Entry9120@reddit
I turned down the role of CEO of a bank once. I couldn't in good heart be involved with their investments in the arms trade.
Granted, I never actually applied for it, or have ever worked in banking but still. I left them bonuses on the table and walked away.
Flat_Development6659@reddit
Salary was more attractive when I was younger, security is more attractive now.
We've got a nice house, a nice car and we can add to our investments each month. I'm not saying a pay rise wouldn't be nice but really we've got everything we need, being out of work for a while would fuck us harder than turning down a few quid extra each month.
jimicus@reddit
Every company I've ever worked for - be it startup or established, boring business - has had major restructuring/redudancies within three years of the day I started. Either that or they've completely ceased to exist.
I think job security is a myth.
BeyondOk86@reddit
Came here to say this. I work for one of the biggest companies in the world and there's no job security. Multiple redundancies while I've been there, which hasn't been long.
lionellanes@reddit
Absolute job security isn’t a luxury for anyone, there are varying degrees. Some jobs are safer than other short and long term. Job security is real
Minute-Employ-4964@reddit
I interview for jobs constantly
The listing rarely tells you all you need to know and I want to stay sharp for when it’s a job I actually want
audigex@reddit
It depends on circumstances
I joined a startup…. For my first job out of university when I was 21-22. If it went tits up I’d have looked for a job in that area until my rent contract was up then moved home with parents. Stability was neither here nor there for me, it didn’t carry much value
Now I have a mortgage and a kid, so I value stability more than a few hundred quid a month, within reason (obviously you need to be able to pay the bills)
EnjoyableBleach@reddit
Job security isn't about being irreplaceable in your current role or having a low risk of being let go.
Job security is being able to get another job when you want it.
gouplesblog@reddit
I worked for a mortgage lender start up for a year.
The business was great, working conditions were fantastic, a brilliant team with a really innovative product, salary was great for remote - but when the investors yeeted the CEO and made half of the company redundant I thought it was time to make a move.
I now work for a building society.
I think you can tell where my priorities are 🤣
Appropriate_Trader@reddit
Depends what you’re putting in the line?
If you’re 27 with good prospects and savings then maybe take the risk.
If you’re mortgaged up to the eyeballs and the misses is expecting the 3rd any minute then maybe staying safe is the play.
maceion@reddit
As a single person, I could afford to job hop, as I had a secure base, (my parents' house). Then I accepted a good offer in another country and found I was being paid about 20 per cent below locals in same job; but I had absolute security of employment due to my pay, while colleagues on 'full local salary' were somewhat insecure. 'Hire and fire' was very normal for all local employers. My local colleagues who tried to job hop; sometimes got OK, other times they were employed for a couple of months and dismissed. Unemployed folk went bankrupt, medical bills could bankrupt folk. 'Risk' was high. I just kept my head down worked hard, saved and after a few years came back to UK with saving equal to a few years pay in UK, after I had married.. Savings helped pay deposit for a house. I went for stability rather than a start up.
Justboy__@reddit
It’s up to you whatever you prioritise in a job search. I think job security is really important.
I turned down a role a while back that would have been a huge jump up in pay because I came out of the interview with the distinct feeling that I was going to be stressed out all the time. I don’t want to come home from work every night super stressed and dreading the next day. It’s not fair on my family even if the money was amazing.
People on here will tell you need to be a mercenary but you have to go with what will make you happiest.
Tunit66@reddit
The other trouble with startups is often they are usually run by some nepo baby or ex-banker with a “vision”
Their word is law and you’d be expected to constantly juggle their demands and work ridiculous hours
They don’t often know how to actually run a business and it’s an exercise in pumping the valuation to secure more funding. They cash out when the funding comes in and the company inevitably fails
XihuanNi-6784@reddit
Can confirm; my brother works in one.
Temporary_Ad_986@reddit
Security why I joined civil service. Especially in age of AI.
WhyToHide@reddit
How secure is civil service?
gintokireddit@reddit
For me security would be more important. Plus public sector might allow for moving between departments and potentially finding something unexpected that I like, or getting new qualifications funded. If I knew I can get another job easily, and maybe with a dual income, then perhaps a riskier option would feel more viable. That said, if you don't have a job right now, I guess if you've never done it before trying out a riskier one isn't as bad, as long as you know in your mind that it could go poorly - just a "let's see how this goes". I definitely wouldn't leave a stable, ok-paying job for a risky one just for a bit more pay, unless I had a dual income and the second job is really more aligned with my passions/values.
I don't like the idea that people go into the public sector just for a stable job though - it seems to produce low standards, jobsworths who do the bare minimum as they're only motivated by stability, which harm members of the public and make society a worse place. It should also be for public service and a motivation to help others/improve the country.
Sugarlips_80@reddit
Gor me job security is worth it, but that said no job is 100% secure anymore. Having been victim to the recent NHS cuts and taking Voluntary Redundancy to avoid being pushed into any job available with less favourable conditions i can tell you nowhere is safe. All public services will change in the next few years, more cuts will be made and more people will lose their jobs. The only security is what you do to help yourself should the worst happen. For example having a savings pot that covers 12 months salary/bills and essentials / taking out salary protection insurance etc.
