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I have recently been offered a new role at a new company based in the UK, the package is good, the role is good however there is one dilemma I face.

Myself and my partner have been discussing moving to Australia for a little while and both liked the idea of it.

The UK company offered me the contact today and have emailed already (6 hours later) asking it if the contract is ok and if I am ready to move forward (the contract is only 4 pages long so it's difficult to say I need time to read it)

How can I tell my new potential employer to wait for at least a week without seeming disrespectful as myself and my partner now have to make a decision that could swing either way and need time.

Thanks

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    Is it unreasonable to ask for a week to consider a job offer? How can I delay job offer acceptance? You seem to be making asking them more complicated than it is.
    – Bernhard Barker
    Commented Nov 13, 2017 at 22:01
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    @Jamie_lee yes, like you said is a Big decision, and something you should thoroughly discuss with your partner (rather than with kind strangers from the internet).
    – DarkCygnus ♦
    Commented Nov 13, 2017 at 23:53
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    @Jamie Borrow Joe's wisdom here. Making two big life-changing decisions at roughly the same time is extremely difficult to pull off, and can cause much grief. YMMV on whether a job change is a big life decision, but it certainly has a significant impact on your life, at least in the short term ... often beyond. Do one big thing at a time, do it well, then close the lid on it. Leaving unfinished business in one box while starting to open another box is an invitation to disaster.
    – Masked Man
    Commented Nov 14, 2017 at 4:01
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    @MaskedMan If one wants to move to a different country, it can be impossible to separate the decision to change jobs from that. I assume the idea here would be that accepting the local job comes with the intention to stay there for at least a while.
    – Bernhard Barker
    Commented Nov 14, 2017 at 8:56
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    Does this answer your question? How can I delay job offer acceptance?
    – gnat
    Commented Mar 5 at 8:53

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I think the moving to Australia part is irrelevant here.

Simplifying this, my understanding is you have a job offer, but it conflicts with something else you may want to do, but haven't decided on yet. Perhaps you're just under stress from these two decisions, but this isn't really all that complicated.

So simplifying the situation, just ask for more time. Review the offer, determine if the terms are acceptable or not, then respond. Assuming the offer is acceptable, simply respond with something like this:

Hello Acme Corporation,

I have reviewed the offer, and I am satisfied with the terms of the contract. However, as this is a big decision, I need to discuss this with my family and need some extra time. I will let you know by -insert date here- whether or not I will accept.

If the terms are off, you would just send a counter-offer, which will buy you some additional time. When they are agreed upon by both parties, it's the same situation. I'll let you know my decision by next Wednesday or however much time you need.

It's highly unlikely a week will turn off the employer. They want you to join. A week is a small amount of time in the big picture. I wouldn't go much beyond a week, as that's not really fair to the employer.

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    I don't think I agree. If a candidate told me that they wanted a week to decide, without further explanation, I would question whether they really wanted the job. They are going to assume the decision is between 'stay in current job' and 'take new job', not between 'take new job' and 'move to Australia'.
    – mike_dowler
    Commented Nov 14, 2017 at 21:59
  • Well, you can't really know what someone else will assume. I don't believe asking for a week is cause for alarm.
    – Chris Schneider
    Commented Nov 16, 2017 at 22:16

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