Csdrhrt

I was recently offered a position with a client that I contract for. They said they would match my salary and give me their benefits, which are presumably better since they are government-ish. The job would also be more stable since it is government-ish.

Half of my small team is employed under my current employer and one of them is my boss (at my current employer, not my project boss) and is friends with a professor I keep in touch with. I think that connection was one of the reasons I got the job.

My question is, would accepting the job offer make it awkward to work with the employees of my current company?

I am happy with my current: employer, client, work, and salary. I would prefer to not rock the boat and am currently thinking of staying with my current employer, but the friends/family I have talked to think I should take the clients offer (including someone who recently quit working for my client).





Note: I did not see anything in my contract about a non-compete or anything mentioning being prevented from doing this. I also do not know the contract that the two companies have with each other. This is in America.

Am I allowed to ask bonus questions here? If so:

• My current employer said that they would try to keep me after this contract ends as I am a "top performer". How likely is that to actually occur and what is that process like? Do they give me options of contracts that they have? Do I just wait for them to find a contract for me? Do I job hunt, but under them?


• Looking at glassdoor and from conversations around the office, I have gathered that might I make more people working for my client with a similar level of experience. If they match my salary, should I expect to not get a raise until my salary is closer to their average?


• Is it considered amoral/a "jerk move" to leave my current company? They
  are the ones that found me and negotiated my favorable salary.

If I accept job offer from client, would it make it awkward with coworkers from current contractor?

It depends on the individual, but in my experience it is fairly common in contracting for people to be hired full time by the company they are contracting for. I doubt it would be significantly awkward, but your relationships might change because you no longer share the same employer.

They said they would match my salary and give me their benefits, which are presumably better since they are government-ish.

If you're going to make a job change, you should verify that the benefits are indeed better, and on par with the public sector. Get the details in writing as part of your offer, if you get that far.

It also sounds like you are in demand -- if that's the case, and your current employer is trying to keep you, chances are you can do better than just a salary match. Do some research on your market value and use that as your salary request.

Note: I did not see anything in my contract about a non-compete or anything mentioning being prevented from doing this. I also do not know the contract that the two companies have with each other.

This is usually covered in the agreement between the contracting company and its client, and not in the contractor's agreement. A typical non-compete would mean that you can't go around the contracting company and apply for a job with the client directly. Many times the client is allowed to hire away a contractor in exchange for a modest fee paid to the contracting company.

This can be a benefit to the contracting company because they will have more representation within the client, and by staying in the client's good graces, be able to provide additional contractors.

My current employer said that they would try to keep me after this contract ends as I am a "top performer". How likely is that to actually occur and what is that process like?

This is more likely to happen if you ask them exactly what they are offering, or if you tell them you would be happy to stay if your requests X, Y, and Z are met. The process depends on the company, but is usually presented as a raise or promotion would be.

Do they give me options of contracts that they have? Do I just wait for them to find a contract for me? Do I job hunt, but under them?

This is highly dependent on the individual company -- in most cases if you are a W-2 or 1099 employee or contractor, the contracting company provides assignments in exchange for a piece of your hourly rate. It is always advantageous for you to identify and bring in new business, but that's rarely required.

Looking at glassdoor and from conversations around the office, I have gathered that might I make more people working for my client with a similar level of experience. If they match my salary, should I expect to not get a raise until my salary is closer to their average?

I'm not exactly sure what you're asking here, but your salary is entirely negotiable, and you have the freedom to request whatever you think is fair. There are many questions and answers on this site the discuss the topic of salary negotiation. Once you've agreed to an amount, you are subject to the review/raise structure of the company, which can vary widely. Two people can be paid quite differently for essentially the same work -- the main reason being that one person was able to negotiate more successfully.

Is it considered amoral/a "jerk move" to leave my current company? They are the ones that found me and negotiated my favorable salary.

Not at all. It is a business decision and good employers will understand that. Be assured that if your company decided they no longer required your services, they would not be hesitant at all to ask you to leave. It would be a business decision on their part as well.

You should do what is in your own best interest. It isn't unethical to take a full time job offered from a company when you're current contracted to them. If the permanent position works better for you, don't worry about what others think about it. As always, try not to burn bridges.

The salary question can only be answered by the client. Matching your salary shouldn't preclude pay raises and/or promotions.

For the sake of putting in answers,

If I accept job offer from client, would it make it awkward with coworkers from current contractor?

Not in the slightest.

It's a totally normal, everyday, totally uninteresting part of the usual hurly-burly of software and contracting. It's a non-issue.

My current employer said that ..

Spoken words mean absolutely nothing. Nothing.

You can see endless horror stories about such situations, on this site.

How likely is that to actually occur

It may or may not occur, but the spoken-words you have heard mean literally, absolutely, nothing. Nothing. Zero.

I would lean towards the person is lying. it won't occur.

Think about it: why would someone give you a verbal talk? If they really wanted this thing to happen in the future, they'd very simply type out a contract and be eager for you to sign it.

If they match my salary, should I expect to not get a raise until my salary is closer to their average?

I don't totally follow that question, but:

if, at any time, in any circumstances, you feel you are being underpaid: then, immediately and aggressively seek a different role, or, a raise in your current role.

Is it considered amoral/a "jerk move" to leave my current company?

Absolutely NOT.

Moving around is so totally normal in software that it would be like asking "is it normal to have a keyboard!"

Happily, nobody will even notice or care after a few days. You're good to go!

Do note that any time you leave a company, they whine bitterly. Simply ignore this.

They've been very lucky to have you, and you did them the favor. Not vice-versa.