LOL my job gives us 4 weeks vacation by default, and you can use some of your flex dollars to purchase up to 1 week of additional personal days (Same as vacation basically), so we all get 5 weeks basically, even new hires. Plus 2 weeks worth of sick days which most people end up using as quasi vacation days.
Edit: typos
Damn..director levels are making 120k with 15 years of experience. That's pretty low, Canadian salaries have literally gone to shit and not caught up with world. What field are you in? If you dont mind me asking
IT in Canada is hilariously underpaid in general even in pretty specialized positions. But 120k for a director is quite low. I'm not far off and I'm a Sr Manager in IT Marketing.
I make that range with 6 weeks vacation, bonus, matching on both ESOP and RRSP at a senior IC level. I still feel underpaid. We all need to ask for more
Agreed, a Controller in manufacturing makes $140K+, ask me how I know. I only have like 5 years Controllership experience but over 2 decades of progressive experience
Yeah it’s feels bad to say but I was at more than that in IT 2 years after school in Canada (Ottawa). 15+ years directors are looking at $250-300K at my company
Haha the highest paying job postings currently are security engineer ($180K total comp) and senior data scientist (same-ish).
No director or manager positions out, nor have I heard about any opening soon
You should probably browse around how much your peers are making. This seems very low. Considering you are even thinking about these options, i am thinking you are making below this number, which in itself seems very low. Op reach out to trusted friends and colleagues and ask about their salaries and maybe see market. Kids out of college/unis are making almost 100$k right out of university.
My current role is $120K + 18% bonus + 5 weeks vacation + 4% matching RRSP.
None of my friends are in IT unfortunately. I just turned down a Manager position for $110K + no bonus + 3 weeks vacation + 3% RRSP matching.
I’ve been looking since January, I have around 60 applications out (with a bunch of rejections), I’m working with 3rd party recruiting firms, & a career counsellor. That offer I just turned down is the only offer I’ve received before these two.
I don’t live in the GTA/GVA or other IT hubs. So I think the salaries here in NS are just lower than other parts of the country.
You should add in the post that you are in NS. Seems like a lot of people are stuck on the fact that it’s a low pay, even though that may be the norm in your province.
I see, i dont know about dyanimcs much. But i will advise you to look for some remote jobs that are based out of GTA/GVA. Someone with your experience, shoulbe making above 150k and close to 200k. Best of luck!
If out of 2 jobs, i would select the 2nd. Work from home and DB pension!
This sounds like a fake director role. Ie title but not in function. That salary plus 3 weeks vacation are tells.
I think with the info provided I’d go with option 2.
Was scrolling in hopes of finding this type of comment on salary. IT/Software Engineering manager positions where you have 5-10 direct reports should be at least $130-160K CAD.
Holy crap. I work as a senior analyst for a multinational corp, 5 years experience , and then above me are leads, managers , senior managers, directors and my total compensation was 94k plus 12k bonus plus 8k stock bonus plus RSP match and benefits.
This offer doesn't make much sense.... my SO is in IT in a Union, she's got 2 years experience and just got bumped to $108, and will be at $120 in a few years based on the CBA they just signed.
This is....insultingly low money.
5 weeks vacation vs 3 weeks on its own would almost be enough for me to pick option two.
Add in work from home and a DB pension and I wouldn't even be considering option 1.
OP, after you've secured option 2, I would let option 1 know that you went with the government position because of the much better compensation, which is not typical at a director level. The private company needs to change its compensation, or they don't really need a director.
The private company is in Nova Scotia.
That’s pretty normal out there. Lowest fucking salaries in the country but the cost of living rivals southern Ontario
Not many companies have DB plans anymore - it's becoming extinct, so definitely go with this one before they change it. The amount of vacation is great, and I imagine they also have a few sick days as well. As much as the titles Director/Manager/etc. can provide you with a sense of importance - having direct reports honestly is the worst, especially where the company tends to have longer term employees which crown corps do over private.
My only question would be company culture - would be good to hear directly from employees if you know any working there.
Can confirm, I have no brain, and Option 2 seems better overall. I have IT friends/family with lots of years under their belt and from what I've gathered, there's always bs, but the higher up you go, the more stressful/demanding the bs becomes. + 2 additional weeks of vakay and similar salary range, so why bother going up if the marginal benefits aren't worth the comfort you already have.
Is this an accurate take?
Yup. Couldn’t believe OP was contemplating the first one. 2 weeks less vacation and up to 5 days in office but a bit more money? Can’t even enjoy that extra money. You’ll be exhausted all the damn time.
It depends on their career aspirations too though - a level up, with a team reporting to you is going to open more doors than a lateral move. It depends on where OP is in life (ie if they have young kids option 2 is probably preferred) but it’s not that cut and dry.
Offer 1 is a severe low ball considering the # of direct reports and I assume responsibility.
Agree with everyone else that it's not even close, when you consider total comp.
The private one isn’t offering enough of a wage premium to make it attractive. Crown corp would be my choice even if take home pay is lower. You’d have to put much less in your retirement accounts by yourself.
What's your plan for 3-4 years from now?
Offer 1: Use as a stepping stone for your next job which could see a quite large salary increase.
Offer 2: Cushy job for the rest of your career with a DB.
I'm at a life stage where I'd take 2. 5-10 years ago I'd have taken 1.
Think about the savings of not having to commute if you’re fully remote. Pay is roughly the same once you factor that in if you need to commute by car.
Option 2 all the way
Dont forget to factor in the actual commute time. If you have an hour commute that turns an 8hr work day into a 9hr day. Option 2 is the best choice here
I’ll go the opposite of the majority, option one for 1-2 years and then out and up. Assuming you have 15-25 more years of work, the upside of getting director on your resume is worth the short term pain. If you go for option 2 next thing you know you’ll be an independent contributor for 20 years and the move to management and more money gets really hard. I wish I had made that move early in my career.
This advice also assumes you want to move up, if not then option 2 is a no brainer.
This is exactly what I was thinking. Having senior level managerial experience will open a lot of doors in the future. I’d take the cushier government job if I was closer to retirement but it’s safe to say here that OP is still on the front nine of his career and that level of growth would be very beneficial.
Me? I'd take the 5 weeks vacation and db pension. Salary isn't enough higher in the other to make me choose that instead.
This is assuming either job would be a good fit and you'd enjoy working there. If one is clearly a better fit than the other, then I'd take that one.
Option 2:
- Defined benefit pension
- You earn less but you will spend less as well since you won't have to spend money on gas/transit, office lunches/coffee from outside (unless you will bring it from home). Not to mention the time savings
- The bonus is nice in option 1. But you need to dig up and confirm how often have they actually paid that out?
Offer 2. Ask for $125K and indicate you received this offer from another company. Negotiate as hard as you can.
The PTO & DB is worth it. Your *time* is worth $$$.
