To turn down this job offer?

[YetAnotherElsa]

The job itself is good, exactly fits my current skills, room to learn new skills, and similar pay to my current role. It's a full time position located on an industrial estate around an hours drive from home and they start early so it would mean I would leave home before DC wake up. I currently work part time in a city centre office which is a 30min door to door commute and DC's nursery is on the way. I've been unhappy in my current job for a few months and can't see it improving that much in the short term but it's still an OK job.

I wasn't really expecting to be offered the new job so was surprised when they came back with the offer. WIBU to turn the new job down just because of the location?

But now I have options I'm finding it impossible to make a decision. I'm not normally such a procrastinator but this one feels like a big deal and my friends and family are hopeless at this kind of thing.

It's not 7-6, it's 8-5 which is pretty standard working hours. Sounds fine to me.

Would they agree to say 30mim lunch & start/leave 30min later/earlier?
Might help & if there nowt you can do at lunchtime anyway.

It's difficult. If you can apply for part time in 6 months and get it that's great, but of course there are no guarantees. Personally, 7am to 6pm sounds a brutally long day with two young children. I couldn't cope with that, but maybe you can. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Would the opportunity to apply for a part time role in 6months only depend on you doing the 7-6 5 day job now? Or are they saying something pt will come up regardless which you could apply externally for?

There is only 1 job, they want full time. As with all companies they are legally obliged to consider a request to reduce the hours after 6 months. No guarantee it would be granted though

What's the salary difference?

I leave before DC is awake 3 days per week, and to be honest, I find that a lot less stressful than the days I need to do nursery drop off.

I also work too far from the city centre to do much useful at lunchtime - but I tend to buy everything online anyway.

I have a day off in the middle of the week though, that makes a big difference. And generally, the days I'm in the office DH is working from home (5 min from nursery), so I don't have the stress of us both being an hour away from nursery in case of sickness.

So I wonder if a change in childcare might make it more practical?

It sounds a standard day to me. An hour is a normal commute to me. That the job, consider switching childcare, and apply to work 4 days in six months.

I'd do it. Its a stepping stone. I like a bit of a commute to think.

The salary is very similar to my current salary, about £1k higher. I know an hour commute is quite normal but it's double my current commute time and that is only if the traffic/motorways are clear. It also means DH has an extra 40min on his journey every day as he'd have to do all the drop offs. We can't afford a nanny although I will have a look at childminders as that might work better with the early start.

You need to try the commute in rush hour.

So what if it means your husband needs to do the school run! They are his kids too.

I couldn't agree more about trying the commute during rush hour and school term time. Mine is 35 mins if the roads are clear but regularly takes 80 mins plus in rush hour. Current all-time record is 190 minutes.

If salary is only £1k more for five days instead of four, won't your childcare costs eat the extra up?

also you're doing a longer commute and childcare becomes more complex personally I'd keep looking.

And yy to checking actual commuting time. On a clear day mine is about 40 mins. I've never got to work in less than an hour. Add a breakdown/accident etc anywhere on the route and it goes through the roof.

I work in a business park. It takes 5 minutes to drive to the nearest sandwich place for lunch, and 10 minutes to get to the town centre for the shops. Plenty of my colleagues do a weekly shop in their lunch hour!

I would have a look around Google maps and see what's around. I do think it's important to get out of the office for lunch.

I've done the journey once at rush hour and it took me just under an hour (I timed it for that exact reason!) but there were no accidents etc that day. It's a motorway most of the way so yes if there was an accident it would take significantly longer to get there/home.

The FTE salary is £1k higher, not the actual salary I would receive

If you work in a specialised area what are the chances of another role coming up closer to home? Likely or very unlikely? If it's unlikely then I'd accept the job you've been offered as location will always be an issue iykwim. If there is a chance a of job opening nearer to home then I would hold out for the time being.

Take it. Try it. Life's too short to be unhappy and loyalty to an employer gets you nowhere - they'll do what suits them! Good luck!

If you are unlikely to get another new job, take this one and try to make it work. If other opportunities are likely to come up in the near future, stick with what you have got.

I think go for it. As a pp said if you do a good job and they value you, in a few 6 to 12 months time they may well let you reduce hours. The commutes not great but the job you're doing now isn't great either. Sounds like making the move would be good for you and your CV, if you take it and it really doesn't work out for the family (e.g. if the hours do prove to be too much ad they won't let you reduce) then start looking for another job, in my experience, people tend to regret the things they don't do more often than the things they do do.