Then you simply have to do it, as if you don't, you'll spend the rest of your life wonderings and wishing and what iffing.

I was in the same moral predicament with a job. I'd worked for an optician since leaving college, he had been my optician since I was 10 and I worked there for 5 years. He was more like a family friend than a boss (which he was) but it got to the point where I felt I was working for my parents if you know what I mean. I applied for a job in a vets not in a million years expecting to get it but I was offered the job. I had a very emotional tussel over my feelings of excitement yet dread at a different job. Half of me wanted to stay in my nice, secure, familiar position, the other half wanted so desperately to work in a vets. In the end I decided it was time for me to move on from my opticians job and go to the vets. The optician is still my optician and still a close family friend, unfortunately it didn't work out at the vets and I again moved on after 3 years but I still feel I did the right thing.

There probably is no right or wrong answer for you, you have to weigh up all options and decide what is right for you. Good luck

You're probably right actually.

In that case I'd modify my comments to include that if the employer does indeed throw a hissy fit, then it would effectively confirm that your decision to leave is correct.

Being honest I have said in the past that if any of my sales staff were to resign, I would probably not require them to work their notice (paid in lieu of course). Nothing personal, I would just want to minimise the chances of them fecking off with my client list. That said, I wouldn't march them off the premises.

The point I was trying to make is for the OP to be as nice as possible, irrespective of how his employer reacts, and to try his best to leave on the best possible terms to facilitate a return at a later date if required. The boss's reaction is almost irrelevant to this.

I don't disagree, never leave anywhere on bad terms if you can avoid it.

One job I had, the sales staff were on a three-month notice period (I was on six ), one lad came in to me and tendered his resignation, he was of course going to a competitor. I thanked him for his services, wished him well and asked when he would like to leave. He wanted to leave immediately but thought that he should be entitled to three months salary, ex-gratia, in lieu of notice. He looked a little surprised when I explained that the three months notice was a cushion against getting sacked or redundancy and if he insisted on the notice, I'd be quite happy for him to work out his notice period. It took a couple of days for the penny to drop, especially when someone else told him that I planned to give him a desk in a corridor with no telephone access for the three months. He left on the Friday and started his new job on the Monday but by that time the word had got round the boardroom and his cards were well & truly marked for the future

Any with a bit of savvy would already have there own copy already

Mr Sandercock, id move while you can

Go for the job where you think you will be happy and be more secure in the company, look into their staff turnover and how much pressure you would be under in both jobs and most impotantly job security, in this current climate job security may seem a state of mind but I'd look into which job you'd last longer in.

I was sub-contracting to a central heating firm and was offered a supervisors job at another firm in April, the money was great sub-contracting and was assured that there would be plenty on going work as the new budgets would be out in the April and there would be plenty work until the following Feb/March so I stayed, a couple of weeks later I was layed off as the budget had been slashed and they weren't getting the work so I wish I'd have gone.

Another time I was supervising at one firm and was offered a job for a local housing authority to take charge of void properties and manage the renovation of them, I turned it down as I thought 'it's better the devil you know' and was layed off a couple of weeks later along with a few site managers as they'd lost out on a contract.

I am a little confused - you started off saying you were getting stressed by your current job but later suggest you are happy with it. I think you should consider the extent of the stress and whether this is likely to continue long-term. That may be the deciding factor if the terms of the possible new job are, on the face of it, better. In this climate it would be wise to consider whether both employers appear financially sound as if one isn't then you will probably be better sticking / going to the stronger one. The economy is only heading one way at the moment and so an employer who is likely to be still an employer in 12 months time will be a wise option.

For 15k you should not be stressed, take the 22k.