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I am in the accounting profession and have lived in the coastal Northeast (NY/CT) my entire life and career. I have ALWAYS gotten 3-5 weeks of vacation time per year. But whenever I seek jobs in low cost areas such as FL, AZ, the Midwest, the South, etc., the recruiters tell me that the standard is 2 weeks and that I'd be lucky to get 3 weeks. My current job is a staff level accounting position and I get 5 weeks of PTO per year.
But 2 weeks? Are you freekin kidding me? Why is this the case? I mean, I've been trying to look for jobs in low cost areas of the country, but what good is it if I won't get more than 2 weeks of vacation time? I would never accept a job that gives less than 3 weeks per year. What a joke.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Because it's a low cost area. They don't have to pay as much, nor provide the same level of benefits to attract people to the jobs. That's why in the Seattle forum we have so many people from low cost of living areas asking about moving here. They see the 100k+ salaries and great benefits but don't realize that their big house on acreage for $150,000 is 1.2 million here.
Two is certainly standard where I am at. Crappy jobs have 0 to 1 week of vacation, and most others have 2 weeks of vacation. At my current employer, grandfathered exempt employees top out at 21 days, new hires top out at 18 days. Top outs are after 15 years of service. It is just a matter of what you are used to. I wouldn't even imagine starting a new job and getting more than 2 weeks of vacation a year. Is your 5 weeks of PTO solely vacation time, or is it a pool that includes sick time?
I imagine you move to a low cost of living area for the low cost of living.
Last edited by joe from dayton; 10-01-2014 at 09:18 PM..
2 weeks to start is common all over. A relative has worked for 2 of the 5 largest CPGs nationally, both Northeast based, and both provide new employees 2 weeks as they enter year 2 of employment, and both do it all over the US..at their many facilities.
Thank you for reminding me why I dropped FL off my job search and even with higher COL CA makes more sense, net positive $$. 2 tech companies in FL wanted me to relocate on my dime and work commission only. I get a pretty good base, with benefits in CA.
FL is just a terrible region to work because all of the employers are millionaires and they hold all the cards and use the zero state income tax as an excuse to not pay people a living wage.
It is also the state with the highest wire and income tax fraud. More than 30% of the state residents are running some type of scam.
I've worked for three F500 companies and started off with two weeks vacation at all of them. The only people that I know that get three weeks vacation right off the bat are teachers and government employees.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by grmi66
I've worked for three F500 companies and started off with two weeks vacation at all of them. The only people that I know that get three weeks vacation right off the bat are teachers and government employees.
Government employees, at least union ones, start at two weeks, at least in most of New England and the upper Midwest. It takes about 5 years to get to three weeks.
I don't think this has anything to do w Florida. A lot of positions in New England in finance give only 2 weeks.
Alot of places pool vacation and sick days but anything less than 20 total is a joke for a professional non entry level job. i get 30+ and have for years in a New England finance job. Our trainees get 3+ weeks.
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