We got the email below from one of our readers. We think he is genuine and we have granted his wish to allow the community here to help him make a decision. Please help him and please resist the temptation to just troll and insult him. We know some of you will think this guy is bragging…
Hi, my name is Tonde and would be happy if you publish my story and let your audience help me make a decision.
I am in a dilemma as I have received job offers from two companies at the same time and I do not know which one to accept. I have outlined the job offers below for you to help me make a sound decision. I cannot post or ask on social media, as I want to protect the identities of the entities involved.
Current Position
I am a Maths and Computer Studies teacher at a High School and I am on a rolling contract and for 2017 I was making US$800/month net and the only perk they provide me is a 2 bedroomed apartment and 90 days paid vacation and apart from that there are no leave days, pension, medical cover etc. I have no problems with the administration as my pay comes on time and at times even before time.
They also provide us with interest free loans for stands and car purchases and on top of that, they provide us with an opportunity to make extra money through extra lessons. If a student wants extra lessons the school charges the student $10/hr per subject and on average students pay $150/subject per month which translates to 15 hours of extra lessons per month. The money is split 50-50 with the school and teacher pocketing $75 each.
My working hours are from 0715 to 1300 and from 1400 I can either be giving extra lessons or go home. I have been using the free time to do some freelancing on Upwork and in 2017 alone; I managed to make just over $5000. Going forward they have offered me, an improved contract for 2018 that will see me netting $900/month as I will be teaching A levels.
Job Offer A
After a few exchanges on LinkedIn the Head of Strategy and Analytics asked me to come in for coffee at the financial institution or bank to be more precise. The bank has been in the country for 40 years and has a healthy balance sheet. He said there is no job description for the position he had earmarked for me but in essence, this is a hybrid Business Analyst-Project Manager position.
This is my dream job and the person who interviewed me is the mentor/supervisor I have been looking for as I see myself learning a lot from him. He asked me how much I would want as compensation of which I said $1500 net. Two weeks later yesterday he came back with an offer of $1500 net on a 1-year renewable contract and contrary to what we had discussed earlier, he said the bank would not pay for any training I might want to undertake. I do not have any experience in this position.
Job Offer B
I have not been in touch with this third company, a recruitment company has done everything. However, from the onset they told me everything about the company including its name. The position is an IT Manager position for an Oil and Gas company. Renumeration is $2300 gross on a permanent contract.
Currently they do not have offices in the country and they will start their setup in the country in January 2018. As part of the onboarding process I will be provided with a 6 month training period at the company`s HQ in France prior to be then employed in one of the two structures back here. The 6-month training period may be split in two separate periods of 3 months each. From the job description besides IT support team management, this is a very generic IT position. I have experience working in this kind of a job as I have been a Systems Administrator before becoming a teacher.
My problem
The bank is offering me the job I want but it is coming on a short-term contract and less remuneration than the Oil and Gas company. Will it be OK for me to take the Oil and Gas company`s offer to the bank and ask for a raise? Also having done my primary in Kapiri down there in Hurungwe and my High School at an Upper Top in Gweru the prospects of spending 6 months in France is something I cannot just let go.
My expenses are around $300 for food, internet, transport and tithe. I do not spend much as I am not a party animal nor do I drink. I am turning 30 in 2018 and am single, no children nor girlfriend.
My Qualifications
BBA Computer and Managemnt Information Systems (Solusi University)
ITIL v3 Foundation
MCSA: Windows 10
MCSA: BI Reporting
MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Development
MCSE: Data Management and Analytics
Certified Associate Project Manager (CAPM)
Certificate in Business Analysis (University of Cape Town)
So if you were me what would you do??
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18 comments
At the end of the day the objective of everything is money isnt ? You might dream to be a software developer and get one at a net of $1200 and yet get another job as a Systems administrator at say $2 300. I believe we all do things for money so yeah based on what your objective in life is. Option B is the one i would take
Go for the second option. Oil is the business to be into. Get deep into it until you reach consultant level. Then start your own company consulting.
sorry, braggart….is the only word that comes to mind here.
if i were this person, i’d count my blessings and learn to decide for myself without getting the public (of which the majority are un-employed) into my personal responsibilities or decisions as an adult.
