Congratulations, you've got the job! Music to our ears, it's what we all want to hear. You hand in your notice and the boss has a stunned look on his face. He really doesn't want you to leave and so offers you more money than you've been offered in the new job. If you stay and take the extra money the old problems and gripes you've had with your existing job will still be there, but you could really do with the money.
The new job counter offers and ups the salary a bit more – but can't match your current boss’s offer. With bills to pay and an offer you can't refuse, you decide to stay in your existing role. But what now? It's great that you have a little bit more cash in your pocket, but you don’t have the sparkle or excitement of a new job to look forward to – things are just the same. Was it worth it? Should you have ignored the money and taken on a new challenge? You may never know.
But what's more disappointing here is, why did it take your resignation to force the hand of your boss to give you a pay rise? A pay rise that you obviously deserved and which was no doubt timely. We don't want to have to hold our managers to ransom and threaten to leave to get a bit more money, but it's so frustrating. Why are so many PAs not paid what they're clearly worth?