to think a great job may not be worth a 50 min commute?

[Ondasp]

I started a new job in London a couple of months ago. The job is great, fantastic company, great office, awesome team, really good money (+60% compared to my last position), nice benefits. A dream job.

The only downside is that it takes me 50 mins to get there from where I live

The commute is: 5 mins walk - 30 mins on tube with one change - 15 mins walk (the office is faaaar from the closest tube station).

I work ft Mon to Fri 9-6, regular hours. I am in my late 20s, own my place with DH (so I can't move) and I don't have DC yet.

I really dislike this commute. I love the job but I am starting to think it may not be worth it.

AIBU to doubt whether a great job is worth a 50 mins commute?

It's pretty short in terms of time but not very pleasant. We used to live in Wimbledon and get the tube to work. My journey was comparable to the one you describe OP, in terms of time/amount of walking etc. A crowded rush hour tube for half an hour in summer is awful.

We then moved to Cambridgeshire. My journey to work increased to 1 hour 15/20 minutes but was bliss in comparison. Always a seat on the train, able to read/work/relax, and bus from Kings Cross reduced the walking element as well. It's not just about length of time.

If you can stagger times to avoid peak crowds that will make it a lot more bearable.

I always work on the rule of thumb that anywhere in London to anywhere else in London usually takes around an hour - anything quicker than that is considered close, anywhere longer than that is considered far away!

The trick with London commuting is figuring out little hacks to make the journey more bearable. Usually, the TFL-mandated 'fastest route' isn't the most pleasant. Travelling earlier/later (if you can), or changing the stops you get on/off at (sometimes getting on a stop or two earlier can result in you actually getting a seat, which for a 30 min journey is good payoff IMO) can make a massive difference. I've lived and worked all over London and I've always managed to find a preferable option for my commute.

I just wish more companies were open to part-time WFH policies more.. If I could WFH once or twice a week, that would already make the whole situation sooo much better.

Since I just started this job I am not in the position to ask for a special arrangement at the moment, since I have yet to prove myself. Perhaps in a couple of years I could ask for something like that, who knows.

At the moment, sucking it up is my only option if I want to keep this job.

I used to walk 45 mins to work every day in a previous job. When I was a student and did a placement unpaid for 6 months I had to walk 15 mins to train station, 45mins on the train then 15 mins walk from station to placement. 50 mins isn't that far imo.

My prior job to this one I had to get 6 buses a day before I learned to drive.

Crazy days.

YANBU.

I had a hellish bus journey to school as a kid as we lived quite far from school.

I left and said "never again".

Thereafer, I have made sure I always live in walking or cycling distance to work.

I am 35 and am still sticking to that commitment! The closest I have lived is 700 metres, now we've bought a house I live about 1.5 miles away which takes me about 30 mins to walk.

I would hate to drive to work or sit on crammed public transport.

I'm in my 60's and have a 1hour 45min commute (one way) into London each day. I agree with a PP make this easier on yourself find out how you can make your journey easier eg I get on the tube before 6.30 am lot less crowded I get a seat and the journey is less stressful and cheaper! My niece travels in to her work later and again finds it less stressful.
You have only been doing the commute for a short amount of time, you will get used to it and it will not bother you, you learn to sort of zone out when travelling and are not so bothered by those around you.
Ds2 started commuting into London in 2005 he swore to me he would never get used to it never stick it, but11 years later he is still commuting into London, because as you have found that is where the best job opportunities are if you live in the South East.
Relax it will get better I promise

50 mins is pretty good in any city, not just London.

I used to live in a village and take the train into a city, the train was just as bad, if not worse than your photo and it was a 20 min drive to the train, 20 min train and 10 min walk.

Totally normal OP. I do a very similar commute (but on the dreaded Northern line - much more packed than your photo!). It's not fun, but it's not the end of the world.

The key is to "zone out" on the tube - find a book or podcast or music you like and create a mental bubble where you only think about that and not about the elbows and bags digging into you.

But.... you have the option of flexible hours to avoid the rush hour. Why on earth don't you do that? Seems like a very obvious solution.

What about a foldable bike, wouldn't that cut it down it down to 40 minutes?

I thought about a foldable bike, but they are so expensive and I wonder if it is worth it.

That would mean: Jubilee Line from Canary Wharf to Westminster and then cycling to Chelsea. Provided the weather collaborates which does not really happen too often in London.

