Reply to when is it right to take a new job with young kids?

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[quote=Anonymous]OP, if you get an offer from them, I would not hesitate to speak openly with HR and people in the org about work/life balance.  They can't "revoke" your offer, and if you present it right, I think they may respect you for genuinely considering whether you can make it work with your current and desired lifestyle.

I also understand your position regarding wanting time for family life but also wanting to like your job and feel stimulated.  It's a tough balance.  If you're super excited about your job, it's hard to put it down at the end of the day, especially if you are needed to do more and more at the office.

On the other hand, I think you may be overthinking it.  Don't worry about what this job "could" lead to in the future.  If this job would provide a good balance for you now, then take it.  I don't know your field but suspect you could probably move from a more high-powered position to a lesser-powered one easier than the other way around -- if you need to do this in the future.

I think it will be a transition, and transitions are tough for everyone, but if you are genuinely excited about the job, you will push through and be happy about the change.  Make sure your DH is on board and will be extra helpful if possible during the transition -- that will also help.

If you get a very cold response to questions about work/family balance, maybe you don't want to take the job.  Seriously -- it might be an awesome job, but if people really aren't accepting of family life, then it's going to be frustrating if you really value this.

Perhaps you could gauge the situation by finding out if a few others you'd be working with have kids.  I was the only one in my former position who had kids (or was even married), and my coworkers were all married to the job.  It was really tough balancing our different focuses.  They would unexpectedly stay late at the office and then go out for beers together.  I had to pick up my kid at a specific time and make dinner.  Everyone was nice, and the job was great, but I felt pressure to be more involved than I was, even though people understood that I wasn't as flexible.  It probably didn't help that my boss was unmarried and without kids, too.[/quote]

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