Discussion
I know I'll get a bit of stick for this and some comments suggesting I move or whatever (which isn't out of the question in the future, but only 18 or so miles closer...)
I have two potential job offers and mulling over the overall packages. I have a good insight in to both companies as its a small industry.
One job is around 27 miles away, 40 mins on a clear run, 50 or maybe more in traffic but the time I'll be driving there shouldn't be much traffic
42 hours per week but 46 in the factory, Monday to Friday, 6 till 3.30
Overtime paid at 1.5 hourly rate
The other job is... well, bloody miles away. 69 miles away to be precise, on okay roads and roughly 1hr20 mins but let's round up to 1hr30 to make itneasier.
£10k per annum more money
More prestigious company and nicer environment
Much more relaxed as the nature of the company
4 on 4 off, 12 hour shift, 6 till 6
One extra shift required I.e. 5 on 3 off for 3 months of the year
After tax fuel, wear and tear on car and everything I'd be roughly probably £300 per month better off with the second job. I'd also have 4 days off regularly, and 4 days holiday gives you 12 days off.
If I liked the second job we would maybe look to move a bit closer so the journey would be more like 55 mins. There might be potential to lift share, and we need to buy a bigger house fairly soon so the higher salary may help with affordability and mortgages.
There is enough overtime available at the first job to earn the same taking in to account the fuel differences etc, but I'd need to do an extra 5 hours per week, so that's 51 in the factory, plus 7.5 commuting time = 58.5
The other job averages 42 hours per week or 3.5 days per week not taking in to account the extra days for 3 months of the year. That's 42 at work and 10.5 commuting, 52.5.
When I break it down like this, the long commute doesn't seem so silly any more but perhaps it would get tedious and long days too will make it tiring.
I've done long commutes in the past but never this long...
Tell me if I'm mad or if it might work!!
Any advice appreciated.
Thanks
I have two potential job offers and mulling over the overall packages. I have a good insight in to both companies as its a small industry.
One job is around 27 miles away, 40 mins on a clear run, 50 or maybe more in traffic but the time I'll be driving there shouldn't be much traffic
42 hours per week but 46 in the factory, Monday to Friday, 6 till 3.30
Overtime paid at 1.5 hourly rate
The other job is... well, bloody miles away. 69 miles away to be precise, on okay roads and roughly 1hr20 mins but let's round up to 1hr30 to make itneasier.
£10k per annum more money
More prestigious company and nicer environment
Much more relaxed as the nature of the company
4 on 4 off, 12 hour shift, 6 till 6
One extra shift required I.e. 5 on 3 off for 3 months of the year
After tax fuel, wear and tear on car and everything I'd be roughly probably £300 per month better off with the second job. I'd also have 4 days off regularly, and 4 days holiday gives you 12 days off.
If I liked the second job we would maybe look to move a bit closer so the journey would be more like 55 mins. There might be potential to lift share, and we need to buy a bigger house fairly soon so the higher salary may help with affordability and mortgages.
There is enough overtime available at the first job to earn the same taking in to account the fuel differences etc, but I'd need to do an extra 5 hours per week, so that's 51 in the factory, plus 7.5 commuting time = 58.5
The other job averages 42 hours per week or 3.5 days per week not taking in to account the extra days for 3 months of the year. That's 42 at work and 10.5 commuting, 52.5.
When I break it down like this, the long commute doesn't seem so silly any more but perhaps it would get tedious and long days too will make it tiring.
I've done long commutes in the past but never this long...
Tell me if I'm mad or if it might work!!
Any advice appreciated.
Thanks
dibbers006 said:
Don't do it.
Commuting is a waste of life.
I speak from two decades of various planes, trains, and automobiles.
I hear you, but I'm trying to take in to account both of the overall packages wholistically and not get too hung up on just commuting = stupid... Commuting is a waste of life.
I speak from two decades of various planes, trains, and automobiles.
For what it's worth I'll always have to commute minimum 35 to 45 mins each way if I want to stay living round here, which ideally I do, so it's 1.5 hours out of my day as a minimum really whatever job I go for.
I get up at 5.00 out the house by 6.00 and drive 75 miles to work.
Been doing it since the beginning of February and am already looking for a new job.
If 2 hours each way on top of a 9 hour day weren't bad enough the cost of fuel is now crippling me.
£100 a week on fuel.
Life is too short.
Been doing it since the beginning of February and am already looking for a new job.
If 2 hours each way on top of a 9 hour day weren't bad enough the cost of fuel is now crippling me.
£100 a week on fuel.
Life is too short.
Depends how much you value that £300 a month, this will be a bigger deal the less money you're on.. and how much you value 4 days off.
I do weekend shift at the moment in my current contract role, 6 till 6.30 or 5 till 5.30 sat sun Mon... its 1hr10 mins drive and that's bearable for 3 days and fortunately no traffic. I love the 4 days off per week, but I hate working the weekend and I swing between enjoying the winding down time in the car and hating the waste of time at the end of every day when I just want to get home.
