u/arrogauntblond

Im a late 20s guy with a bad back and a worthless degree. Currently, im working at a boutique retail store/bar and a restaurant owned by the same guy. I was hired part-time at the start of the year to be a host for certain events and a part-time bar tender. I got added to the restaurant as a cashier shortly there after. Now recently two of the most senior bartenders quit suddenly, and I've been getting a lot more shifts. The head chef of the restaurant and I get along well, both him and the owner want me to work full time at both places and learn how to work every station.

Now, the other job is to be a night worker as a janitor/technician. It's considered temporary and will be 10-14 hour days overnight, and I'd be sleeping and eating away from home, room, and board is provided. This job was offered to me previously, but due to visa issues on my end, I didn't get the position. My wife works for the same company, and they have dropped several heavy-handed hints that I should apply when the job posting goes up, which it did. Within 20 minutes, she was contacted by 3 separate employees to tell me to apply, which i already did.

My current job pays me minimum wage plus tips, no benefits, and can be high stress with dinner rushes and slinging drinks with only a tiny bar to work behind. I have my serving license but have no experience making drinks and have kitchen experience from 10+ years ago. I've barely been trained how to make drinks, and I was barely working before we had two separate people quit. Now we are down to 3 bartenders, myself included. However its located less then 5 minutes away from my home, I get a free meal and a free alcoholic drink at the end of each shift, and the latest it can go is 1am and thats on a Saturday night.

The job I applied to would offer benefits so my wife would be saving money on her insurance premium, offering a higher base pay and would reduce food costs considerably. Im also well liked by many employees there as I've met them through my wife, and although temporary the job would last at least several years and I suspect I would be able to get cross trained and branch out into a different more permanent department.

I am currently getting full times hours at my job, and have yet to meet with the owner to discuss the plan moving forward, I've only had a verbal interaction with the head chef where he told me not to work anywhere else and that id be getting full time hours and cross training. The job opening for the janitor job closes in the middle of May, and i sent my application in yesterday. Im unsure of what my next move should be, ideally id like to play them off eachother a bit to see what can benefit me the most in terms of pay and convenience. However both my current role and the janitor job are entry level low skilled positions, so Im hesitant to try and use some leverage only to end up with no job and a rescinded offer.

TL/DR: should I sling pizzas and drinks for tips and lower money but close to home, or work alone at night for 10-14 hours at a time away from home for better pay, benefits, and a potential career in the company my wife works in