I think maybe you need to suck it up, or use flexible hours as they're available to you. And in my opinion a 50 minute commute is not much at all. Two days a week dh goes to Birmingham and back - 7 hours total (at least) of travelling. His normal commute on other days is always over an hour.

I would find it a hassle but in London, for a high wage (which you implied you are receiving), 50 mins isn't too bad.

Always remember flat shoes, a small cardigan and an umbrella and you'll be fine.

I would say, when/if you have DC, then that would be an all round appropriate time to look for a job closer to your home, if you continue!

Or you could walk from Westminster? It's about 2 miles. Would take 35-40 ins but think of the exercise.

Get an adult microscooter it cuts the walking part down a lot

50 minutes?? I could even say you live close to your workplace considering the large distances people need to travel to get from one point to another in London. Don't miss this opportunity!

mine, is drive 10 minutes find somewhere to park, walk 10 minutes, train 26 minutes and then walk 25 minutes.

I guarantee you that if you leave home at around 7am and leave at 5pm, the tube will be significantly less crowded.

I'm always surprised how late evening rush hour really starts on the tube - the peak seems to be 6-7pm. Any time before 5.30pm is comparatively quiet. I get caught out sometimes after going to the gym, as I leave at about 7pm expecting rush hour to have died down, but is hasn't at all - in fact it's worse than when I usually leave at 5ish.

The competitive commuting is getting a bit Pythonesque and IMO the OP is getting a hard time with some responses being rude. Why can't we just answer questions or give advice without the personal comments.

I think it is a long commute but sadly not unusual for London, even for a not particularly desirable job. I think for someone not from London it must feel even longer.

This was one of the many reasons that we left London, it is not just the time spent commuting but the nature of the journey.

My feeling is that you only live once and I would not want to waste almost 2 hours a day in this way. However if I had to I would try and make my journey more useful and enjoyable . Again this can be harder in London. I used to run either to or from work if I did not have lots of things to carry on or cycle if I had a reasonable amount to carry. This is not always easy in London.

When I lived in London I used to make use of the boats which just felt more civilised . Audiobooks and crosswords can also be your friend - although your time sat down is not that long.

Try the Clipper boats. They are a very civilised way to commute.

I agree with most on this thread that 50 mins is a decent commute for London (mine is more like 1hr15) but I hate the tube so I have made sure that I live places not dependent on it. Somewhere south of the river with mainline trains into Victoria might suit you better.

Just a thought but you may be suffering a little bit with an induction crisis. You have only been in the job a couple of months. While you have got over the initial crisis which most people suffer early on of worrying about trying to find their way around and getting to know people you are possibly now suffering with the 'is this it?' crisis.

Are you coming to the end of your probationary period? This can trigger these feelings for many people as they realise that after the end of the induction period if they want to leave they have to give a few months notice.

At this stage my advice would be to give it time. Make small changes like wearing trainers for the commute and get an ipod. Dont make big expensive changes yet like cycling unless you already own a suitable bike. Try travelling at different times to see if there is a quieter time.

Dont be surprised if in a couple of months you have got more into the swing of it and dont need to make more changes.

Good luck OP.

I'd rather have an hours crappy commute for a job I love, than a small commute for a shitty job. My logic is the working day is longer than the time spent on the tube and id rather dread the travelling to work, than dread the actual work.

There's no guarantee that if you change jobs, you will like it and you might find yourself with a a half hour travel time but spending nine hours a day in by job you really dislike.

Are there any car share type things in your area?

Having worked in South Ken/Knightsbridge and commuted from Potters Bar. The early idea are the best option even in the dark mornings the 20min walk to the station woke me up nicely and then I finished at a reasonable hour. Lates were awful you never did anything with the time in the morning and by the time you got home it was time for bed.
One of the things is you are almost at peak awfulness on the tube it is hot and humid some days, but not yet holiday time so still hoards of people.

you are almost at peak awfulness on the tube it is hot and humid some days, but not yet holiday time so still hoards of people

Yes - OP I think London commutes are probably particularly bad at the moment. The tube has been hot and sticky with the humid weather, and we've had the rain at each end as well. And as the PP says it's still really busy as not summer holidays yet. It's not always this bad though when it's really really hot it's worse.

I used to commute at least 1hr 30mins each way five days a week for two years. I hated it, as it was just one long bus journey on a route where there was regularly accidents thus holding me up further, but if it had been nearly half the length...I'd have gladly done it.