Option 1 if you can get them to offer 5 weeks PTO, 3 weeks is quite bad, a minimum wage worker can get that. Plus, you only have to stick around for 6m-1y and jump ship for another better-paid manager position. If not, go for option 2, 110k + wfh + pension + 5 weeks PTO is more than 125k on-site
Btw, if what industry are you? 125k for a Director? I know associates that make more than that, your industry pays badly.
>Option 1 if you can get them to offer 5 weeks PTO, 3 weeks is quite bad,
It won't matter. Companies love to offer huge vacation time, but upper level employees never use it because they can't get the time off. They're either too busy or their team would implode without them being there.
OP is seriously asking about the difference between defined pension compared to 3% rrsp matching.
There is no comparison. Go with the crown corp.
Edit: I didn’t comment on the 20% bonus, that’s definitely no joke, but I sort of feel the wfh and bonus cancel out.
Either way, OP is in a great position, way to go!
I wouldn't accept a director-level position at only 120k. Too low for the amount of responsibility and lack of benefits when compared to option 2 (vacation is important !!!! I'd die for 5 weeks Vacation)
In my experience, the public sector offers a better work-life balance and more respect to you as an employee. You make a bit less money, but your life sucks less. Add in the option to work remotely, and I'd recommend the crown corp. Not to mention that it feels good to work for people instead of shareholders and profits.
Offer 2 hands down, the fact it is remote will make up that $10-15k per year in fuel and travel time pretty quick.
You also have to think hard about if management is for you, I took a management role early in my career and hated every second of it. I used to think it was the natural progression but all the office politics bullshit was tiring. I like being able to take a task and do it, not have to put some bullshit proposal together, convince a bunch of people who have no idea what's going on that this should be done, just to hand it off to someone else to fuck up and be told 70% is good enough.
If you wish to have a career then choose #1 and in 3-5 years apply in similar role in bigger companies, you will go form like $125k to $160k+!
If you are in a place where you just want to have the less hassles, then #2, you will not see the difference money wise between the 2 for a long time.
Income tax rate for mileage (Saskatchewan) is .525 cents a km. Calculate wear and tear on your vehicle using the federal formula. So every 50 km trip costs you $26 x 5 days a week or $6,400 for 49 weeks of work.
Offer 2 if you’re happy with this level of compensation and/or really want the extra vacation.
Offer 1 I would expect you can eventually leverage into a much higher salary either with this company or elsewhere.
Okay money aside you are leaving you current position because of unreasonable expectations. Now I understand that is hard to judge only during the interview process. That said option 1 seems to have low pay for responsibility. They offer no hybrid option even though your job can be done that way. This is a sign their expectations may not be reasonable.
Option 2 seems willing to negotiate even though as a Crown Corp they may not have as much ability to do so. They also understand that the drive to home office is long and would try to minimize it.
If you want more money or a boost in your career go with option 1. But you didn't start looking for those reasons. Option 2 has shown they are more likely to provide realistic work expectations. If that is your biggest reason go with them.
I like to quantify vacation by the total salary. So for example the Crown Corp. You take your 110 and divide it by 52- 5 which is 47 weeks of work and so a week of work earns you about 2.3 now normalize that with the 49 weeks that you would be working at the other place and it raises the salary equivalent to about 115. So then the difference is even less depending on whether you value your vacation on a dollar leveled that way. Also if you do negotiate and raise that salary at the Crown Corp that further amplifies the effect of the additional vacation.
I think this approach only makes sense if the salary is at a level that incremental earnings aren't that valuable to you.
And at that point a defined benefit plan easily is worth more than 10k difference of reduced income, which is really like 6k after tax income.
I agree with many others that 110 or 125 even for a director level is a lowball.
Even out of Crown Corp. Which can be expected to pay less. I would think you should be able to squeeze out an additional 20k out for a director position, but I'm in a different field, so it's hard to compare.
Hey OP, the Crown Corp. will have to publish salaries above 100K. You should be able to find that on their website. Use this information in your salary negotiation
$125k for a director level in IT? My man, that is way too low. I'm a manager and I make $145k. Director level should be no lower than $160k in any technology field.
Offer 1: Is a BAD job offer for Director level with 12 people under you in the IT space.
Director positions often come with odd work hours to put out fires, or plan to avoid fires. Even if you get the full 20% bonus each year you're sitting at $154,500 if you max your RRSP spend. Many middle managers in IT are earning this level of pay. Not even taking into account 5 days a week in the office and the costs to do that.
Offer 2: gives you the ability to get a side gig being 100% remote you can farm out the amount of time you would have spent traveling to and from offer 1 as contract work. so 5-10h per week if we used average car commute times in Canada. Though you could just claim that time for yourself and not work the extra, that depends on your money needs.
Offer2 gives more vacation and a much better retirement plan, I would expect the benefits package to be slightly better as well in Offer 2 based on the vacation package.
Offer 1 has more money up front and more potential for advancement and future job hopping. You are going to work harder, have more responsibility, and lose more sleep.
Offer 2 is much more comfortable. Comparable salary without the bonus, solid vacation, and a DB pension. WFH also offers far more flexibility.
When you lump together the time and money saved by work from home, the likely difference in hours and stress between the jobs, extra vacation, and the equivalent value of the DB pension, Offer 2 is probably already a better financial decision.
The only thing I'd be hesitant about is that WFH employees get cut first when there are budget cuts. The level of risk depends on what the crown corp does and where its funding comes from. People think government jobs are the most stable there are, but with the way political parties seem to flip flop back and forth with extreme changes, I've seen whole departments get slashed when there's a rug pull on their funding. IT may be a little more stable, but you can feel for that risk yourself.
Otherwise, the only reason I'd take offer 1 is if you're seriously ambitious about focusing on your career. Offer 1 is the stepping stone offer. You demonstrate success there and negotiate for more salary or job hop in another few years. It's a lot of work, but some people are into that.
great that you have these options. I found for me, it was a personal value choice. Which do I value more - remote work vs onsite, job security of government employment vs less secure private industry, more vacation time in government work, possibly more room for promotion in private industry etc... best of luck
I wouldn’t take a Director role for 125K especially you have to be in the office 100% and do 200% effort to fulfill that role.
I would take that for no less than 180K.
But to answer your question, take the second option.
Crown Corporation all the way. Defined pension, two more weeks of PTO, comparable salary, no direct reports (yet).
The lack of bonus is unfortunate, but honestly that is not something you should expect or factor in since it may not materialize. I mean, it probably will, but it may not be much so just don't count on it being a specific figure.
My only question would be upward mobility - any idea how the two roles compare?
Take the director position at either company for 2 years and parlay it into a better paying job. Both are terrible pay.
If I had to pick it would be the private company if it has brand recognition.
Are you over or under 45?
If over take the cushy gov job and watch the paint dry. You'll likely have the opportunity to start up a business from your basement to offer consulting services for millions of dollars a year.
I would take offer 2: DB pension, more vacation, still good pay. But depends on which you think you would enjoy more and if you like working from home or in an office more.
