should i take this offer? 110k usd associate, have phd

RBC
WWXv14

Go to company page RBC

WWXv14
Apr 9, 2020 20 Comments

title: associate
company: big bank
offered salary: 110k USD
bonus: depends on performance + division performance
relocation: 5k, no help with finding a place
vacation days: 20
unlimited sick days
401k + health benefits
location: baltimore, MD (relocating from toronto, canada)
education: phd

in a bit of a pickle at the moment with the pandemic, was offered the above after interviewing over the phone with 3 levels of management over the course of March 2020. haven't been to baltimore before and asked if they could help with relocation since i can't even check out the city atm. HR said no, only a stipend would be given. they don't expect me to move asap after accepting given the pandemic.

when asked about potential start date, they said late june to september. it doesn't seem likely the US will get things back to a degree of normalcy by june... unsure about the fall, to be honest. seems like covid-19 cases in the US grow by large numbers every day...

concerns:
- have heard baltimore is quite sketchy depending on the area. nowhere near sketchy as toronto.
- was advised of potential complications with TN visa application (resume is not a perfect match with job desc). was also told since USCIS is closed, it might take 4 months to process the visa application... (especially if premium processing for visas remains closed)
- i would need to visit baltimore to figure out living situation, but that depends on when lockdowns and travel restrictions will be lifted
- when will the pandemic end????

my questions to y'all:
- would you take it if you were me? or do the concerns outweigh the benefits?
- current job is 60k cad (about 43k usd). i'm doing a postdoc so that's 'normal' in academia.
- would it be better to accept then cancel if pandemic situation worsens? (burning bridges...)

HR is gonna follow up with me next week but i'd like to try deferring as much as possible because of all this uncertainty.

#baltimore #maryland #toronto #phd #postdoc #associate #tech #offer #joboffer #relocation #career #bank #bigbank

comments

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TOP 20 Comments
  • Uber
    .code>life

    Go to company page Uber

    .code>life
    Sketchy?
    Bro you can’t be raciss’ like that in post-america.

    Here you have to say “the schools are bad”, or “there arent enough grocery stores”. else you’ll get fired back to canada.
    Apr 9, 2020 0
  • Okta
    dragonn

    Go to company page Okta

    dragonn
    what’s your current TC?
    Apr 9, 2020 3
  • Amazon / Eng
    aUiG11

    Go to company page Amazon Eng

    PRE
    Amazon
    aUiG11
    I went to a Ravens game in Baltimore last year, yeah it's suuuuuper sketchy. Don't do it, not worth $110K. I'm from Toronto as well - Baltimore had 348 homicides last year, Toronto had 78, almost 5X more. Baltimore's population is 600k, Toronto is 3M - so Baltimore has about 25 times the homicides Toronto has.

    Driving through town, every other neighborhood you can't walk through at night. There's the port area and a downtown area that's kind of touristy, everywhere else is dark and dilapitated and not safe. The city's like a checkerboard, where half the squares are okay and the other half are dangerous.

    Fun story, we asked our Uber driver to give us a fun fact about Baltimore, his answer was 'It fucking sucks dude'.
    Jun 16, 2020 1
  • New
    KzWe14

    New

    KzWe14
    Baltimore can be very sketchy. Go see for yourself first because you do not want to sign a lease on a bad block.

    General advice is you can accept the offer and bail out later. The worst they can do is blacklist you.
    Apr 9, 2020 1
    • RBC
      WWXv14

      Go to company page RBC

      WWXv14
      OP
      Yeah, living on a the bad block is my concern. I also would've preferred on-site interviews (or even at least meeting the managers in-person) but everything sort of happened right before all the border closures...

      Accepting + bailing and potentially being blacklisted is on my mind.. Given the current situation, I could still accept and have the start date pushed further out if the pandemic doesn't ease up... I'm not sure if they could set me up remotely before I enter the US but it might also be something to ask them.
      Apr 9, 2020
  • Aspect
    AvKW75

    Go to company page Aspect

    AvKW75
    110k is good for baltimore. Much better compared to 43k in toronto. Are the land borders closed as well? If not you could drive
    Apr 9, 2020 1
    • RBC
      WWXv14

      Go to company page RBC

      WWXv14
      OP
      borders are only open for those with essential jobs that allow them to cross. basically no tourism allowed on either side.

      should mention - i live at home in toronto rent-free with family members so the low salary isn't an issue (for now).
      Apr 9, 2020