Is a one hour commute too much?

[BernadetteAndHoward]

I am looking at taking a job with an hours commute which could see me being out of the house from 6.30 - 7.30 three days a week. I have a young baby but my partner will take care of childcare runs on these days. I can’t decide if the commute will wear thin very quickly, especially in the winter. I am however really excited about this job opportunity but I don’t want to make the wrong move. What sort of commutes do people do with young kids?

So you're working 7.30-6.30? I think an hour of fine, but an hours drive after a 12 hour day might be different. Is it three days in a row? Presumably you won't see DC on those days so how many runs of days would also be an issue for me

I'd be all for you going for the job. Are you doing a 730 to 630 job on those three days? Are those hours likely to bleed so you're kept an hour late? What child care have you got for your baby? Are both your jobs flexible enough if there's illness from either of you or child care provider? I had a variable job and my husband kindly sucked up chicken pox, colds etc - I worked long hours but it could be 0430-2230 or 0800-1800 and lots of car travel with petrol but not car wear paid for. Sit down and work it out.

45-60 mins depending on traffic driving 3 days a week. Ok for me, but can be stressful rather than tiring

It is not ideal but I have been doing it about 17 years now. You get used to it.

Depends on the job. If it’s a minimum wage job then no. If it’s a stepping stone job with decent pay then go for it. My DC are 10&8 and I’ve never worked closer than 40 minutes from home in rush hour. Currently commuting an hour each way in the opposite direction from school which is 30 minutes, so on the days I do the school run I’ve driven for 2 hours before I arrive at work. BUT I’m working with the best colleagues I’ve ever had and I love my job, so no plans to move jobs, house or school. DH works away for 1/2 the week, so I do this in my own tues-Thursday.

That sounds fine if it's only 3 days.

To answer some questions - it’s not a minimum wage job and days are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. At the moment I’ll see my little one before I leave as she’s an early riser (can’t see this changing for a while!). Core work hours are 8-5 but I will need to do 7.30 to 7 sometimes, could be not all or everyday that week to some degree. Financially we really need the job too.

I'd definitely do it for a dream job. I used to do it for not a dream job. It was ok tbh. Chill out time listening to the radio.

I refused a job with an hour driving commute last year. I'm now very very glad I did. I wouldn't do it.

My commute is about an hour and I've done it for years. It suits some, it doesn't suit others.

Mine is an hour and a half to am hour and 45 minutes - bus-train-bus - lots of time to stare out the window, or read (on the train). I've never had a commute under an hour, so yours seems fine to me.

I wouldn't want to do it, can you imagine how long it would be with unexpected delays or bad weather.

Mine is 1-1.5 hours each way traffic depending. When I just had my eldest I went to the office 3 days a week and WFH the other two. Now I have two DC I just do four days so 2&2. The days I go in are long but i enjoy my job so it's worth it. It's also nice having the split of office and WFH I find. I do wish I had more time with DC1 when he was little though which is why I'm now only doing 4 days to spend time with them both more.

I did a two hour commute for three or four days a week for three years. It was OK to start with but got very tiring towards the end

Fortunately a new boss came in and demanded I work 5 days in the office, I had left for another job in under two months with 3 days in the office but starting overnight ((paid for)

If you don't want the commute then you don't want the wages

Go for it

I wouldn’t want to do much longer but an hour is fine. It’s only 3 days. Read/listen to a book.

I work close to the DC and since COVID DH mainly work's from home..

Sorry if I missed it, do you have DC?

Who will do all the pick ups when ill? Appointments that you can't dictate and happen during school hours?
That's would be my main consideration.
Even with me working near them and DH at home it's been a hellish few month's! So many unexpected things have happened and between us we have struggled to fit everything in.

Sadly normal and it could probably wear you down. At least it seems to be at a time when many of the worst drivers on the road are not about.

It would be the cold dark mornings and evenings in winter that would make an hour unappealing for me.

I wouldn't hesitate

A one hour commute is totally fine. You can listen to the radio and you will get used to it

That used to be my commute 5 days a week. Out of the house at 7.00am for a train at 7.10, then home on a train at 5.35pm which got me in around 6.45pm.

I must admit it did get a bit much in the winter months but after doing it for around 40 years you get used to it! Glad I've retired now though.

Research on what makes people happy has shown that commuting is one of the things that makes people most unhappy. It is ‘normal’ but with young children I’d only do it if I absolutely had to. Driving 2h a day is tiring too.

My commute is 15 miles each way, but the bulk is rural. It takes me longer to do the last 3 miles than it does the other 12 and varies from 35 to 50 minutes. I never mind the morning drive, in fact it's quite nice with a Chilly mug full of coffee but the evening one is sometimes tough when I'm tired. Especially when the traffic is heavy and it's stop start.

I'm dreading the annual river flooding when we have to take a massive detour and it takes around 60 - 80 minutes each way.

I would definitely take it

The days aren't consecutive

It's great to keep your foot in the door professionally

It'll be good for your finances and your self esteem

An hours commute isn't that bad at all. Especially in a car. Put music on, podcasts etc

Let's face it, if this was a man he wouldn't even be asking the question!

Go for it op