Higher salary but less stability: Would you make this career move?
Hi everyone. Sorry for the long post ahead. I really need some advice because I've been overthinking this for days.
I'm 25, F and I'm currently working in a manufacturing company. I've been here for 3 years and was promoted twice (from Office Assistant to QA staff to Deputy QA Head). Right now, I'm undergoing a 6-month training (July–December) to become an official Deputy QA Head, so I'm in a good position career-wise.
Recently, I passed an interview for a WFH Debt Collections job with a Canadian company, but I'm having a hard time deciding if I should accept it.
Option 1: Stay in my current company
Pros
- Stable job
- Been with the company for 3 years and was promoted twice
- Currently training to become Deputy QA Head
- Fixed salary (I get paid regardless of performance)
- Paid leaves, Holiday pays, 13th month pay, and Government benefits
- ₱250 perfect attendance incentive every cutoff
- OTs are paid (but only around 90+ pesos per hr)
- Current Allowance: Around ₱6k+ per cutoff (allowance increase is usually 2-3 times a year)
- I'm already familiar with the work, so it's less stressful.
Cons
- Monday to Saturday schedule (8 hours/day from 8 AM to 5PM). Sometimes required to work Sundays (around twice a month).
- Daily rate is only ₱600
- Work has become routine already and I feel like my growth is mostly through promotions, not by learning new skills.
- My long-term goal is to transition into customer service because I eventually want to become a cabin crew, and I don't think my current experience isn't really aligned with that.
Option 2: WFH Debt Collector Position
The company handles 4 different loan brands/accounts, and employees work across those.
The borrowers mostly have bad credit histories or have already stopped paying, so collections are expected to be challenging.
I have zero collections or customer service experience, although they said I will undergo training.
Pros
- Work from home
- Tuesday to Saturday only (5 times a week, total of 40 hrs a week)
- 9 PM–6 AM (Nighshift)
- Salary: Compared to my current job, my base monthly income would increase by roughly 43% so around ₱15,000 more. But basically, the more I collect, my commission percentage increases and my hourly rate also increases. The commission ranges from 6% to 7% of the amount collected, depending on which collection tier I reach (minimum is 4000 CAD) so my total monthly income can become significantly higher if I consistently exceed those targets.
- No commuting since WFH (I save around ₱50/day plus time and energy)
- Opportunity to gain customer service/negotiation/collections experience, which I think could help me develop communication skills for my long-term career goals.
Cons
This is where I'm really hesitant...
- Result-Based / performance-driven (even if magpakasipag ako and give it my all it still depends on collecting from difficult borrowers if they will really pay no matter how persistent / diligent I am)
- Weekly/monthly targets that must consistently be met. If you continuously fail to hit targets, they can terminate your employment.
- OT is unpaid. (Some employees work overtime to hit quotas or increase commissions)
- NO paid leave, holiday pay, 13th month pay.
- I'm considered a subcontractor, so I have to pay my own SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG contributions with no employer share.
- The contract / agreement renews weekly, making it less stable than a regular employment setup.
- Equipment is also NOT provided, so I need to buy a Laptop pa that meets their requirements.
- During the interview, I realized the role is much more aggressive than I expected, since I initially assumed collections would still involve a customer service approach. Instead of simply helping borrowers find payment options, agents are expected to be firm and push for at least 80% of their outstanding balance whenever possible (probably coz they have bad credit histories and may not want to pay??). Since I have no collections experience, I'm unsure if I'd be comfortable doing this every day.
Ito na nga po ang aking dilemma...
Financially, the WFH job is very attractive (esp salary-wise). The schedule is also better (5 days instead of 6-7 days), and working from home would definitely improve my work-life balance. Since feeling ko pagod na pagod na 'ko sa araw-araw na byahe ko, though 20-30 mins papasok at pauwi lang ang byahe, ang nakakapagod talaga yung sobrang dami ng kalaban ko sumakay papasok at pauwi. May times pa na nakatayo na ko sa bus makauwi lang talaga at nakikipagunahan sa jeep, minsan sa lapag na talaga yan sha at sumasabit lol.
However, I'd be leaving a stable company where I've already earned the trust of management. I honestly don't think I'm the best employee, but I've been given opportunities that not everyone gets. Being promoted twice and now training in a managerial position / leadership track makes me feel like they really see potential in me.
At the same time, I also don't want to become too comfortable and actually, I couldn't really see myself working here for a long long time. Medyo natatakot din na baka tuluyan na ako ma-stuck..
I want to learn customer service skills because becoming a cabin crew is one of my long-term career goals. I'm just worried that I might leave a stable leadership position for a job that's heavily performance-based, where I have no experience and could potentially lose the job if I fail to consistently hit quota even if I work hard or do my best to do the collection work.
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- If you were in my situation, which job would you choose and why?
- Is leaving a stable leadership role worth the risk for better pay and WFH set-up?
- Do you also think debt collections experience is valuable if my long-term goal is customer service or becoming a cabin crew in the future?
Any advice would really help. Please be kind—I'm genuinely torn and just looking for honest advice huhu. Thank you! xoxo