Outside of that work wherever you wsnt to work, ideally doing something you enjoy. So if an ideal role came up in the start up I would take it, make sure I had protection in place, negotiated a good salary and perks package (shares in company if available) and go from there. Maybe it is horrible, but maybe it is great, does well and sets you up for life. It's all about risk and reward. Would I take a start up role just for the money? No, personally I wouldn't as the work i do day to day and the environment I work in is more important to me. Others might say yes, they would do it for a year or two, save up and then use the experience find something else. It is all personal preference.
Strange_Head6219@reddit (OP)
Really sorry to hear about your NHS experience , that's exactly the kind of thing that puts everything into perspective. If redundancy can happen there, you're right that nowhere is truly bulletproof.
The point about building your own financial safety net is something I hadn't really factored in. I've been thinking about security purely in terms of the employer rather than what I can control myself. A 12 month savings buffer and salary protection insurance essentially buys you the breathing room to take more calculated risks that's actually a really practical way of looking at it.
I think what you've described is a much more mature approach than mine if I'm honest. Rather than avoiding startups entirely, the smarter play is to get your own house in order financially first, and then the stakes of any individual job decision become a lot lower.
Still think I'd be cautious about joining a startup purely for the money, but you've shifted my thinking a bit. It's less about where you work and more about how prepared you are if things go wrong regardless of where you are.
Thanks for sharing that, genuinely useful perspective.
PracticeNo8733@reddit
Depends, but I think on average people over-value (and over estimate) perceived job security. Public sector and large corporate jobs aren't necessarily secure either. For a lot of people they would be more secure earning more money and building a financial buffer/investments.
Independent-Chair-27@reddit
It's a balance really. I agree money gives you security. That thousand quid a month extra is a month's salary every 6 months or so.
There's the mental load of finding new jobs which is significant.
I have moved around to get more money and build experience. But I am still careful that risk matches reward for me.
I stay sane by keeping some money saved for rainy days. I Don't rely on every penny.
Job security is nebulous a few years as a Civil Service dev potentially pigeon holes you. If there are public sector redundancies they generally come all at once meaning everyone else similarly qualified is looking for a job too. Can you convince someone you can adapt.
AcmeRacer8@reddit
I worked for a start-up for the first 7 years of their existence, part of my package was equity in the business, so when it sold to a corporate I got about 3 years salary in one lump sum. I then worked for the US HQ'd multi-national corporate for another 7 years, they laid off staff every quarter to get the balance sheet looking as good as possible. Job security doesn't exist anymore, even public sector jobs aren't as safe as they used to be unfortunately.
BalthazarOfTheOrions@reddit
I get where you're coming from.
My impression - and I don't know this for a fact because I don't earn anywhere near enough to count myself in this category - is that once you start to earn a really high salary that switching jobs every now and then isn't so unheard of.
I.e., money attracts money.
Some-Cope1999@reddit
You should actually reword this. You didn’t turn down the role. You simply decided it wasn’t for you and kept applying for other jobs.
Inevitable-Yard6567@reddit
I think I would be the same. I’ve worked in IT for years and kept getting approached by recruiters for contract work (back when it paid better) but I always preferred the security of a regular wage. I’d say it depends on your circumstances as well - had I been single maybe I’d have been more tempted but with a family at the time it was t just about me.
InsurancePurple4630@reddit
You didn't turn it down, you just didn't apply. No harm applying and getting more details if you were interviewed.
Old_Introduction_395@reddit
Some time ago I worked for the NHS, I had friends worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, and The Stationery Office. I was made redundant, the others had new contracts, and moved across the country.
Nothing is guaranteed.
cup-of-tea-76@reddit
Get where you are coming from but an interview would give you a much clearer idea if there is legs in the business and the ideas along with the commitment
It’s your opportunity to ask them questions too
Strange_Head6219@reddit (OP)
That's a fair point and I genuinely hadn't thought about it from that angle. Using the interview as a two-way assessment rather than just them evaluating me is smart.
I think my issue is I've already mentally checked out the moment I see "startup" probably too quickly if I'm honest. Maybe the move is to at least get to interview stage, ask the hard questions about funding runway, headcount plans, and how long they've been profitable, and then make a more informed decision from there rather than closing the tab before I've even applied.
Still not sure I'd take the role even with good answers, but you've made me realise I'm potentially ruling things out without enough information.
iffyClyro@reddit
I’d say yes.
Gave up working for myself for a secure job.
I miss what I used to do but I don’t miss the uncertainty at the end of contracts trying to secure the next one or source funding.
AutoModerator@reddit
Please help keep AskUK welcoming!
When replying to submission/post please make genuine efforts to answer the question given. Please no jokes, judgements, etc. If a post is marked 'Serious Answers Only' you may receive a ban for violating this rule.
Don't be a dick to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on.
This is a strictly no-politics subreddit!
Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.