Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm in the running for a couple of out-of-state positions that would be clear upgrades over what I have now. Just in terms of pay, the increase could be as much as 30-40 percent. I am a "finalist" for one (employer's words) and have been told a decision should be made this week. I have a second interview for another out-of-state position early this week.
Should either be offered, the biggest hurdle will be my apartment lease. It would cost me about $5,000 to break it (four months rent basically). But my lease also requires a 60-day move-out notice. Should I break my lease and not give 60 days, I would owe the remainder of the rent for my lease. And since my lease just began a couple of weeks ago, that's a whole lot of money and a total non-starter. I had asked my complex about month-to-month leases but unfortunately, they don't offer those.
There's another clause in my lease about abandoning the unit. Basically, I couldn't move out early and bring/send the keys back later on. Subletting is also not allowed (I don't know any candidates for that anyway).
The other logistical thing surrounds giving my current employer two weeks notice, should something be offered to me and accepted this week. I'm getting married next weekend and then going on a honeymoon, so if I give two weeks this week, that period would cover my wedding and honeymoon and I wouldn't be working then anyway save maybe a couple of days in the end. If you give your employer two weeks notice, and then don't work for them for those two weeks due to previously scheduled PTO, does that really count as notice? It's an unusual situation.
60 days from hire would accomplish a lot of things for me: Fulfill my complex's move out notice, buy time for us to find an apartment in the new city (some we've looked at have nothing for 2 months out), and maybe give my soon to be wife time to find a job of her own in the new city. It would also buy my current employer time to replace me.
But would it likely be a total non-starter for an employer if you asked to start 60 days after hire? Obviously, if this was a local job all of this would be non-issues but this would involve moving out of state and that brings some issues with it.
Tips on how to navigate this potential situation are appreciated.
Did you ask the potential employer about their relocation assistance policy or how flexible they might be with reporting date during your interview? Supposedly you did know the terms of your lease and your wedding plans at that time, right? Not unusual for a new hire to need to break a lease.
The wedding shouldn't be a big deal. People in the job market have personal lives that include previously-scheduled commitments.
IMHO, asking to report no sooner than 60 days after a hire date is a big ask, but until you have a formal job offer you don't have a problem. Would a formal offer even be negotiable? I'd be surprised if so unless you are some unicorn. TBH, wanting more time for your new spouse to find a job in the new city and finding the right place to rent isn't really your new employer's problem. Find something temporary there while you search for something longer term.
You said subletting isn't permitted, but can you find a tenant to replace you and assume the lease? Different thing. Clarify this with the LL. Lots of people are having trouble finding places to rent. It might not be that hard. There might even be a waiting list at your complex. If the job is this great for you I'd be beating the bushes looking for someone to assume the lease.
Last edited by Parnassia; 08-28-2021 at 04:46 PM..
Did you ask the potential employer about their relocation assistance policy or how flexible they might be with reporting date during your interview? Supposedly you did know the terms of your lease and your wedding plans at that time, right? Not unusual for a new hire to need to break a lease.
The wedding shouldn't be a big deal. People in the job market have personal lives that include previously-scheduled commitments.
IMHO, asking to report no sooner than 60 days after a hire date is a big ask, but until you have a formal job offer you don't have a problem. Would a formal offer even be negotiable? I'd be surprised if they would be OK with it. TBH, wanting more time for your new spouse to find a job in the new city and finding the right place to rent isn't really your new employer's problem. Find something temporary there while you search for something longer term.
You said subletting isn't permitted, but can you find a tenant to replace you and assume the lease? Different thing. Clarify this with the LL. Lots of people are having trouble finding places to rent. It might not be that hard. There might even be a waiting list at your complex. If the job is this great for you I'd be looking for someone to assume the lease.
The wedding, which I didn't mention, isn't a big deal at this point. Say I get an offer and take it this week. Two weeks after that, the wedding and honeymoon are over anyway. The wedding is only a concern in giving notice to my current employer, should something be offered and taken this week... because I have pre-planned PTO most of the two weeks after that.
I don't know how flexible either would be in terms of the start date. I've had some people tell me if they really want you, they'll want. Other people agree with you and say it would be a big ask.
Unfortunately, I don't know anyone to take the lease over. I haven't been in my existing city terribly long, and the people I do know here and the people my soon-to-be wife knows, aren't in the market for an apartment.
I could temporarily live with relatives in either potential city, but only one of the two potential cities is close enough to make occasional drives to see my soon to be wife if she stays behind. Either way, it would be tough to get married and then temporarily go our separate ways.
If my lease didn't require a 60 day move-out notice, I wouldn't even consider asking for that long a start date. Breaking my lease = $5,000 or so. Breaking my lease and not giving 60 days notice = probably close to $12,000.
Unfortunately, I don't know anyone to take the lease over. I haven't been in my existing city terribly long, and the people I do know here and the people my soon-to-be wife knows, aren't in the market for an apartment.
You'll probably need to put more effort into it and will need to look farther than the people you know! Advertise!
I could temporarily live with relatives in either potential city, but only one of the two potential cities is close enough to make occasional drives to see my soon to be wife if she stays behind. Either way, it would be tough to get married and then temporarily go our separate ways.
Married folks who both have careers face this all the time. I've known quite a few couples who have faced long distance separations until one or the other could move or find a new job. It is an imperfect but temporary situation. They made it work and got over it. If you get an offer, do what you gotta do, or turn the offer down. Again, ask about the new employer's relocation benefit/policy. Sometimes they can assist or help negotiate lease-breaking. At some point, all these problems become excuses to do nothing. Only you can decide if the timing of either offer is so bad you can't accept them.
The answer entirely depends on how much the new employer wants you and how urgent their needs are.
Bear in mind, it was your choice to sign a new lease when you were in the process of applying for jobs out of state. The financial implications are yours to manage.
I could temporarily live with relatives in either potential city, but only one of the two potential cities is close enough to make occasional drives to see my soon to be wife if she stays behind. Either way, it would be tough to get married and then temporarily go our separate ways.
.
I’m sure you could get through it. My parents were married in September 1944 and after a four day honeymoon my father left for Europe in WW2 and didn’t return for 16 months. No Skype, no phone calls. Just letters.
Tips on how to navigate this potential situation are appreciated.
If I were you, I wouldn't do anything until you have a an actual job offer. Then I would ask for relocation assistance and a signing bonus to help with the lease. If the new employer won't go for it, and this is going to cause you financial problems by accepting the role without relocation and a signing bonus, I would turn down the position if they won't negotiate with you. After all, you are relocating to their location for their benefit, not for yours, you might be able to work remotely and not have to move at all, so it is the employer's requirement you be in the same town.
For future reference, don't sign a lease if they won't let you out of it due to a job change which requires relocation. Since they won't let you sublet, they are boxing you into a bad situation. You may want to have an real estate attorney review the agreement you have, because they might not even be allowed to make those demands.
If the situation of a job offered doesn't turn out to meet your situation, then turn it down. There is no reason you should go into debt taking a new job. You could move there and they could very well close your department and now you'd be unemployed and have to deal with that.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
