Considering offer

[Hope_ful_Pharm]

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I am considering an offer for full-time Graduate intern/Float Pharmacist:

Pay is above average (> 130k)
2 weeks paid vacation accrued/year but can't use it until after 12 months
Area with decent cost of living
Verbal confirmation of floating only half-time per DM and half-time at home store (though not specified in written offer)
Decent 401k match
Pending approval for relocation assistance

Thoughts? Is the vacation benefit pretty standard in pharmacy for a new grad?

 

[rxkrafted]

How many offers did you get? Are you considering this offer vs nothing and continuing your search?

 

[Hope_ful_Pharm]

No other offers at the moment

 

[Amicable Angora]

I am considering an offer for full-time Graduate intern/Float Pharmacist:

Pay is above average (> 130k)
2 weeks paid vacation accrued/year but can't use it until after 12 months
Area with decent cost of living
Verbal confirmation of floating only half-time per DM and half-time at home store (though not specified in written offer)
Decent 401k match
Pending approval for relocation assistance

Thoughts? Is the vacation benefit pretty standard in pharmacy for a new grad?

This is for retail?

Keep in mind, generally areas that offer relocation assistance have a catch to them. There's usually some major factor that keeps other people away. You might want to investigate and find out what that is before signing an agreement that could punish you for leaving early.

 

[gwarm01]

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

 

[PharmacistFl12]

I am considering an offer for full-time Graduate intern/Float Pharmacist:

Pay is above average (> 130k)
2 weeks paid vacation accrued/year but can't use it until after 12 months
Area with decent cost of living
Verbal confirmation of floating only half-time per DM and half-time at home store (though not specified in written offer)
Decent 401k match
Pending approval for relocation assistance

Thoughts? Is the vacation benefit pretty standard in pharmacy for a new grad?

Nothing to think about. You take the offer. Work your butt off and volunteer for any emergency coverage request from scheduler. Be friendly to all customers and coworkers. Payoff your student loans. Then search for better opportunity.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

"Thank you for the offer, what are the next steps for on-boarding?"

 

[JustNeedTheNAPLEXcalcs]

Relocation assistance and $130,000 base salary? This HAS to be in Northern Cali or DC. Take that offer. Practically everyone in my grad class including me is guaranteed 30-32 hours ($88,000). Regardless of cost of living for your area, If I got that offer I would take it in a hearbeat.

 

[johnpharm01]

Decline it you won't be happy there. When you do recommend me for the spot.

 

[sakigt]

Cant use paid vacation for a year sounds fishy, but other places do it a little more sneakily as you don't accrue for 90 days then once you do you don't automatically get the weeks you earn hours and the hours must be used for holidays, sick days and vacations.....

 

[Andy2019]

Is this offer from west coast? If yes, then it makes sense for the above average pay...
For vacations in retail, usually you have 2 weeks of paid vacay after working for the company for a couple months. not sure why you can't use it after 12 months. you need to clarify this with your DM.

 

[Schwimmy]

2 weeks paid vacation accrued/year but can't use it until after 12 months

Yup, let me just burn out as fast as possible, no chance of having some leisure time, visiting distant family or taking off time to take care of the spouse if they get injured.

I have a kid now and 2 weeks barely covers the family sick time. Waiting 12 months for it is crazy.

 

[rph3664]

What about health insurance?

 

[Modest_anteater]

Relocation assistance and $130,000 base salary? This HAS to be in Northern Cali or DC. Take that offer. Practically everyone in my grad class including me is guaranteed 30-32 hours ($88,000). Regardless of cost of living for your area, If I got that offer I would take it in a hearbeat.

why does DC have such high pay relative to Manhattan, NY? NYC has a higher cost of living yet the pay in DC is significantly higher. The only reason I can think for this is that NYC has more immigrants which tend to have advanced degrees such as PharmD putting downward pressure on pharmacist pay in NY.

 

[BidingMyTime]

I have a kid now and 2 weeks barely covers the family sick time. Waiting 12 months for it is crazy.

You know this is standard for the majority of jobs outside of pharmacy. People survive it. Most pharmacies use Earned Time now, but for the ones that don't, working a year to get vacation is pretty standard.

Since the OP said he doesn't have any other offers, he absolutely should jump on this one.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Absolutely take it. If something better comes along, great. But this is what you got. Take it. Two weeks vacation is typical. Get in, pay off loans, max 401k and Roth IRA, live the good life. Congrats.

 

[mentos]

You know this is standard for the majority of jobs outside of pharmacy. People survive it. Most pharmacies use Earned Time now, but for the ones that don't, working a year to get vacation is pretty standard.

Since the OP said he doesn't have any other offers, he absolutely should jump on this one.

What kind of job doesn't allow vacation during the first year?? Many engineers, accountants, financial advisers, etc START with 3 or more weeks vacation time, not this 2 week BS.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

What kind of job doesn't allow vacation during the first year?? Many engineers, accountants, financial advisers, etc START with 3 or more weeks vacation time, not this 2 week BS.

An LTC job I interviewed for about a month ago offered 2 days the first year. Add that to the $35,000 less in compensation to the mix and I noped out.

 

[wucool33]

Hmmm my first job didn’t have vacation the first year either and it was only one week after the first year.

 

[Schwimmy]

What kind of job doesn't allow vacation during the first year?? Many engineers, accountants, financial advisers, etc START with 3 or more weeks vacation time, not this 2 week BS.