LOL. All nonsense – there are discrepancies on the whole story. Besides the Bragging..
I agree with @Kilotango, this is not only insensitive to the many Zimbabweans who are desperate for 1 job, but is also not a decision that the public should make for you based on some vote, this is your life. Only you would know what is most important to you, which could be money, location, passion, time, the ability to grow and many other factors. Furthermore, I think it may be rather disrespectful and dangerous to publish an offer for the public to see, and if I were the person who offered you the job, I would retract the offer immediately, because these discussions are generally confidential. There are also those that have applied to these places before and were denied that will see this and be sour. I fail to see how this can be relevant to Tech news
Not even related. Nonsense. Probaby ran out of Stories
Offer B is fake….
your original job is the safest option here, but if u believe yourself and u are a risk taker, take option A with the financial institution, though you risk losing your job after the contract expires. option see is not trustworthy, so i wouldn’t go for that one.
Take option B. Money over everything. You can always move back to your dream job once you are more settled.
Offer B would be the best because ,1) you get training 2) acclimatize to the culture of the orgnst 3) you have some experience in that field ….. For offer A , the major drawback is lack of experience. The position is at a senior level and no Financial institution will give you the comfort to learn etc ..u have to know yo stuff
Option B is likely a 419 scam. Option A is an offer for a job without a description, you don’t even know what you will be doing. My advise is remain on your teaching job.
PS: Even without mentioning your name, your current and prospective employers can easily identify you with the information that you have provided, and they will not be amused.
i am sure this guy is educated enough to decide on his options without showing off. We always say LinkedIn has been invaded and peverted by all kinds of personalities that are anything but helpful to anyone. Suffice to say this is humble bragging in its refined form.
I’m no hater, but these salaries just don’t add up for entry level positions. I might be wrong, but this all sounds too good to be true to me.
With all those qualifications, what are u doing in teaching? How did you manage to fund the training and exams? Industry lack such skills and at below age of 30 , you already have 7 certifications plus a degree. It means you are a genius, because most people will not earn those qualifications even at the age of 40. Either u are just bragging, which I am 90% sure of, or you are the dumbest person ever, but there is a discrepancy, cz dumb people cant achieve that feat in such a space…
qualification can be like the. if you have access to resources why not. know a few people under 32 with over 6 certifications. you teach cz hakuna mabasa. not saying he’s telling the truth but you take what you need to eat
A degree is easy to get. You can cheat yourself to all those certifications(exam dumps) in a year, not saying he did that. Nothing amazing about the qualifications. A lot of people have similar qualifications plus an MBA. Qualification hoarding is the in thing in Zim
to those jealous of his qualifications, i believe them to be real as i work in the same industry, doing a similar..ish job to offer A, his first degree covers 90% of the certification he later attained…ie there wouldnt be a management information systems part that doesnt cover database design, so accruing dozens of vendor specific certifications can be helpful with introduction to companies that use a vendors products . if one does the degree he did, all those certications are easy pickings which are more of time and money than technical mountains to climb.
now for the advice part, option A is the best, option B is a bit too much a bird in the air, it gliters the most, strangely, i did a degree in statistics and geology so know a thing or two about the issues that confront you. Option A is the future of business, big data and analytics, this area is booming, after a year of experience, you are more marketable so u are no the same as when u started. There will always be a shortage of maths teachers, and you can be one any day, so fear not to leave that teaching job, mining is a volatile business, it pays more because of this, i have friends who became geologists, some are in namibia etc, gaps of unemployment and frequent movements are real,and the chances of expanding your role in the business is limited since you are primarily a supporting act, whereas in option A, you are at the heart of business decisions, u can make you mark and expand your role to business leadership…so for it a no brainer, young man
earned $5000 on Upwork? why not be a full time freelancer?