A couple from Hyderabad, whose careers span two different professional worlds, have opened up about how they balance their work routine, finances and marriage. While the woman works in the corporate sector, her husband is a government sector employee in the Indian Oil Corporation.
From dealing with unexpected transfers and contrasting work cultures to maintaining a home that costs approx. ₹The couple, who earn Rs 1.1 lakh per month, believe that having one partner in the private sector and the other in a government organization gives them a chance to enjoy the “best of both worlds”.
Speaking to HT.com, Suruchi Singh said that she is originally from Kolkata, while her husband Shubham Kumar Singh is from Patna. The couple, who currently lives in Hyderabad, got married for over a year after dating for three years.
Suruchi is a law graduate from Amity University and works in the corporate sector. Her husband is an electrical engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He achieved an all India rank of 778 in the Joint Entrance Examination Advanced in 2014.
She said, “My husband is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur. He works as a Manager (Officer) in Indian Oil. He was AIR 175 in UPSC EPFO, but he did not make his career there. His job is transferable all over India.”
Different routines but shared responsibilities
There is considerable difference in the daily schedules of the couple as Shubham has to be physically present in the office, while Suruchi is allowed to work from home three days a week.
He said his workdays are largely filled with professional responsibilities, but he tries to make the most of his evenings and weekends. Since they do not have children at present, they are able to spend a lot of time together.
Suruchi said, “He has to physically go to the office while I have to work from home 3 days a week. Weekends are fun but on weekdays we are largely alone. Since we don’t have a child right now, we get enough time for each other.”
She said that they both enjoy doing small tasks like making tea and cooking for each other.
She shared, “On days I work from home, I am like a traditional wife who welcomes my husband with tea in the evening. When I go to office, he does the same and reaches early. We enjoy cooking for each other.”
To handle the household responsibilities along with their job, the couple has also hired a domestic help. Suruchi believes that support from family and household staff becomes especially important when both partners are employed.
“There are definite challenges. It takes family support, especially if you plan to have a family. We have domestic help for our small tasks and I think that is important if both of us are working,” she said.
Corporate deadlines vs. 24/7 availability
Comparing the two work cultures, Suruchi said that employees in the corporate sector can be extremely busy during scheduled office hours. However, once their assigned task is completed, they are often able to disconnect.
Their husband, on the other hand, may have more flexibility in managing his office schedule, but he is still expected to be available after traditional working hours.
“In corporate you are more busy when you are in your office hours, but at home they also have to take calls. There is always something going on in their office,” he said.
He said, “You can say that they have the freedom to work as per their wish in their office, but they have to be available 24 hours. Unlike me, I have to complete the work given and then switch off.”
Suruchi also highlighted what he described as a major difference in how performance and accountability are evaluated in the two sectors.
He said, “In a corporate job, you are evaluated on the basis of how much work you have done, but in a government job, you are evaluated on the basis of whether something went wrong during your tenure or not.”
According to him, the fear of questioning, documentation errors or disciplinary proceedings can sometimes discourage government employees from experimenting or taking additional initiatives.
He said, “Obviously because of this a lot of people don’t do more work or do something new because it might lead to something going wrong and a charge sheet being filed against you. There is no incentive to do more work. More work more cases, less work you will have less cases.”
Government jobs provide security amid layoffs
Suruchi admitted that she initially did not understand the stability associated with government employment. However, widespread layoffs in private companies have changed his outlook.
(Also read: Tech expert sarcastically calls corporate jobs ‘useless’ for giving employees too much rest)
“I didn’t think so earlier, but now that all the layoffs are going on, it feels safe that none of us will lose our jobs. This also gives me the freedom to explore other avenues like a business or a startup,” he said.
She comes from a business-oriented family where no one has a government job. As a result, she previously considered such careers boring. Her opinion changed after seeing her husband’s work and understanding the security it provided.
She said, “I used to consider them boring. But as I learn about the job, I think it is a blessing in disguise that one has a job in which one cannot be fired easily, so it becomes easier to plan for buying property and other long-term commitments.”
Additionally, her corporate career has exposed her husband, who comes from a family of government employees, to the target-driven environment of the private sector.
“He values the deadline rush, the reward-based system and the ability to change companies if you want,” Suruchi said.
She believes the couple’s contrasting careers help them benefit from both fields.
“You are getting the best of both worlds. If the corporate sector is doing well I benefit and if the government sector does well we are also rewarded. And as said earlier, I can explore more in life with less risk,” she said.
Transfer remains the biggest challenge
Since Shubham’s job is transferable across India, the couple may have to relocate depending on his posting. Suruchi admitted that relocation can be difficult, especially when both partners are pursuing their own careers.
However, the availability of work from home arrangements in the corporate sector has made relocation more manageable.
“Relocation is a big challenge but it also means that we get to travel and explore more places, basically on government-sponsored trips. Earlier, it was a huge challenge but now with work from home available, it has become very feasible,” he said.
Despite their professional commitments, the couple tries to keep their weekends safe. Suruchi said he avoids working on weekends unless there is some urgent work that requires his attention.
“We ensure that we do not work on weekends unless absolutely necessary and even if we have to suffer financial losses, we keep our weekends free for each other,” he said.
“We regularly go on night walks where we discuss our days and family gossip,” he said.
couple hang out ₹1.1 lakh every month
Suruchi also shared details of the couple’s estimated monthly household expenses in Hyderabad. His expenses include ₹35,000 fare, ₹10,000 for domestic help, ₹20,000 more for groceries ₹5,000 for electricity and maintenance.
They also pay the monthly installment equal to the car ₹12,000. nearby ₹A weekend trip costs Rs 20,000, while transportation costs around Rs. ₹10,000.
“Our monthly expenses are like this. 35 thousand rent, 10 thousand domestic help, 20 thousand groceries, 5 thousand electricity and maintenance, 12 thousand car EMI, 20 thousand for weekend outings, 10 thousand transportation. It comes to around 110 thousand per month,” she said.
Rent remains their largest recurring expense. Including maintenance, the cost of housing reaches approximately ₹40,000 per month.
To balance spending and saving, the couple follows a simple financial strategy: they try to run their household using Suruchi’s salary while saving most of Shubham’s income.
“We plan to manage all our expenses from one salary and leave the other for savings or recreational activities. My salary completely goes towards day-to-day household expenses, rent etc. While from his salary we try to save,” he said.
Since they are newly married, their expenditure on travel, outings and recreational activities is currently high. However, they have set a minimum amount that should be saved every month.
He further added, “Since we got married recently, fun expenses are high these days. But somehow we have a fixed amount to save every month.”
Trust is essential when both partners work
Suruchi said people sometimes assume that couples who work in different environments may slowly drift apart or seek emotional comfort from coworkers.
He believes that a working marriage requires mutual trust as well as conscious efforts to overcome each other’s doubts and insecurities.
“However, I do agree that if both people are working, you have to trust each other more and each should make positive efforts towards addressing their partner’s insecurities,” she said.
He further added, “At the end of the day if you love each other and trust each other then you make efforts to make things work.”
Sharing advice for other couples with opposite careers, Suruchi said that their relationship and sense of accomplishment should not be solely defined by their jobs.
He said, “Make your life outside of work. Your happy place and your sense of accomplishment should come from the life you are building together, not from the individual things you do in your life to enable your livelihood.”
He also urged couples to find common interests and regularly participate in activities together.
“Find something you both are interested in and do activities together. It’s very easy to get lost in your work and leave your marriage behind. This leads to doubt and insecurity, no matter how much you love each other,” she concluded.
