I’m a 25-year-old electronics engineer currently living in Amsterdam after moving from Sydney about a year ago. I've spent the last six months searching for a job and recently found myself in a bit of a dilemma. I verbally accepted a job offer from a semiconductor security startup here in Amsterdam, with a salary of €60k plus the 30% expat tax ruling. My contract is set to start in a few weeks, but I haven’t signed anything yet. Amsterdam has been a fantastic city to explore; it’s compact, bikeable, and generally easy to live in. I’ve been enjoying my time here, but I can’t help but wonder if I’m just in the honeymoon phase of living in a new city. I’m concerned about how it would feel to live and work here long-term, especially since I don’t speak Dutch. I’m holding off on signing because I’m expecting an offer from a medtech startup in London tomorrow. Living in London would be about £400 a month more expensive, so I would need a salary of around £55k just to break even. My conversations with the London company lead me to believe they might meet that figure. I also have friends in London, which is appealing, but I’ve been trying to push myself out of my comfort zone during this trip. However, I know that day-to-day life in London can be more challenging compared to Amsterdam, especially when it comes to getting around. On the visa front, London offers more flexibility, whereas in Amsterdam I would be tied to one employer. If London meets my salary expectations, I think I would prefer to take that offer, but I feel guilty since I’ve already said yes to the Amsterdam position and they’ve been supportive throughout the process. I’m grappling with two questions: Is it really that bad to back out before signing the contract? And which job would you choose?
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