Would you do this commute?

[Longcommute]

I've been offered a new job. I currently work 95% at home with occasional travel. New job is 2 days per week in the office and occasional travel. Unfortunately the office is 80 miles away so it's a pretty big round trip. The remaining 3 days I can work from home.

It would be a 1.5-2 hour drive. It would be double this on the train due to poor service options near the office. I'd probably have to leave at 6am and get back about 6pm (and work a bit those evenings to make up for leaving the office early ish to collect the dog. Child at uni so no childcare to worry about.

I don't know anyone who lives near there so I can't couch surf and will need to find a dog sitter too.

The job is more exciting, a better career development opportunity and around £10k pay rise.

What would you do?

Your £10k will disappear in travel costs/food. It's not a pay rise

I couldn’t . I’m currently 30 miles from my office and it’s my limit. Sometimes I’m a quick 45min drive but on others it can be 90minutes. It kills my soul 😂

My very similar commute costs me £360 each month in petrol, and another £20 in parking.

I earn £45k and it doesn't really feel like it to be honest...

£360 for 2 days a week?

I do three days a week, £30 a day or thereabouts, and £3.40 a day to park.

I'd only do it if I could stay cheaply overnight and have one journey there and back a week.

Sounds like that's not an option for you with the dog.

What I don't understand is why you wouldn't make this decision before applying.

What's the traffic like? My commuters 11 miles. If I leave after 7.20am in term time it can take 75 minutes. 7am or 8.45am and it's 25 to 35.

I have always been majorly for life/work balance. There's no way £10k extra would entice me into that commute.

It's would be a no for me too, and it would be a 50+% pay rise for me. And my current commute is approximately 30-40 mins each way.

No, not for that pay rise. I have a low tolerance for commutes and live fairly centrally in London, which is a compromise with house prices but has meant I've never commuted longer than 40 mins door to door, and mostly under 25 mins.

Not sure it's worth it

That's a brutal commute

I wouldn’t do it. It would make me unwell. I once did a commute which was 2hrs each way on public transport and it made me ill. Migraines, nausea, fatigue, aches and pains. Then I had to take anti migraine medicine which caused side effects. Not to mention my performance was very poor because I was so unwell. All of my illness stopped as soon as I stopped the commute.

Negotiate before you turn it down.

Are they ok with one day on the office? Or no days??
Don't assume they won't be.

Or explain that the costs are prohibitive and see if they'll push the offer up £20k.

Absolutely not worth it!
Your £10k rise will be quickly swallowed up by increased travel costs, dog sitter etc.
You'll be no better off financially, time poor and knackered on your commuting days, so your work/life balance will suffer. If it was only going to be short term and would improve your future career prospects, maybe it would be worth biting the bullet for a limited period. Long term, as you suggest, no way. I think you will tire of it very quickly.

Taking out the fuel money and fog sitting costs the pay rise is nowhere near enough for that level of disruption imo .

@Longcommute

no way. There must be similar jobs closer? Or if the job was that amazing I'd move.

by the time you've paid for fuel & dog sitting the net of £10k will be gone!

4 hours a day commuting. I did a horrible public Transport commute (about 2.5 hours each way, longer if one of my trains wasn't on time) but I knew it was for a limited period, I couldn't have done it knowing it was long term.

youd be mad.

I would go for one day a week if you can negotiate that. I've worked a two hour drive from home but stayed there for the week. I only did it in a day a couple of times and it was exhausting. It's the concentration needed for driving, One day would be tiring but probably manageable but the accumulation of two days would ruin the rest of the week.

I currently have a longer commute by train. Tiring but not as much as the drive plus I can get admin etc done.

will the wfm element stay this low?

I'd pay for a Travelodge and stay over 1 night a week. You would avoid the cost of petrol for one return journey and you can relax instead of driving.

No way, it's not worth it.

There's also the risk that you'll be asked to go into the office even more.

I currently do something similar to this and would say if it is only 1-2 days a week then go for it. I recommend listening to audible books on the journey. It makes the time pass more quickly and pleasantly plus you feel like you've accomplished something by getting through so many books.

I actually would for two days a week if it's a good career job with promotion prospects. It's not about the £10k, it's about being able to go up and get significantly more than £10k. You'd have a difficult 2 days but it could be worth it and then you'd still have 3 days at home.

I'd do it, but I probably would consider once od settled on and liked it whether I wanted to live closer. Split the two working days up, a get a good series of audio books or podcasts

I would do it if it was one day per week and that was written into my contract but I wouldn't do it two days a week for a £10k pay rise.....that would just disappear and you won't feel any better off.

I do a 50 mile commute occasionally to another site through work and it can often take me 2 hours each way due to traffic. I wouldn't do it more than once a week without a significant pay rise.

Definitely not.