I‘m thinking of ditching my very safe and very well paid office job with the option to work from home for a job in the field where I drive around and inspect buildings. Taxes included I’d get a 300€ paycut but would gain the ability to get paid for overtime, which I do not have at the moment. Also, due to austerity measures I have no chance of ever getting into a higher position at my current job.
I don’t know maybe I just want the validation of something I’ll do anyway, maybe I want to get shown what makes my current job better than the might-be one.
Overtime can easily make up for lower base pay, as long as you like working more. Idk how it is in your country but good pay increases are also way easier to get in corporate jobs than government ones in the US. Another thing to consider- non salary benefits. In the US these are a big deal, not sure about your country. This would include retirement fund contributions, health insurance (probably not as big of a deal outside the US), dental/vision insurance, and any other perks of being an employee of the government. In the US these are usually a lot better for government jobs than most corporate jobs, but salary is lower. If you’re not nearing retirement age, I’d recommend it but with the caveat that my experience is only in the US which has a really messed up system.
Now that you mention non-salary benefits… I would get a company car for myself in the new job, effectively eliminating all car-related costs. Healthcare wise it‘s the same. This company car would reduce my cost immensely, evening out the salary gap.