Take a job knowing you'll probably leave it in 3-4 weeks?

[jrwilheim]

Okay...I'm in sort of a strange situation right now, where there's a strong chance I'll be offered a job that I'll leave in 3-4 weeks, and I'm wondering if it's ethical to take a job you KNOW you'll leave that quickly. Here's the whole backstory:

1) A local financial planner is going to take me on as his part-time assistant, eventually to go full time when the business has expanded sufficiently. I found this guy by sending out cold letters, and one landed across his desk. I am the only person in the running for this; he wasn't even looking for someone until he got my letter. When I spoke to him this week, he was going to check my references. The position would start sometime after the New Year, with a possibility of my attending a one-day seminar this month to learn some software I'd be using on the job.

2) Another financial planning firm, a two-person office, is having me back in for a second interview next week. This would be a full-time position immediately. This one is less certain, but I had a really great rapport with them on the first interview and they had me fill out an online personality test. During the first meeting, I was able to get one of the people who interviewed me to warm up to me, always a good sign--and I just generally felt a click. No guarantees here, but I know they're looking to fill the position relatively quickly, and I think there's a strong chance they'll offer it to me.

3) Okay...the one that's really at issue. Today I went in for an interview for an admin job with a Jewish non-profit. They had me write a letter on a computer just to prove that I wasn't totally illiterate. They said what I wrote was the best they had seen from any applicant who had ever come in there. I kind of wondered who else had been sent in there, since all I had to do was type my address, the recipient's address, the date, and a couple of coherent sentences, but oh well. I left with the overall impression that the job was pretty much mine, and that they would follow up with me early next week.

The issue, though, is that they can't pay me really enough to live on (only $27,000 per year in NYC), and, given what's happening with Jobs 1 and 2 above, I wouldn't be there very long...maybe a month. I'd like to take this job, though, because it sounds like a good job, and I could use some sort of stopgap measure since my unemployment's run out and the only other income I'll have this month is about $1,000 from a combination of a 3-day temp assignment and some freelance work I've gotten from someone I do occasional projects for. So is it okay to take a job with the knowledge that you'll leave in less than a month?

[yankeeyosh]

Nothing is certain in this world. I would take it...in case everything else falls through.

[jrwilheim]

Originally Posted by yankeeyosh

Nothing is certain in this world. I would take it...in case everything else falls through.

I see your point...I hadn't thought of that!

[cheshrcarol]

I agree with Yankee. I was in the same position last February where I had a company that I'd interviewed with SEVERAL times call me back to say they needed to create an additional position and I was the top choice of the person who'd be my supervisor, and once I met with the Pres. I'd receive an offer. I was also interviewing with another company that paid about $10k less. I got an offer from the 2nd company and took it, fully expecting I'd leave in a few weeks. Unfortunately the a$$hole first company basically lied to me and I wasn't their only candidate and the president decided he liked someone else better.

[jrwilheim]

Originally Posted by cheshrcarol

I agree with Yankee. I was in the same position last February where I had a company that I'd interviewed with SEVERAL times call me back to say they needed to create an additional position and I was the top choice of the person who'd be my supervisor, and once I met with the Pres. I'd receive an offer. I was also interviewing with another company that paid about $10k less. I got an offer from the 2nd company and took it, fully expecting I'd leave in a few weeks. Unfortunately the a$$hole first company basically lied to me and I wasn't their only candidate and the president decided he liked someone else better.

Thanks.

I guess my only real issue here is that the nonprofit has replaced the person they've hired several times in the last few months, because they keep getting REALLY incompetent people (I mean, how hard is it to do a proper business letter?), and given that I support the aims of the nonprofit, I'd feel bad about leaving them in the lurch. I also know that they don't underpay for this position to exploit people, the way big corporations do--they underpay because they flat out don't have the resources to pay more for someone to do the job.

I'll see what develops.

[arrow]

[QUOTE=jrwilheim]

The issue, though, is that they can't pay me really enough to live on (only $27,000 per year in NYC), QUOTE]


Just sayin'... it is totally possible to live on that much in NYC. Believe me, I've lived on less.

[Skyblade]

You have to look out for #1 even if it means taking this job and leaving a few weeks later. I did the same thing. I got offered a job but was also expecting to get another job offer (a job I wanted more). My friend that worked at the company that I was expecting a job offer from kept assuring me that I was going to get the job, the offer was already in the approval process. But, I was unemployed and had to look out for me so I took the other job while I waited for my other offer. I ended up getting the expected job offer and told the company I had been working with. They actually counter-offered but it wasn't what I wanted, so I left. There weren't any hard feelings. My boss at the company I worked with for only a month was actually a really great guy and even told me that he understood that I had to look out for my best interests.