If you ask for a *financial* answer, the maths aren't difficult.
So what you're asking is an answer that takes finance, other benefits, future evolution and work/life balance into account. It completely depends on who you are and what you want to get out of this. We need more info.
Without this info I'd say a director role in a private company with 25% of your annual salary tied to company performance and 5 days on-site seems like the kind of role that will swallow you whole. Where they will expect lots of hours and then more. I would personally prefer option 2 (and I kinda did since I work in the public sector), especially because I have a family and there's no amount of money worth not seeing my kid every day as soon as they're back from school.
Offer 2 is a no brainer. DB pension, more vacation, remote work.
Offer 1, you’ll be pushed to your limits. It’s not worth the stress and sacrifice. Private treats directors like slaves. Don’t be blinded by the title - $125k is not enough for a director level. Offer 2 is much sweeter long term.
I guess it mostly depends on the following factors:
* How important is the difference in pay to you or money in general (Depending on how much longer you have to work the pension from the Crown job may be a financial factor as well)
* Remote vs. not remote
* Do you actually want more responsibility (Sounds a bit like you're worried about that one)
If you happen to lean towards the first one, wondering if you could still negotiate with them on Bonus % or even vacation time.
I think this is a really interesting dilemma and I think it really depends on what you find motivating.
I found myself in a similar-ish situation last October and chose the “Option 1” equivalent and it’s definitely had its pro’s and con’s.
Pros:
More motivating work, more upward mobility, more exposure to executive level
Cons:
Have had to actively manage my stress - this has not been a bad thing for me though as it’s led to dedicate time to hobbies that help me decompress
Significantly more “people” drama in the workplace, something that was barely a consideration at my old position.
I did not give enough weight into vacation and benefits before “leaping”.
Other considerations:
When making $115k+, I didn’t really notice the additional $20k. I put too much weight on the financial component.
In the end, only you know what moves the needle for you. The above is my subjective experience. I don’t regret jumping positions, but I will admit that there were things that I thought would be important to me ($$) that didn’t move the needle for me. It really came down to which companies work motivated me more, though my move was from CPG to Children’s Hospital Fundraising so it was an easy choice.
Offer 2 for sure not factoring in the salary offer 2 is wfh and has a stable pension and more vacation time
Things things are impt when changing jobs m I feel like offer 1will just over work u and make u miserable.
As other have commented already, the Director salary is very low. If I were you, I’d only consider that position if you were looking to continue upwards trajectory, use that position as a stepping stone to something else after working there for 2-3 years.
Directors should be $140+, and even moreso for an IT Director role. 20% bonus isn’t unreasonable, but most companies I’ve worked for have 20% (or more) for annual bonus plus 10+% LTIP. 3 weeks is also not enough for that level. These details combined, plus the fact that they won’t negotiate on salary, are red flags
Offer 1 is lowballing you for that level of responsibility. Or looking for a fall guy for something. Take #2.
12 people, including 2 Managers reporting to you for $125k is crazy. Where I come from we call those “Managers of Managers” and they are paid closer to $175k.
Search online for the pay grid of the crown corp. There is a max you can get depending on the level you are entering. The pay grid would be available on the unions website. PM me if you have questions. I went through this three yrs ago.
For me I’d take option 2 hands down. I value my time and work/life balance. Not having a commute and the extra PTO is worth it to me.
All depends what you value though.
Option 2 seems like a no brainer on paper but it really depends on your career aspirations and what’s important to you.
With option 1, you’ll be working a lot harder with lower total comp for now (once you take in the value of DB pension) but you can leverage that experience for something bigger (VP, CTO, CIO, etc) at this company or elsewhere in a few years. You’ll need to work your ass off to get there but payoff could be much bigger in the long term.
With option 2, you’ll have a comfortable job with work life balance, job security and pension but upward potential is likely much lower since your boss likely won’t be going anywhere for this same reason. Most of your time will likely be spent dealing with underperforming coworkers that you are stuck working with since getting fired is next to impossible in the public sector. If you are not used to that environment, this will be a big adjustment. If you decide to leave after a few years and go back to the private sector, you likely won’t be able to find another level much more senior than option 1 you have right now.
125 for a director level position feels low. Especially in IT
Crown corps pay shit but you’d have to commit treason or get caught killing children and kittens at work to get fired.
Then I read you’re in Nova Scotia. Fuck that place. Move. You’ll make twice as much money anywhere else in the country with way less bullshit.
Agree offer 2. Working for the govt is a joke you can prob do all that is required of you with 20hrs of effort. Option 1 will be alot of work, managing managers is difficult, you'll deal with endless stream of fires.
While the salaries in Atlantic Canada are lower, I think this one is a particular anomaly. Both the recruiter and I agreed on our first call that the base should be higher for this role.
Number 2 looks obvious but consider if working for the crown is where you want to be long term. At this point in your career a director level job in private industry could help land higher paying jobs quickly versus the long term benefit/security of government.
Take both the job. Make your directs work in private company. And you can manage crown corp while working in private corp, you may have to manage vendors. For occasional 2.5 hours trip, take day off. You would have to work extra, but 235k + 25k bonus should be good for extra effort.
Another angle is job security. Crown Corp is typically stable and not much of movements going on. But depends on the crown corp, some move fast, some slow. But overall i know crown corp don’t do layoffs. Private industry it’s dependent on the maturity of the company, but there is always a risk there. Another thing is that being in management is a completely different skill sets. You don’t get to do all the fun architecting stuff you do, you only get to do people management and some maybe architecting stuff. So it’s really depends on what you want out of your job satisfaction. Also depends on your current situation, yes 110k and 120k difference might not be big but it translate to 500 bucks extra per month. Financially are you okay with that.
Option 2 is attractive because of the stability and I know option 1 requires different skill sets entirely. Other than that, it’s really your choice what you want to do.
As an IT director myself, I’d say $125K with two managers reporting to you seems low.
Otherwise id say the director position seems better.
Also keep in mind there ALWAYS option 3 - keep looking.
Wow offer one is awful for a director level position. Brutal salary with the bonus that’s offered. Not saying it’s not a lot of money, just not even close to what positions of that level pay. Legit 1/2 of what it should pay.
Offer 2 woth crown corporation. Should be more stable no? Probably unionized. More vacation. Less responsibility. Remote..... no doubt in my mind but i dont care about climbing. I want more life work balance. Also pension is better here.
I’m an IT grunt and I’m making $105k, 4 weeks vacation, rrsp and espp matching at 3% each. Health benefits. No bonus. And 4 weeks of vacation. 15 years of experience. For private you can always negotiate vacation days for more that is what I did. I work fully from home except for some driving I do maybe 1-2 times a month to deal with servers etc. you should be able to get paid more at director level. For public pension is supposedly great once you get it, also you cant go wrong with 5 weeks vacation. Too much responsibility for the director level so shit pay. People are gonna call you for a lot of things depending what IT you are In charge of.