4 on 4 off deserves a premium for such long days and having to work a s
t load of weekends... don't forget about these drawbacks...
I do weekend shift at the moment in my current contract role, 6 till 6.30 or 5 till 5.30 sat sun Mon... its 1hr10 mins drive and that's bearable for 3 days and fortunately no traffic. I love the 4 days off per week, but I hate working the weekend and I swing between enjoying the winding down time in the car and hating the waste of time at the end of every day when I just want to get home.
4 on 4 off deserves a premium for such long days and having to work a s
t load of weekends... don't forget about these drawbacks... Edited by Raymond Reddington on Sunday 3rd July 22:29
The 4 on 4 off isn't what it's cracked up to be. You'll be finishing your 4th day on a night shift won't you?
That means 3 days off as you'll be driving home into your day off and having to sleep, feel knackered.
Also just one crash a week on your commute royally grinds you down on those commutes.
The second the worse.
Will you also really finish on time? Facing a long commute home after a 15hour day?
Prestigious to who? Your health?
When I finished nights I used to dread driving home around the M60 coming upto rush hour.
Ontop of that I was fighting to concentrate. That was a 8 mile commute! Yours fk that.
That means 3 days off as you'll be driving home into your day off and having to sleep, feel knackered.
Also just one crash a week on your commute royally grinds you down on those commutes.
The second the worse.
Will you also really finish on time? Facing a long commute home after a 15hour day?
Prestigious to who? Your health?
When I finished nights I used to dread driving home around the M60 coming upto rush hour.
Ontop of that I was fighting to concentrate. That was a 8 mile commute! Yours f
k that. As everyone else is saying, if you have the option, avoid the long commute and 12hr shift work!!
I did a 60 minute each way (occasionally 90 minute) commute for 18 months, frankly destroyed me. I know colleagues who do this day in day longterm, I honestly have no idea how.
If you have a family not been able to do any school pick up/drop offs is very high price to pay to chase some extra £££.
Time is the most valuable thing we all have, chossing to waste more of it commuting seems like madness.
I did a 60 minute each way (occasionally 90 minute) commute for 18 months, frankly destroyed me. I know colleagues who do this day in day longterm, I honestly have no idea how.
If you have a family not been able to do any school pick up/drop offs is very high price to pay to chase some extra £££.
Time is the most valuable thing we all have, chossing to waste more of it commuting seems like madness.
Don't do the long commute.
You'll be tired all the time so will buy crappy food for lunch instead of taking the healthy option or making your own. And you're going to be sitting on your arse in a car for a guaranteed 3 hours a day. You'll put on a couple of stone in 12 months. Ask me how I know.
You will be too tired to do anything when you get home or before going (so forget exercise etc) and all the chores etc that you're no longer doing during work days will be saved up for the weekend/off shift, which will push out the time you used to have for hobbies/exercise etc etc.
That will make you glum and you'll start having the occasional drink to get over another long, crappy tiring day after a nasty crash held you up and you got home late at night. This will become a habit.
SO you'll be tired, fat, with a messy house and a drink problem. Weekends will be spent doing chores, there will never be any playtime and you'll grow to hate driving.
Sounds great.
I did a long commute during the GFC around 2009 - a startup I was involved in folded because of the financial goings on and I was unemployed for 6 months eating my savings before finding a fairly crappy job about 90 minutes away. I did it for nearly a year because I HAD to.
45 minutes is OK, but anything over an hour will slowly kill you.
You'll be tired all the time so will buy crappy food for lunch instead of taking the healthy option or making your own. And you're going to be sitting on your arse in a car for a guaranteed 3 hours a day. You'll put on a couple of stone in 12 months. Ask me how I know.
You will be too tired to do anything when you get home or before going (so forget exercise etc) and all the chores etc that you're no longer doing during work days will be saved up for the weekend/off shift, which will push out the time you used to have for hobbies/exercise etc etc.
That will make you glum and you'll start having the occasional drink to get over another long, crappy tiring day after a nasty crash held you up and you got home late at night. This will become a habit.
SO you'll be tired, fat, with a messy house and a drink problem. Weekends will be spent doing chores, there will never be any playtime and you'll grow to hate driving.
Sounds great.
I did a long commute during the GFC around 2009 - a startup I was involved in folded because of the financial goings on and I was unemployed for 6 months eating my savings before finding a fairly crappy job about 90 minutes away. I did it for nearly a year because I HAD to.
45 minutes is OK, but anything over an hour will slowly kill you.
Have you considered getting a motorbike for the commute?
I did this years ago and could get up an hour later in the mornings due to the reduced commute time and also parking ride outside my office.
Nothing faster than a motorbike for commuting and it really is not that bad even in the crappy weather.