The kind of job you shouldn't take unless you need to start making money soon and there's nothing else. Student loans don't pay themselves.

I've been fielding job offers (while I'm not in a rush and have a job currently) and anything with 2 weeks gets a polite decline. Of the two I'm considering, both -start- with a month time off and go up from there. One is going to allow me access to that time immediately should I choose to take it (the other I didn't ask).

I had 2 weeks at my first job and for when I was single and had nothing else to do that was fine. I had a deal with my boss that I'd work my 4-10s and anything else got put into vacation, so I spent a quarter of my time in Eastern Europe at that year. I'm far enough into my career that I have no interest in getting in at the bottom unless it was necessary (and it is quickly becoming that way in the market, unfortunately).

 

[Momus]

40h/w is pretty weak sauce... If you only work 8h/day it ain't bad, still tons of time off. If you have 4x10s you have 3 days off. Dunno why ppl are complaining too much...

You have 168 hours in a week, you only work 40h/w (that's about 25% of your life devoted to work). 77% of the time you aren't working (sleep eat family exercise etc). If you work from 25 yo until 65 yo, you only devoting 10 yrs of your life to work (Assuming you live until 90). That's 11% of your total time of your life expectancy working, 89% not working... Which is pretty good... If you can't manage your time appropriately, you should just quit and be a hobo.

 

[Digsbe]

why does DC have such high pay relative to Manhattan, NY? NYC has a higher cost of living yet the pay in DC is significantly higher. The only reason I can think for this is that NYC has more immigrants which tend to have advanced degrees such as PharmD putting downward pressure on pharmacist pay in NY.

It doesn't, I don't think that's accurate info. I live in the DMV and don't know anyone in retail who started out making 130k or getting a relocation bonus, I floated in the DMV area and did not earn that much and did not get a bonus to relocate here.

 

[Modest_anteater]

It doesn't, I don't think that's accurate info. I live in the DMV and don't know anyone in retail who started out making 130k or getting a relocation bonus, I floated in the DMV area and did not earn that much and did not get a bonus to relocate here.

I'm guessing you mean DC, Maryland Virgina but that is a bad nickname to use bc most people will view it as department of motor vehicles. I have heard that DC has over 10,000 USD more per a year per a pharmacist compared to NYC.

 

[Digsbe]

I'm guessing you mean DC, Maryland Virgina but that is a bad nickname to use bc most people will view it as department of motor vehicles. I have heard that DC has over 10,000 USD more per a year per a pharmacist compared to NYC.

It is a terrible acronym, it's just what we call the place haha.

The highest starting pay I knew someone getting was $62 an hour from a grocery chain. I started at $58 as a floater. Most people I know starting out get between $54-62 an hour. Getting 130k is not the norm. However, paying a boatload of taxes and a high cost of living is.

 

[Modest_anteater]

It is a terrible acronym, it's just what we call the place haha.

The highest starting pay I knew someone getting was $62 an hour from a grocery chain. I started at $58 as a floater. Most people I know starting out get between $54-62 an hour. Getting 130k is not the norm. However, paying a boatload of taxes and a high cost of living is.

Having an address in Virginia would decrease your state level income tax significantly?

 

[Digsbe]

Having an address in Virginia would decrease your state level income tax significantly?

It all depends on where in NoVa you live as some jurisdictions have significantly higher property taxes than DC/MD (areas like Falls Church, Fairfax city, etc. have higher rates. Fairfax county overral has a slightly higher rate that MoCo/DC). Virginia also requires you to pay a car tax annually on the value of your vehicle so if you drive an expensive car that's an extra cost. By pure income taxes alone you will pay about 1-3k more living in MoCo/PG/DC versus VA, but things even out a bit if you drive a nicer car or own property. In reality though moving across state lines isn't worth the savings if it means your commute becomes worse because traffic in the DMV is among the worst in the country. I personally live 7 miles from where I work and have walkable access to Metro, I wouldn't change that to a 45min-1hr+ long commute each day if I lived in Virginia and saved about 2k per year in taxes.

 

[Modest_anteater]

It all depends on where in NoVa you live as some jurisdictions have significantly higher property taxes than DC/MD (areas like Falls Church, Fairfax city, etc. have higher rates. Fairfax county overral has a slightly higher rate that MoCo/DC). Virginia also requires you to pay a car tax annually on the value of your vehicle so if you drive an expensive car that's an extra cost. By pure income taxes alone you will pay about 1-3k more living in MoCo/PG/DC versus VA, but things even out a bit if you drive a nicer car or own property. In reality though moving across state lines isn't worth the savings if it means your commute becomes worse because traffic in the DMV is among the worst in the country. I personally live 7 miles from where I work and have walkable access to Metro, I wouldn't change that to a 45min-1hr+ long commute each day if I lived in Virginia and saved about 2k per year in taxes.

"car tax annually on the value of your vehicle" wow. That's insane. I heard the roads are really bad in DC as well (not sure just rumors) so i'm sure if that was true it would be really bad for your car as well.

 

[Digsbe]

"car tax annually on the value of your vehicle" wow. That's insane. I heard the roads are really bad in DC as well (not sure just rumors) so i'm sure if that was true it would be really bad for your car as well.

DC city roads are bad. The car tax is only for Virginia. In Virginia there are tons of HOV restrictions and tolls. Maryland is headed that direction too.