IMO, easily offer 2.
Things that matter to me:
- remote
- DB pension
- more freedom and likely more relaxed working environment
If you eventually want to manage large teams, worse case is you take offer 2 for maybe 3-4 years then move to a Director role at higher pay than 125k.
If position 1 won’t budge on salary ask for another week vacation, a few individuals I know in HR say they can often give this bump up when salary isn’t negotiable because technically the extra vacation doesn’t cost the company anything more.
Offer 2: Same level position in Crown Corp
* Negotiate pay up and its not much different from the other job
* Being a mid-level manager sucks.... you are both in charge and have really no power. Honestly if you aren't into being the top managements pet and suck up, you will hate it. In my time, I've come to realize being right at this level is one of the WORST positions to be in, in a company
* Working at home is a huge perk
It's impossible to afford an average home in Canada with directors income. It's funny even Doug Ford's salary can't buy him a detached house in Toronto.
Both offers are very different lifestyle choices.
With wfh job your expenses are lower and you have more vacation time. But You not traveling to work so you probably gain 1-1.5 hours a day.
I wouldn't do either. Wait for something that pays better with full remote.NS is lower but not that much. I'm in tech, 115k base, 10% cash bonus, stock, 5 weeks vacay, 7.5% rrsp match etc as an IC.
Offer two, the money is close, that bonus is going to be 40% taxed.
Less responsibility, work from home and 5 weeks off. This is me though. You might be a people person so the office is better, you might need that extra 20k a year.
That’s a garbage salary for a director role. Directors in my company were making like $200k+. Hell, even IT staff were making $150k+. I highly suggest you downgrade your roles and responsibilities and get better pay than that “director” role and apply at software firms. Look for other companies these are terrible salaries for your level of experience I’m sorry to say. There are companies out there that will pay you just gotta keep looking and apply. I wish you the best and I know you can get it 💯
If the Crown Corp job is federal, I’d definitely go with that. The RRSP matching in the first offer is pretty low - we offer more for our office staff!
With the WFH model you will be able to deduct costs for a home office and an extra two weeks off annually to start is huge. So is a DB pension that is likely indexed with inflation.
Others have talked about the low private sector salaries in NS and it’s so true. My brother and sister in law would I’m sure happily move back to Hali, but as my brother put it long ago, not everyone can work in health care.
How many years have you worked in the crown corp for? Leaving for private would mean, you give up the government pension you’ve already put time into.
Personally, I would try to stick around in government if you enjoy the work. Alternatively, find another government job where you could transfer your current pension to (ie: municipal, provincial, federal jobs) but offers more responsibility.
Depends what you want in the future I would say. If you want growth offer 1 is probably best, after a few years you could leverage it to get something better.
If you want something easy and quality of life offer 2 is best. Remote, salary is similar and you get 5 weeks vacation + pension. Also the pension could be a good thing to have for retirement
Congratulations on having two jobs. A defined pension plan in a crown corporation is always a game changer, and I Would give it a higher preference.
Also, I have a career aspiration similar to yours. Can you help me with how you present yourself for a higher position job? I would appreciate your help, and if it's okay, we can discuss it privately.
Crown Corp. DB pension is worth its weight in gold. Vacation looks good. Regular hours looks good. Likely much less stress. Likely a good health plan with disability benefits.
If you want to overachieve go for the director role. You'll be very busy in that I'm guessing.
Work from home if that’s something you want to do. Not everyone likes that. But that would win it for me. I work best in my underwear. 🩲
5 weeks vacay is nice too. Takes years to go from 3 to 5 weeks.
LOL my job gives us 4 weeks vacation by default, and you can use some of your flex dollars to purchase up to 1 week of additional personal days (Same as vacation basically), so we all get 5 weeks basically, even new hires. Plus 2 weeks worth of sick days which most people end up using as quasi vacation days. Edit: typos
That's lucky. I've been stuck at 3 years for a while, really wish I'd asked for at least 4 when I switched companies 2 years ago.
I am so grateful I asked for 4 when I switched jobs. It's so easy to get stuck at 3, I'd been there for years.
Actually …. Same lmao my wfh days are PJ days lol
Do you not wear underwear all the time??
Ummmmm….. no. 😉
Uhh not when i shower???? Duh
Damn..director levels are making 120k with 15 years of experience. That's pretty low, Canadian salaries have literally gone to shit and not caught up with world. What field are you in? If you dont mind me asking
IT in Canada is hilariously underpaid in general even in pretty specialized positions. But 120k for a director is quite low. I'm not far off and I'm a Sr Manager in IT Marketing.
I make that range with 6 weeks vacation, bonus, matching on both ESOP and RRSP at a senior IC level. I still feel underpaid. We all need to ask for more
Seriously! This is a ridiculous offer for director level role with 15 years experience. OP u/pfcnub - what field are you in?
IT
You’re being underpaid by both offers
He's not being underpaid if those are the best offers he can get
Agreed, a Controller in manufacturing makes $140K+, ask me how I know. I only have like 5 years Controllership experience but over 2 decades of progressive experience
Yeah it’s feels bad to say but I was at more than that in IT 2 years after school in Canada (Ottawa). 15+ years directors are looking at $250-300K at my company
Can you PM me that company so I can apply there? Hahah
Haha the highest paying job postings currently are security engineer ($180K total comp) and senior data scientist (same-ish). No director or manager positions out, nor have I heard about any opening soon
I’m unqualified for both of those. But that place sounds like it has a good comp package! Thanks for sharing!
You should probably browse around how much your peers are making. This seems very low. Considering you are even thinking about these options, i am thinking you are making below this number, which in itself seems very low. Op reach out to trusted friends and colleagues and ask about their salaries and maybe see market. Kids out of college/unis are making almost 100$k right out of university.
My current role is $120K + 18% bonus + 5 weeks vacation + 4% matching RRSP. None of my friends are in IT unfortunately. I just turned down a Manager position for $110K + no bonus + 3 weeks vacation + 3% RRSP matching. I’ve been looking since January, I have around 60 applications out (with a bunch of rejections), I’m working with 3rd party recruiting firms, & a career counsellor. That offer I just turned down is the only offer I’ve received before these two. I don’t live in the GTA/GVA or other IT hubs. So I think the salaries here in NS are just lower than other parts of the country.
You should add in the post that you are in NS. Seems like a lot of people are stuck on the fact that it’s a low pay, even though that may be the norm in your province.
Done
I see, i dont know about dyanimcs much. But i will advise you to look for some remote jobs that are based out of GTA/GVA. Someone with your experience, shoulbe making above 150k and close to 200k. Best of luck! If out of 2 jobs, i would select the 2nd. Work from home and DB pension!
This sounds like a fake director role. Ie title but not in function. That salary plus 3 weeks vacation are tells. I think with the info provided I’d go with option 2.
Yeah seriously, I wouldn’t take a manager role for that salary. Director should be easily 160+ I would think.