Might be worth considering some of the bigger scooters given their fuel economy and licence requirements.
I did this years ago and could get up an hour later in the mornings due to the reduced commute time and also parking ride outside my office.
Nothing faster than a motorbike for commuting and it really is not that bad even in the crappy weather.
Might be worth considering some of the bigger scooters given their fuel economy and licence requirements.
£300 extra a month is EASILY spent.
one regret i have is taking contract roles miles away for the extra money
as above
- aggravated and moody due to time wasted travelling
- spend more on crap food
- you earn more, so probably likely to spend more anyway
if you really need the money id do bang out some overtime one month to make it up.
one regret i have is taking contract roles miles away for the extra money
as above
- aggravated and moody due to time wasted travelling
- spend more on crap food
- you earn more, so probably likely to spend more anyway
if you really need the money id do bang out some overtime one month to make it up.
Everyone else has said it, but I'll add my bit too.
My commute is a 45-50 mile commute (depending on which precise route I take) that takes in 10 junctions of the M25.
Best ever commute in has been about 75 mins (leaving 05:30), best ever return 48 mins (leaving 14:00).
Worst ever was nearly 4 hours but that's noting a few times I've ditched the commute in and headed home, a few times I have just stayed at work and left later, and once just got a hotel near my work.
It's the inconsistency and stop/start that gets me more than anything else. If it was always 90 mins I might be ok, but leaving home at 06:00 and not knowing I can make an 08:00 call is painful, not knowing if I will get back home in time to do something with my son is worse.
I'm trapped though, mostly like the job, pay is ok but benefits good, and the idea of moving jobs isn't that palatable.
My commute is a 45-50 mile commute (depending on which precise route I take) that takes in 10 junctions of the M25.
Best ever commute in has been about 75 mins (leaving 05:30), best ever return 48 mins (leaving 14:00).
Worst ever was nearly 4 hours but that's noting a few times I've ditched the commute in and headed home, a few times I have just stayed at work and left later, and once just got a hotel near my work.
It's the inconsistency and stop/start that gets me more than anything else. If it was always 90 mins I might be ok, but leaving home at 06:00 and not knowing I can make an 08:00 call is painful, not knowing if I will get back home in time to do something with my son is worse.
I'm trapped though, mostly like the job, pay is ok but benefits good, and the idea of moving jobs isn't that palatable.
As said in my original post it actually seems I'd be better off with the long commute in terms of time spent out of the house and then has 4 days off too.
I'm definitely not saying it's easy or preferable, just that it's potentially not as bad.. its not a stand still commute in m25 traffic, its a consistent 1hr20 journey (I know as I've done it before but not for a commute, visiting poorly relative regularly who's local to the job)
I do appreciate it will be horrible though, but when I look at the real numbers compared to the closer job it doesn't seem as bad or is it just me??
I'm definitely not saying it's easy or preferable, just that it's potentially not as bad.. its not a stand still commute in m25 traffic, its a consistent 1hr20 journey (I know as I've done it before but not for a commute, visiting poorly relative regularly who's local to the job)
I do appreciate it will be horrible though, but when I look at the real numbers compared to the closer job it doesn't seem as bad or is it just me??
Edited by Clappedoutvolvo on Monday 4th July 09:02
Depends how inconsistent the commute is IMO.
I did 2 years doing 100 miles a day, about an 1hr 15mins each way. It was rare I got stuck in major traffic, but was bloody annoying when I did. I wouldn’t be doing the same thing around the M25 where it could be an hour one day and 3 hours the next!
I actually enjoyed the commute as a nice way to separate work and home, listen to some music and chill out.
You’d definitely need a comfy car, with a decent stereo and that will happily trundle along the motorway.
I did 2 years doing 100 miles a day, about an 1hr 15mins each way. It was rare I got stuck in major traffic, but was bloody annoying when I did. I wouldn’t be doing the same thing around the M25 where it could be an hour one day and 3 hours the next!
I actually enjoyed the commute as a nice way to separate work and home, listen to some music and chill out.
You’d definitely need a comfy car, with a decent stereo and that will happily trundle along the motorway.
I do 286 miles each way, so 600 or so per week, I walk whilst I’m down here.
Fuel around £120 p/w.
I don’t want to commute, life’s too short, but is this the opportunity that gives you the experience / knowledge / door to the next big step? That’s what it is for me.
18 months is my target and I’m 5 months in, it’s st but keeping the long term benefits in sight is what is motivating me.
If it’s just a job it isn’t worth it, if it’s a step in your career do it.
Fuel around £120 p/w.
I don’t want to commute, life’s too short, but is this the opportunity that gives you the experience / knowledge / door to the next big step? That’s what it is for me.
18 months is my target and I’m 5 months in, it’s s
t but keeping the long term benefits in sight is what is motivating me. If it’s just a job it isn’t worth it, if it’s a step in your career do it.
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