[speaker001:] hi Kay
[speaker002:] hi
[speaker001:] I uh was thinking about salaries and benefits and uh was wondering what's the most important thing to you besides a salary in a job
[speaker002:] uh-huh well um I we just recently graduated from Rice University and uh we were going through a lot of job interviews and things and some of the things that were important to me my uh when my husband was looking for his job was um hours you know we he had been in graduate school so I was used to his not being home at all so I was you know didn't want him to have a job that
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] would make him kind of be on call all the time and have to go in at any time and you know even on the weekends and and um and things so that was important to me and also insurance
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] for the family our family because we'd like to be able to take care of our medical needs and not be thinking so much about whether or not you can afford it
[speaker001:] sure yeah I don't ever want to have to worry about that that's real important to me um you know we have that that Aetna
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] um that's what we the insurance that we have right now when we were in Colorado they had um a different type of HMO there that I really liked a lot
[speaker002:] um-hum us too um-hum
[speaker001:] it was um not that kind of HMO's where you have to go to their they're sort of like clinics you know uh but this was just an HMO where you could go to private practice doctors and to the regular
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] hospitals and all that but it was with a certain list of of doctors that you know participated in the HMO
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] and um you know then you only had to pay the it for us it was a five dollar copayment every time you went to the doctor and uh three dollars for the prescriptions
[speaker002:] well that's nice uh-huh that's good
[speaker001:] and uh I especially liked the prescription especially since my children tend to have ear infections all the time that those prescriptions can be very expensive
[speaker002:] um-hum oh I know we just went through that ourselves we just you know were like fifty dollars for this series of antibiotics and things
[speaker001:] oh I know especially if you get what is it Seclor I think that that just about breaks the bank right there
[speaker002:] um-hum the yes yes it's pretty bad well yeah and we um we were interested in having dental dental insurance too because um well having been in school we kind of put things off and only went in when we knew there was a problem somewhere and stuff and
[speaker001:] um-hum do you
[speaker002:] we wanted to be able to go in and have our teeth cleaned and just checked all over and
[speaker001:] do you have the basic plan or do you have the the other one
[speaker002:] we have um you know we're at Aetna with uh an we have like the medical the dental insurance is separate is that what you mean and I don't think it's the basic I think it's the other one
[speaker001:] right the one that's like you get additional they'll pay a little bit more I think for the different procedures we just have the basic right now and
[speaker002:] um-hum uh-huh
[speaker001:] for most things it tends to cover it we don't have too many major um expenses at this point but we have been able to find doctors dentists that will accept pretty much whatever the basic plan pays a couple of times we've had to pay oh I don't know three to five dollars but that's not that bad
[speaker002:] uh-huh no that's great yeah we need to go shopping for dentists and things like that too yes and let's see besides insurance other things that we looked at um well my husband does not like to commute very far and and we don't like him to be you know having to drive an hour to work or something
[speaker001:] um-hum no we don't like that either
[speaker002:] so we kind of looked for where where the uh his office would be located and how far well he's uh you know he's at the one that's at um
[speaker001:] is his office in Plano
[speaker002:] seventy five at uh six thirty five and so well by living in Plano we're just about fifteen minutes away and
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh oh that's not bad
[speaker002:] especially especially when they finish all the construction out here and we didn't want him to let you know to like we had some job offers in the New York area and we thought well you know he would be really commuting
[speaker001:] right oh yes you're not kidding
[speaker002:] and not only is it you know trouble to have to drive but it takes time away from your home and your family when you're out driving
[speaker001:] that's right
[speaker002:] and um so that was something that was important to us and because like like I say I we kind of felt deprived that he had been in school and been away from us for so long that we were anxious to do everything we could to have you know made us be more together and and what other can you think of another thing that you guys looked at and
[speaker001:] well that those are some of the things that are very important to us too um
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] we we'd like you know other benefits that are provided um the athletic facilities that that you can sometimes take advantage of um
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] I think that's that's pretty nice but I have to say that since we've come here we haven't done it too much though we haven't enrolled in too many of the classes or or any of that but that's a that's a nice benefit to have
[speaker002:] um-hum that's true that's really important um also what um opportunities there would be for advancement I think we looked at besides just you know what salary you would be having having now but when when could uh your salary increase and
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] is there was there somewhere to go
[speaker001:] yeah that that's one of the I think the hard things right now I mean they're going through some some tough times to say the least uh I know many of us are thankful that he still has a job
[speaker002:] um-hum yes that that we can make our mortgage payments and yeah that's really true
[speaker001:] uh uh one of the drawbacks I think of working for a big company is often times you do have to follow pretty rigid um guidelines um if if an employee is especially exemplary I think it's often in a smaller company it's a little bit easier for them to say hey you know this person did a wonderful job give him a big bonus kind of thing a lot of times
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] smaller companies have bonus plans where I think in a large company it's hard to do that because there're just so many people to deal with and you have to have guidelines if you know for salary increases and things like that
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] just one of the things that that happens when someone when you're dealing with a large company
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] but
[speaker002:] but well we also were interested in um you know being sure that he felt like he liked the people that he would be working with and that there would be some uh opportunity for
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] for friendships that way so that you would feel happy going to work everyday and rather than thinking oh I really I can't stand these people I but uh so that's something that was important to him and
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] thinking he could um work under those
[speaker001:] how long has he been in his present position
[speaker002:] oh just since last last summer it's only been not even a year yet so
[speaker001:] uh-huh well I was going to say it sounds like you you picked out a lot of good things you know for him to to have to uh to choose in a position that has a lot of thought put into it in a big company though you also get moved around a lot he may be having to drive over here to Lewisville some time or or we may be having to drive to Plano you never know
[speaker002:] yes we're oh yeah you never know we're hoping that that won't be the case we I think one of the most one of the most deciding factors of why we chose um this area is that um my husband was raised in Irving
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and so he we have a lot of family here his side of the family and being when we were down in Houston we were isolated I mean it's not that far but people would have we didn't have anyone in town that was our family and although we had really good friends and and we had church and school support and things um
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] we were anxious to move close to family members just because we wanted our children to know their grandparents and things like that
[speaker001:] yeah we're very
[speaker002:] so that really made a big difference I think in why we chose TI and chose to move this way
[speaker001:] we're very far from our families and it's really hard families little children and um they were the only grandchildren and so our our families are are are really far away in fact this is a little off the topic but yesterday my mother happened to be on a train going from Phoenix to back to Chicago and it stopped in Dallas for a half an hour so
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] I loaded the kids in the car and we went downtown and met her train for half an hour and brought her a little snack and an Easter basket and I think it it made her trip a little bit nicer
[speaker002:] oh that's nice yeah and it is I think it is important to you know want to be close to your family and
[speaker001:] yeah I mean it's it's hard I mean to to just for us to snatch a half hour like that is is a special occasion for us so um
[speaker002:] um-hum well that's definitely the way we feel
[speaker001:] it's nice it's nice that you can have your family close like that
[speaker002:] we're really enjoying it I wonder what it would be like I mean I I wanted to be close to family but I also thought that it would be harder to be close to family but it's turned out really good and I think that you know we're really satisfied with that choice and
[speaker001:] yeah sometimes it can be
[speaker002:] we you know kind of felt like um it was worth it to us
[speaker001:] that's good
[speaker002:] but anyway well I my children just ran out the door so I need to go check on them but I've really enjoyed this conversation conversation and and uh nice to have met you and you have a good day okay bye-bye
[speaker001:] okay well I have too okay you too bye-bye