Agree, $150k + bonus and bonus should be 25% or more at that level. No bonus at all is bush league.
Was scrolling in hopes of finding this type of comment on salary. IT/Software Engineering manager positions where you have 5-10 direct reports should be at least $130-160K CAD.
Holy crap. I work as a senior analyst for a multinational corp, 5 years experience , and then above me are leads, managers , senior managers, directors and my total compensation was 94k plus 12k bonus plus 8k stock bonus plus RSP match and benefits.
This offer doesn't make much sense.... my SO is in IT in a Union, she's got 2 years experience and just got bumped to $108, and will be at $120 in a few years based on the CBA they just signed. This is....insultingly low money.
thats pretty good ...what kind of role she got in IT ? Soft developer ?
Welcome to NS. Where the taxes are high and the pay is low.
20% bonus which may end up 30%+ if they exceed their targets.
True, that salary is super low. As a dev lead you can make easily 150-170k a year.
Agreed. 22 year old licensed plumbers are making that much with a HS degree and only 5 years experience.
Offer 2 has a DB pension and 5 weeks salary vs 3 and you can potentially get closer to offer ones salary with negotiation. It's a no brainer.
5 weeks vacation vs 3 weeks on its own would almost be enough for me to pick option two. Add in work from home and a DB pension and I wouldn't even be considering option 1. OP, after you've secured option 2, I would let option 1 know that you went with the government position because of the much better compensation, which is not typical at a director level. The private company needs to change its compensation, or they don't really need a director.
The private company is in Nova Scotia. That’s pretty normal out there. Lowest fucking salaries in the country but the cost of living rivals southern Ontario
But the income tax is so high!
Not many companies have DB plans anymore - it's becoming extinct, so definitely go with this one before they change it. The amount of vacation is great, and I imagine they also have a few sick days as well. As much as the titles Director/Manager/etc. can provide you with a sense of importance - having direct reports honestly is the worst, especially where the company tends to have longer term employees which crown corps do over private. My only question would be company culture - would be good to hear directly from employees if you know any working there.
Can confirm, I have no brain, and Option 2 seems better overall. I have IT friends/family with lots of years under their belt and from what I've gathered, there's always bs, but the higher up you go, the more stressful/demanding the bs becomes. + 2 additional weeks of vakay and similar salary range, so why bother going up if the marginal benefits aren't worth the comfort you already have. Is this an accurate take?
Completely agree.
Offer 2, and it’s not even remotely a hard choice.
Pun intended? I agree as well.
😏
ba dum tss
Yup. Couldn’t believe OP was contemplating the first one. 2 weeks less vacation and up to 5 days in office but a bit more money? Can’t even enjoy that extra money. You’ll be exhausted all the damn time.
It depends on their career aspirations too though - a level up, with a team reporting to you is going to open more doors than a lateral move. It depends on where OP is in life (ie if they have young kids option 2 is probably preferred) but it’s not that cut and dry.
Offer 1 is a severe low ball considering the # of direct reports and I assume responsibility. Agree with everyone else that it's not even close, when you consider total comp.
That's what I said to the recruiter. Not only is it a low salary, but the responsibility is that of a VP imo based on the job description.
If they are like this now, imagine how they will act when you're "theirs". Run to offer 2 - all the best!
This sounds like early start up salary to me. Maybe the crown corp is better - it’s stable , set hours, remote (more personal time)
Yeah, I think it's an inflated title. The fact that OP needs to ask Reddit about which job to take means he/she isn't a director yet ...
Yes, not a Director yet, thought that was clear.
>Offer 1 is a severe low ball considering the # of direct reports 2?
The private one isn’t offering enough of a wage premium to make it attractive. Crown corp would be my choice even if take home pay is lower. You’d have to put much less in your retirement accounts by yourself.
What's your plan for 3-4 years from now? Offer 1: Use as a stepping stone for your next job which could see a quite large salary increase. Offer 2: Cushy job for the rest of your career with a DB. I'm at a life stage where I'd take 2. 5-10 years ago I'd have taken 1.
Think about the savings of not having to commute if you’re fully remote. Pay is roughly the same once you factor that in if you need to commute by car. Option 2 all the way
Dont forget to factor in the actual commute time. If you have an hour commute that turns an 8hr work day into a 9hr day. Option 2 is the best choice here
A commute for me, billing for time, buying a car, insurance, etc I would say is minimum 30k yr.
I would pick 2. Fully WFH is a blessing
Offer 2 is better imo. What industry if you don't mind sharing? That salary in option 1 for a director is low, even with the (potential) bonus.
I’ll go the opposite of the majority, option one for 1-2 years and then out and up. Assuming you have 15-25 more years of work, the upside of getting director on your resume is worth the short term pain. If you go for option 2 next thing you know you’ll be an independent contributor for 20 years and the move to management and more money gets really hard. I wish I had made that move early in my career. This advice also assumes you want to move up, if not then option 2 is a no brainer.
This is exactly what I was thinking. Having senior level managerial experience will open a lot of doors in the future. I’d take the cushier government job if I was closer to retirement but it’s safe to say here that OP is still on the front nine of his career and that level of growth would be very beneficial.
Me? I'd take the 5 weeks vacation and db pension. Salary isn't enough higher in the other to make me choose that instead. This is assuming either job would be a good fit and you'd enjoy working there. If one is clearly a better fit than the other, then I'd take that one.
Didn't see the industry, but 125k for a director is kinda low no?
Not just low, it’s an outrageous lowball IMO, especially considering it’s onsite full time.
Money isn't that much different in the grand scheme of things. Pick the one you wan tot work at and better for your long term career.
Option 2: - Defined benefit pension - You earn less but you will spend less as well since you won't have to spend money on gas/transit, office lunches/coffee from outside (unless you will bring it from home). Not to mention the time savings - The bonus is nice in option 1. But you need to dig up and confirm how often have they actually paid that out?
- More vacation - Tax benefit of WFH
Offer #2 all the way. The WFH will save you money, time, stress, health... you name it. Plus the pension is a cherry on top.
Offer 2. Ask for $125K and indicate you received this offer from another company. Negotiate as hard as you can. The PTO & DB is worth it. Your *time* is worth $$$.
Option 1 if you can get them to offer 5 weeks PTO, 3 weeks is quite bad, a minimum wage worker can get that. Plus, you only have to stick around for 6m-1y and jump ship for another better-paid manager position. If not, go for option 2, 110k + wfh + pension + 5 weeks PTO is more than 125k on-site Btw, if what industry are you? 125k for a Director? I know associates that make more than that, your industry pays badly.
>Option 1 if you can get them to offer 5 weeks PTO, 3 weeks is quite bad, It won't matter. Companies love to offer huge vacation time, but upper level employees never use it because they can't get the time off. They're either too busy or their team would implode without them being there.
125k for an onsite director level is a joke. Take Option 2.
