Choosing location over career and money
Hi everyone,
A few years ago, I moved back to India from the UK for personal and family reasons, although I always appreciated the quality of life there.
Currently, I’m working at a US-based big tech company in India as a Tech Lead/Staff Engineer and the salary is top notch and in parity with Google/Microsoft for similar roles. While I’ve been a top performer, I’m struggling to settle down here, especially now that I have kids. I believe the UK offers them a better education and overall quality of life. However, despite strong referrals, I’ve been surprised by how difficult it’s been to get my profile noticed for new opportunities in the UK.
Recently, I received an offer from one of my previous employers. The work-life balance is appealing, but the salary is about the same as what I’m earning in India. Factoring in stock and other benefits, it’s actually less. Additionally, the offer involves a down-leveling, which I’m not too concerned about. Given the UK’s cost of living is at least three times higher than India’s, this is a tough decision.
After speaking with my current manager, I’ve managed to secure a fully remote role, which would significantly lower my living costs by about half. Plus, we’re also working on my promotion to Principal Engineer.
I’m wondering if I’m rushing to return to the UK. Should I hold out for a better opportunity?
PS: Financially I don't have a lot of savings until now.
Thanks,
Discussion
(6 comments)- 4
3 days agoMentor Coach for SWEs | Former Staff Software engineerespecially now that I have kids. I believe the UK offers them a better education and overall quality of life.
Does the quality of life for your children include how much money you leave for them later? If the answer is a firm yes, then I'd try to maximize my income (and therefore my savings).
But if the answer is no or yes-and-no, then I'd prioritize their quality of life in childhood and teenage—and the opportunities that'd create for them down the line.
This said, you do need to make sure that you earn enough to raise your family and retire yourself with dignity regardless of where you choose to live. It's also a good idea to be close to aging parents when they need you. But IMO that alone shouldn't be the deciding factor, esp. when you have a commitment to your next generation as well.
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4 days agoSupportive TarodactylTaro CommunityGiven that it was not easy to find this new opportunity in the UK despite having strong referrals, then it is not going to be easy to find a better opportunity unless something changes. If you were to take this opportunity and go to the UK, I believe that you will be in a much better position to network and find a better opportunity.
If there are no restrictions on switching jobs/companies I would go for the UK opportunity and try to network and find a better opportunity. This is assuming the UK offer will allow you to cover your family expenses without any issues.If the current offer you have is valid for 6 months+. I would try to look for a better opportunity and save up for a while. If in a few months you do not find something else then you can take it.
- 13 days agoTech Lead/Manager at Meta, Pinterest, Kosei
You mentioned "moved back to India from the UK for personal and family reasons" -- are those reasons still an important part of your life?
What are the likely next jobs if you take the UK jobs? It sounds like you're viewing that as more of a stepping stone, so I'd research what the people who used to work there are doing now.
I really like Shine's answers to think about the future for your kids? Do you think they'll have more success in India or the UK? I'm not sure the answer to this question, to be clear, but there are various dimensions to think about:
- Economic opportunity: not clear which is better. The US is probably the best in the world here.
- Family/friend connection: I'm guessing India is much better here
- Infrastructure: Probably better in the UK? (I'm thinking about things like traffic.)
- Environment/pollution: obviously the UK is much better here.
- 03 days agoTech Lead/Manager at Meta, Pinterest, Kosei
The sentiment on this reddit thread seems quite negative about India :/ https://www.reddit.com/r/developersIndia/comments/18nfuxp/moving_back_to_india/
- 03 days agoStaff Software Engineer [Lead MTS] [OP]Taro Community
As mentioned before I now have fully remote position which means living in a Tier2 city but with much better quality of life in terms of traffic and pollution plus I am now saving much more.
Also, I am not backing out from my decision to move back to the UK, its just the current offer is paying much less, to give a perspective the in-hand salary is same as I am getting here in India with no stock options. I did some research around the renting scene and cost of living in the UK and based on that I will be paying ~50% in the rent. Overall I will be paying around 70% in the rent + utility + food. The visa I got is also different from general work visa which means I need to move back to the India if I get another opportunity there to get a proper work visa.
In the next 4 months in the current org I will be getting around 25K USD stocks + 10K yearly bonus + opportunity of getting promoted.
I am thinking if I should be more optimistic and take 6 months of runway to find a better opportunity?
To answer your question "I'd research what the people who used to work there are doing now.":
- I have worked there for 2 years already so I have some perspective, most of the folks stayed there(5years) to get the citizenship but they lost touch from the industry some of them are struggling to find a better opportunity and some of them just doing food business etc, many folks like me jumped the ship in a year or two to get a better opportunity. The folks who stayed either lived a very simple life or their partners were earning too which is not the case with me.
PS: The offer I have is a from a non profit organisation which means I will be mostly working alone in my team leaving very little to learn things, as a side effect I will have a great WLB.
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a day agoSr Staff AI Lead @ UdemyIt sounds like you're in a challenging situation, balancing career, location, and family priorities. From my experience, these decisions are always tough and highly personal.
IMO, If your primary motivation for moving back to the UK is a better quality of life for your kids and education, that's a valid reason. However, since you currently have a secure role with strong career growth prospects (potential promotion to Principal Engineer), you might want to leverage that stability to build more financial savings while continuing to explore opportunities in the UK. Sometimes, it’s about positioning yourself for the right opportunity rather than rushing into one that doesn’t meet all your needs. Given that you’ve already moved once for personal reasons, taking a remote role might allow you to bridge the gap between your career aspirations and family needs without compromising too much financially. It could also give you the flexibility to be patient until the right UK-based role comes along, one that aligns better with your experience and financial goals.
Ultimately, waiting a bit longer might be wise, especially if you’re on the path to a promotion and can accumulate savings. This way, you’ll be in a stronger position to make the transition when the ideal opportunity presents itself.
