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Is a 3 month notice period unusually high for a development manager position?

This is at the junior end of the management spectrum, it will be my first management role.

I am concerned that future employers may be put off by such a long period.

EDIT: To clarify, this is for a new job I have been offered with a new employer. The terms of the contract I have been offered are 3 months notice commencing immediately. My question is whether this is normal for jobs at this level, or if I am being asked to make too much commitment.

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7  
Are you talking about giving notice to your current employer, or making a prospective employer wait for you, or something else? I'm unclear on what you're asking. – jcmeloni May 11 '12 at 22:01
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Please clarify exactly what you're talking about and we can reopen – Rarity May 11 '12 at 23:49
This is the common notice periode in Germany, with a number of contracts specifying even longer notice periods (like 3 Months from next quartal, or even 6 months). Of course, this is negotiable for the most part, legal requirement depends on the time at the company, starting with 1 month. – Owe Jessen May 12 '12 at 8:22

closed as not a real question by Rarity May 11 '12 at 23:49

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

2 Answers

up vote 4 down vote

I think a lot depends on your location.

In South East Asia, 2 to 3 months is the norm for any management position and the bigger the company is, the longer the notice period becomes because you are normally overseeing more people and projects.

Not too sure what you mean by "Development Manager" but if it's Software Development in a mid sized company then 3 months is pretty common in my part of the world.

Since it's pretty much the norm here for management positions, it doesn't really deter future employers unless its for an urgent need. Even in those cases, there's almost always an option of paying off the current company in lieu of serving the time so if they really want you that badly, they can pay for it.

From my experience, you don't normally have to serve out the full length as long as you can convince them that the handover process can be completed sooner and that you have a capable replacement. If you think your current company might be flexible in that regard, just tell prospective employers that it's "3 months negotiable" and go from there.

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up vote 3 down vote

That is way too long. Give as much notice as you can, but 2 weeks notice is standard for managers too, not just employees.

Expecting a new employer to wait 3 months for you to start would be a deal killer in my opinion at most places.

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That may be the case in the US, but 3 month notice periods are pretty common over the pond. Every company I've worked for in the UK over the past 10 years have had policies which meant that most salaried workers had a 3 month or more notice period after their probation period was over. – Mark Booth May 14 '12 at 12:22

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