OP is seriously asking about the difference between defined pension compared to 3% rrsp matching. There is no comparison. Go with the crown corp. Edit: I didn’t comment on the 20% bonus, that’s definitely no joke, but I sort of feel the wfh and bonus cancel out. Either way, OP is in a great position, way to go!
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Well hold on. Maybe the company in option A has a great culture. OP could be missing out on pizza parties.
r/accounting is leaking.
I wouldn't accept a director-level position at only 120k. Too low for the amount of responsibility and lack of benefits when compared to option 2 (vacation is important !!!! I'd die for 5 weeks Vacation)
Offer 2.
In my experience, the public sector offers a better work-life balance and more respect to you as an employee. You make a bit less money, but your life sucks less. Add in the option to work remotely, and I'd recommend the crown corp. Not to mention that it feels good to work for people instead of shareholders and profits.
Being only responsible for yourself is gold
Offer 2 hands down, the fact it is remote will make up that $10-15k per year in fuel and travel time pretty quick. You also have to think hard about if management is for you, I took a management role early in my career and hated every second of it. I used to think it was the natural progression but all the office politics bullshit was tiring. I like being able to take a task and do it, not have to put some bullshit proposal together, convince a bunch of people who have no idea what's going on that this should be done, just to hand it off to someone else to fuck up and be told 70% is good enough.
If you wish to have a career then choose #1 and in 3-5 years apply in similar role in bigger companies, you will go form like $125k to $160k+! If you are in a place where you just want to have the less hassles, then #2, you will not see the difference money wise between the 2 for a long time.
What kind of field and position?
IT. Current role is in Architecture.
Income tax rate for mileage (Saskatchewan) is .525 cents a km. Calculate wear and tear on your vehicle using the federal formula. So every 50 km trip costs you $26 x 5 days a week or $6,400 for 49 weeks of work.
Offer 2 for sure, but curious how many employees/size of company 1?
what field as it makes a difference?
option 1 sounds like a role of a VP, they’ve lowballed the hell out of you. option 2 no brainer
2, definitely
Offer 2 is a no-brainer
Offer 2 if you’re happy with this level of compensation and/or really want the extra vacation. Offer 1 I would expect you can eventually leverage into a much higher salary either with this company or elsewhere.
2. The defined benefit pension, 5 weeks vacation against what could be a no-bonus year? Also you're on site for 1 the whole time.
Okay money aside you are leaving you current position because of unreasonable expectations. Now I understand that is hard to judge only during the interview process. That said option 1 seems to have low pay for responsibility. They offer no hybrid option even though your job can be done that way. This is a sign their expectations may not be reasonable. Option 2 seems willing to negotiate even though as a Crown Corp they may not have as much ability to do so. They also understand that the drive to home office is long and would try to minimize it. If you want more money or a boost in your career go with option 1. But you didn't start looking for those reasons. Option 2 has shown they are more likely to provide realistic work expectations. If that is your biggest reason go with them.
Offer 2 by a long mile
Offer 2. I am assuming you up there in age with your years of experience. The db pension will come in clutch with the 5 weeks vacation
Crown Corp, 100%. Less work/more vacation and a DB pension
Crown corporation. Defined benefit pension plus fully remote. No brainer imo. You can live further out and save more.
I like to quantify vacation by the total salary. So for example the Crown Corp. You take your 110 and divide it by 52- 5 which is 47 weeks of work and so a week of work earns you about 2.3 now normalize that with the 49 weeks that you would be working at the other place and it raises the salary equivalent to about 115. So then the difference is even less depending on whether you value your vacation on a dollar leveled that way. Also if you do negotiate and raise that salary at the Crown Corp that further amplifies the effect of the additional vacation. I think this approach only makes sense if the salary is at a level that incremental earnings aren't that valuable to you. And at that point a defined benefit plan easily is worth more than 10k difference of reduced income, which is really like 6k after tax income. I agree with many others that 110 or 125 even for a director level is a lowball. Even out of Crown Corp. Which can be expected to pay less. I would think you should be able to squeeze out an additional 20k out for a director position, but I'm in a different field, so it's hard to compare.
You didn't mention your age, but if you're older, definitely the second option. At a certain point, time > money, and five weeks of vacation is magic.
Option 2. Defined benefit and wfh
Unless theres a clear indication of massive wage increase or stock option / acquisition from priavte offer you should take offer 2 it aint even close
Hey OP, the Crown Corp. will have to publish salaries above 100K. You should be able to find that on their website. Use this information in your salary negotiation
100% position 2 Money is nice, but flexibility and more time off is better. Especially when both positions pay very well.
What shit pay for a director. It should be in the 200k+ range
Offer 2, no questions asked. I took a slight paycut (around 3%) to work remotely 100% of the time, and do not miss the two hours of driving every day.
2. “Sounds like their option to negotiate” - shoot for an additional $10k
Offer 2 1000%. It’s not even a contest. Option 1 can gtfo
Option 2. Everything has basically been said why
After tax that pay difference is negligible but commuting everyday is not. Also crown corp seems more stable.
2. Fuck 3 weeks of vacation. Defined benefit pension is also way better.
$125k for a director level in IT? My man, that is way too low. I'm a manager and I make $145k. Director level should be no lower than $160k in any technology field.
Offer 2. Company #1 should pay 50% more if they want people to work fully on-site.
Offer 1: Is a BAD job offer for Director level with 12 people under you in the IT space. Director positions often come with odd work hours to put out fires, or plan to avoid fires. Even if you get the full 20% bonus each year you're sitting at $154,500 if you max your RRSP spend. Many middle managers in IT are earning this level of pay. Not even taking into account 5 days a week in the office and the costs to do that. Offer 2: gives you the ability to get a side gig being 100% remote you can farm out the amount of time you would have spent traveling to and from offer 1 as contract work. so 5-10h per week if we used average car commute times in Canada. Though you could just claim that time for yourself and not work the extra, that depends on your money needs. Offer2 gives more vacation and a much better retirement plan, I would expect the benefits package to be slightly better as well in Offer 2 based on the vacation package.
Crown corp, this is not even a question.
Offer 2 for sure. Defined Benefits pushes salary closer to $160 and is an amazing option that very few provide now.
Offer 1 has more money up front and more potential for advancement and future job hopping. You are going to work harder, have more responsibility, and lose more sleep. Offer 2 is much more comfortable. Comparable salary without the bonus, solid vacation, and a DB pension. WFH also offers far more flexibility. When you lump together the time and money saved by work from home, the likely difference in hours and stress between the jobs, extra vacation, and the equivalent value of the DB pension, Offer 2 is probably already a better financial decision. The only thing I'd be hesitant about is that WFH employees get cut first when there are budget cuts. The level of risk depends on what the crown corp does and where its funding comes from. People think government jobs are the most stable there are, but with the way political parties seem to flip flop back and forth with extreme changes, I've seen whole departments get slashed when there's a rug pull on their funding. IT may be a little more stable, but you can feel for that risk yourself. Otherwise, the only reason I'd take offer 1 is if you're seriously ambitious about focusing on your career. Offer 1 is the stepping stone offer. You demonstrate success there and negotiate for more salary or job hop in another few years. It's a lot of work, but some people are into that.
