u/iisangbituin

Need some career advice because I'm genuinely torn.

I'm currently in a niche manager-level role at a bank. I've only been here for around 5 months, so I know I'm still relatively new.

Current compensation:

~₱80k/month gross
3 guaranteed bonuses per year
HMO, life insurance, paid leaves, retirement benefits, etc.
Manager-level rank
Potential long-term career growth because the function is still relatively new and evolving

On paper, it sounds like a good opportunity. The role is strategic and there's a lot of visibility with senior management.

The challenge is that I'm essentially operating as a one-person function.

There aren't many people internally with deep expertise in my specialization, so a lot of my work involves creating frameworks, policies, governance processes, presentations, dashboards, and recommendations from scratch. While that has accelerated my learning, it also means there's very little mentorship or technical guidance available.

A lot of the time, I'm trying to figure things out on my own and second-guessing whether I'm even approaching things the right way. Before something goes to senior management, there often isn't someone I can easily approach for a technical sanity check.

To be honest, I sometimes feel professionally isolated.

I came from a research-heavy background where I worked with other specialists, had established methodologies, and could collaborate with peers. In my current role, some days it feels like I'm building the plane while flying it.

Recently, I was approached for another opportunity.

New role:

Equivalent of around ₱150k/month
Fully remote
Flexible schedule
Research and database-focused work
International company
Full-time independent contractor arrangement
Work involves analyzing filings, public records, maintaining large datasets, improving methodologies, and conducting market intelligence research

What attracts me isn't just the compensation.

It sounds like I'd be part of an actual research team with established processes and experienced colleagues. The work is also much closer to my previous experience and skill set.

What gives me pause is that:

I'd be leaving after only ~5 months in my current role
I'd be giving up employee benefits and moving into a contractor arrangement
My current role may have stronger long-term leadership potential
The new role appears more specialist/research-oriented rather than leadership-oriented

So my dilemma is:

Would you stay in the lower-paying but potentially higher-growth managerial role, or move to the higher-paying remote contractor role where you'd likely have more support, collaboration, and familiarity with the work?

For those who have experienced something similar:

Have you ever left a managerial/leadership-track role and gone back to a specialist role?
Have you moved from regular employment to a foreign contractor setup?
How much weight would you place on mentorship, team support, and day-to-day work environment versus title and long-term career trajectory?

Appreciate any insights. I'm trying to figure out whether I'm thinking too short-term by considering the move, or whether the lack of support and professional isolation in my current role are legitimate reasons to explore other opportunities.