hello all! i believe this is the first time i've written a topic so i'll be brief.
i have been unemployed for the past 7 months and have been aggressively looking for jobs even before i resigned from my previous employment (long story but trust me i was in a toxic work environment and even my own colleagues would not speak up for me when they were there witnessing all of this).
i was at a career fair that nurse.com had sponsored in which i pulled all the stops and did phenomenally well! the recruiters who i felt were doing well in asking questions asked me "so what made you leave your last place of employment? what have you been doing since then?"
i had responses i practiced and with all of my preparation and practice, a couple out of the 15 recruiters had set-up an interview! one of which will require me to travel to tx.
now, with the recruiter in tx, they mentioned that it is an all-expense paid trip (food, lodging, rental car, etc).
my dilemma: since they are paying for everything, am i [color=#00cc33]obligated to accept the offer (if they are willing to go all out and pay for my travels)? i don't even know if they will pay for my relocation, and i'm really short in finances right now to do it alone...
i wish to see if the offer here in nj will actually work out. i spoke with the recruiter in tx and i told him i would call him back tomorrow [after my interview with another hospital, which is tomorrow; an information which i did not want to disclose for fear that tx might rescind their offer].
what should i do? when i travel to tx for an in-person interview, am i obligated to work for them because they paid for my trip?? i want to hear back from my interviewer in nj first. but i only have until 4pm on may 3rd to reply to tx on my decision to fly down.
if i take the tx interview but if nj gives me an offer and i accept, am i obligated to pay them back? i'm the type of guy that does not like receiving free things especially if they are going on a limb to provide for my travel needs.
background info: i researched the hospital in tx and although they are medium sized they are top notch comparatively to the hospitals here in nj; employee benefits also meet my needs. the only thing lacking is my exploration of that area in tx and to find out if they have a solid church community which makes the transition easier and allow me to live in comfortably. i am very loyal to my employers and intend to stay in tx greater than 5 years (permanently if i find a wife there haha) so i can help build up the hospital and train new nurses as well.
i have traveled to tx recently (first time!) and enjoyed the place very well! the congeniality of the people are phenomenal compared to the tri-state area here. i was actually a little torn up with flying back to nj because there is definitely nothing like tx here at all; i will sorely miss the friendliness of the people, being able to randomly start a conversation, and building a bond with them.
i also spoke to my loved ones here and although i hate to leave them, i have a higher obligation to continue serving wherever i may be going.
please reply with any wisdom at all! in the end, i will be the one deciding so any further input is greatly appreciated.