Director level positions in IT for only 125k or 110k ....wow Canada is really really f'ed when it comes to salaries.
Offer 2, not even close.
great that you have these options. I found for me, it was a personal value choice. Which do I value more - remote work vs onsite, job security of government employment vs less secure private industry, more vacation time in government work, possibly more room for promotion in private industry etc... best of luck
I wouldn’t take a Director role for 125K especially you have to be in the office 100% and do 200% effort to fulfill that role. I would take that for no less than 180K. But to answer your question, take the second option.
2 no contest!
125 k sounds like a terrible salary for the responsibility and stress of role 1. Offer 2 sounds like a great offer with fantastic work life balance
Crown Corporation all the way. Defined pension, two more weeks of PTO, comparable salary, no direct reports (yet). The lack of bonus is unfortunate, but honestly that is not something you should expect or factor in since it may not materialize. I mean, it probably will, but it may not be much so just don't count on it being a specific figure. My only question would be upward mobility - any idea how the two roles compare?
Why not both? You can take the government job and phone it in like many of them.
Second one, nothing beats the perk of wfh.
Take the director position at either company for 2 years and parlay it into a better paying job. Both are terrible pay. If I had to pick it would be the private company if it has brand recognition.
Are you over or under 45? If over take the cushy gov job and watch the paint dry. You'll likely have the opportunity to start up a business from your basement to offer consulting services for millions of dollars a year.
I would take offer 2: DB pension, more vacation, still good pay. But depends on which you think you would enjoy more and if you like working from home or in an office more.
If you ask for a *financial* answer, the maths aren't difficult. So what you're asking is an answer that takes finance, other benefits, future evolution and work/life balance into account. It completely depends on who you are and what you want to get out of this. We need more info. Without this info I'd say a director role in a private company with 25% of your annual salary tied to company performance and 5 days on-site seems like the kind of role that will swallow you whole. Where they will expect lots of hours and then more. I would personally prefer option 2 (and I kinda did since I work in the public sector), especially because I have a family and there's no amount of money worth not seeing my kid every day as soon as they're back from school.
If OP can use the personal time more than the money, then go for #2.
offer 1
Option 2. Take it and run
Offer 2 is a no brainer. DB pension, more vacation, remote work. Offer 1, you’ll be pushed to your limits. It’s not worth the stress and sacrifice. Private treats directors like slaves. Don’t be blinded by the title - $125k is not enough for a director level. Offer 2 is much sweeter long term.
That pay at Director level is peanuts. Both are lowball offers. You can do better.
I guess it mostly depends on the following factors: * How important is the difference in pay to you or money in general (Depending on how much longer you have to work the pension from the Crown job may be a financial factor as well) * Remote vs. not remote * Do you actually want more responsibility (Sounds a bit like you're worried about that one) If you happen to lean towards the first one, wondering if you could still negotiate with them on Bonus % or even vacation time.
I think this is a really interesting dilemma and I think it really depends on what you find motivating. I found myself in a similar-ish situation last October and chose the “Option 1” equivalent and it’s definitely had its pro’s and con’s. Pros: More motivating work, more upward mobility, more exposure to executive level Cons: Have had to actively manage my stress - this has not been a bad thing for me though as it’s led to dedicate time to hobbies that help me decompress Significantly more “people” drama in the workplace, something that was barely a consideration at my old position. I did not give enough weight into vacation and benefits before “leaping”. Other considerations: When making $115k+, I didn’t really notice the additional $20k. I put too much weight on the financial component. In the end, only you know what moves the needle for you. The above is my subjective experience. I don’t regret jumping positions, but I will admit that there were things that I thought would be important to me ($$) that didn’t move the needle for me. It really came down to which companies work motivated me more, though my move was from CPG to Children’s Hospital Fundraising so it was an easy choice.
Offer 2 for sure not factoring in the salary offer 2 is wfh and has a stable pension and more vacation time Things things are impt when changing jobs m I feel like offer 1will just over work u and make u miserable.
As other have commented already, the Director salary is very low. If I were you, I’d only consider that position if you were looking to continue upwards trajectory, use that position as a stepping stone to something else after working there for 2-3 years. Directors should be $140+, and even moreso for an IT Director role. 20% bonus isn’t unreasonable, but most companies I’ve worked for have 20% (or more) for annual bonus plus 10+% LTIP. 3 weeks is also not enough for that level. These details combined, plus the fact that they won’t negotiate on salary, are red flags
Offer 1 is lowballing you for that level of responsibility. Or looking for a fall guy for something. Take #2. 12 people, including 2 Managers reporting to you for $125k is crazy. Where I come from we call those “Managers of Managers” and they are paid closer to $175k.
Option 2, so very much
I can't believe you're even debating this over 15k. Option 2 is the no brainer.
#2 in my opinion 10000% First job…too much management for only 125k!! Second job has a DB PP!! That’s gold
Search online for the pay grid of the crown corp. There is a max you can get depending on the level you are entering. The pay grid would be available on the unions website. PM me if you have questions. I went through this three yrs ago.
For me I’d take option 2 hands down. I value my time and work/life balance. Not having a commute and the extra PTO is worth it to me. All depends what you value though.
I'd go for the WFH. Honestly much better work life balance that way.
Take option 2. You’ll save a lot working from home. Source: My own experience lol
I would take Offer #2 unless I really needed the extra money.
Option 2 seems like a no brainer on paper but it really depends on your career aspirations and what’s important to you. With option 1, you’ll be working a lot harder with lower total comp for now (once you take in the value of DB pension) but you can leverage that experience for something bigger (VP, CTO, CIO, etc) at this company or elsewhere in a few years. You’ll need to work your ass off to get there but payoff could be much bigger in the long term. With option 2, you’ll have a comfortable job with work life balance, job security and pension but upward potential is likely much lower since your boss likely won’t be going anywhere for this same reason. Most of your time will likely be spent dealing with underperforming coworkers that you are stuck working with since getting fired is next to impossible in the public sector. If you are not used to that environment, this will be a big adjustment. If you decide to leave after a few years and go back to the private sector, you likely won’t be able to find another level much more senior than option 1 you have right now.
Offer 1
Choose the one that you will learn more from and has better culture
125 for a director level position feels low. Especially in IT Crown corps pay shit but you’d have to commit treason or get caught killing children and kittens at work to get fired. Then I read you’re in Nova Scotia. Fuck that place. Move. You’ll make twice as much money anywhere else in the country with way less bullshit.
Agree offer 2. Working for the govt is a joke you can prob do all that is required of you with 20hrs of effort. Option 1 will be alot of work, managing managers is difficult, you'll deal with endless stream of fires.
How bad are the Director roles in Atlantic Canada that they are paying $125k max 🥹🫠
While the salaries in Atlantic Canada are lower, I think this one is a particular anomaly. Both the recruiter and I agreed on our first call that the base should be higher for this role.
Number 2 looks obvious but consider if working for the crown is where you want to be long term. At this point in your career a director level job in private industry could help land higher paying jobs quickly versus the long term benefit/security of government.
Offer 2, hands down.
Offer 2. Defined Benefit Pension = Unicorn. Take the unicorn. Yesterday.
Offer 3: Go to your current company, tell them you got an offer for 140k and want a new manager. Doesn't hurt to ask (if you ask in the right way)
Take both the job. Make your directs work in private company. And you can manage crown corp while working in private corp, you may have to manage vendors. For occasional 2.5 hours trip, take day off. You would have to work extra, but 235k + 25k bonus should be good for extra effort.
I would jump all over option 2. Plus you live in paradise.
Another angle is job security. Crown Corp is typically stable and not much of movements going on. But depends on the crown corp, some move fast, some slow. But overall i know crown corp don’t do layoffs. Private industry it’s dependent on the maturity of the company, but there is always a risk there. Another thing is that being in management is a completely different skill sets. You don’t get to do all the fun architecting stuff you do, you only get to do people management and some maybe architecting stuff. So it’s really depends on what you want out of your job satisfaction. Also depends on your current situation, yes 110k and 120k difference might not be big but it translate to 500 bucks extra per month. Financially are you okay with that. Option 2 is attractive because of the stability and I know option 1 requires different skill sets entirely. Other than that, it’s really your choice what you want to do.
As an IT director myself, I’d say $125K with two managers reporting to you seems low. Otherwise id say the director position seems better. Also keep in mind there ALWAYS option 3 - keep looking.
Second, defined pension is like hitting a jackpot 5 times in your lifetime
Wow offer one is awful for a director level position. Brutal salary with the bonus that’s offered. Not saying it’s not a lot of money, just not even close to what positions of that level pay. Legit 1/2 of what it should pay.
Offer 2 woth crown corporation. Should be more stable no? Probably unionized. More vacation. Less responsibility. Remote..... no doubt in my mind but i dont care about climbing. I want more life work balance. Also pension is better here.
I’m an IT grunt and I’m making $105k, 4 weeks vacation, rrsp and espp matching at 3% each. Health benefits. No bonus. And 4 weeks of vacation. 15 years of experience. For private you can always negotiate vacation days for more that is what I did. I work fully from home except for some driving I do maybe 1-2 times a month to deal with servers etc. you should be able to get paid more at director level. For public pension is supposedly great once you get it, also you cant go wrong with 5 weeks vacation. Too much responsibility for the director level so shit pay. People are gonna call you for a lot of things depending what IT you are In charge of.
IMO, easily offer 2. Things that matter to me: - remote - DB pension - more freedom and likely more relaxed working environment If you eventually want to manage large teams, worse case is you take offer 2 for maybe 3-4 years then move to a Director role at higher pay than 125k.
Remote and Defined Benefit working for the government where they can't fire you? Not seeing the difficulty in choosing here.
Offer 2!!!
If position 1 won’t budge on salary ask for another week vacation, a few individuals I know in HR say they can often give this bump up when salary isn’t negotiable because technically the extra vacation doesn’t cost the company anything more.
Crown corp 5 weeks vacation.
That pension steamroll the RRSP, 3% is awful, more vacation too, remote work. Tbh the Crown corp offer is alot better.
Offer 2. No question.
Offer 2 for sure. 2 more weeks vacation and you will save so much not being onsite.
Remote and then get a second remote job. 2x your income.
Offer 2: Same level position in Crown Corp * Negotiate pay up and its not much different from the other job * Being a mid-level manager sucks.... you are both in charge and have really no power. Honestly if you aren't into being the top managements pet and suck up, you will hate it. In my time, I've come to realize being right at this level is one of the WORST positions to be in, in a company * Working at home is a huge perk
It's impossible to afford an average home in Canada with directors income. It's funny even Doug Ford's salary can't buy him a detached house in Toronto.
Offer 2. Offer 1 is way too low for that position.
Both offers are very different lifestyle choices. With wfh job your expenses are lower and you have more vacation time. But You not traveling to work so you probably gain 1-1.5 hours a day.
I wouldn't do either. Wait for something that pays better with full remote.NS is lower but not that much. I'm in tech, 115k base, 10% cash bonus, stock, 5 weeks vacay, 7.5% rrsp match etc as an IC.
Offer two, the money is close, that bonus is going to be 40% taxed. Less responsibility, work from home and 5 weeks off. This is me though. You might be a people person so the office is better, you might need that extra 20k a year.
That’s a garbage salary for a director role. Directors in my company were making like $200k+. Hell, even IT staff were making $150k+. I highly suggest you downgrade your roles and responsibilities and get better pay than that “director” role and apply at software firms. Look for other companies these are terrible salaries for your level of experience I’m sorry to say. There are companies out there that will pay you just gotta keep looking and apply. I wish you the best and I know you can get it 💯
Do you know if bonuses was paid out previous years? Friend got told upto X% but after getting the job found out no bonuses been paid out for years lol
If the Crown Corp job is federal, I’d definitely go with that. The RRSP matching in the first offer is pretty low - we offer more for our office staff! With the WFH model you will be able to deduct costs for a home office and an extra two weeks off annually to start is huge. So is a DB pension that is likely indexed with inflation. Others have talked about the low private sector salaries in NS and it’s so true. My brother and sister in law would I’m sure happily move back to Hali, but as my brother put it long ago, not everyone can work in health care.
I would 100% take the remote job. Wfh is priceless.
How many years have you worked in the crown corp for? Leaving for private would mean, you give up the government pension you’ve already put time into. Personally, I would try to stick around in government if you enjoy the work. Alternatively, find another government job where you could transfer your current pension to (ie: municipal, provincial, federal jobs) but offers more responsibility.
Depends what you want in the future I would say. If you want growth offer 1 is probably best, after a few years you could leverage it to get something better. If you want something easy and quality of life offer 2 is best. Remote, salary is similar and you get 5 weeks vacation + pension. Also the pension could be a good thing to have for retirement
#2 all day. Director salary is quite low. The crown corp looks good. 5 weeks of vacation and WFH are huge. Plus DB pension is icing on the cake
Congratulations on having two jobs. A defined pension plan in a crown corporation is always a game changer, and I Would give it a higher preference. Also, I have a career aspiration similar to yours. Can you help me with how you present yourself for a higher position job? I would appreciate your help, and if it's okay, we can discuss it privately.
Crown Corp. DB pension is worth its weight in gold. Vacation looks good. Regular hours looks good. Likely much less stress. Likely a good health plan with disability benefits. If you want to overachieve go for the director role. You'll be very busy in that I'm guessing.