To think a 40 minute commute isn't that long

[Thesunisonitsway]

Dp has applied for a job which is perfect for him. He however is concerned that the 40 minute drive is a big downside. I don't feel that's that long dp thinks it could take longer than hour if these traffic in the mornings or evenings.

I'm in the same position, 40 hour week and a '40 minute' commute.

Door to door is 40 minutes if there is no traffic but there is ALWAYS traffic (I even start/finish early to miss the worst of it).

50 mins is the absolute best I can hope for with upto 80/90 at bad times, it also costs me about £12-13 a day in fuel.

If you can look at the costs and the value of that extra 2 hours (average) a day and the job is still worth it then go for it. Otherwise it will start to grate after a while and makes a 40 hour week a 50+ hour one.

My commute is 45 minutes outside of rush hour. However, to get there for a 9am start, I have to leave home at 7.15am because the final part of the journey should take 5 minutes but often takes an hour as it’s gridlocked and the car park starts filling up at 7.30am. If I finish work at 5pm it takes about 1 hour 15 mins to get back home. One freezing cold night it took me 7 hours as the motorway was closed with all the cars on it. Where possible I try to work 10 - 6pm to avoid the peak traffic but if I want promotion I’ll have to be in for 9am lectures.

I honestly hate my commute. It’s the worst thing about my job.

I do this every day. 40 mins on paper; often takes an hour due to traffic.

It's fine! Listen to the radio etc. Am failing to see what his issue is really.

Going against the grain here a bit but my commute is 50-60 minutes and I actually quite like it. 35 minute train journey (no changes) and 10/ 15 minute walk at either end.

I get a seat on the train, great to have some time to myself to read/ catch up on TV or just sit and listen to podcasts.

I think it's a lot about the quality of the commute rather than how long it takes.

40mins isn't long at all.

You can check on Google maps a more accurate journey time by putting in the times he will be leaving at, this takes into account the average traffic levels.

I would say even 1 hour isn't terrible, but it's all based on what you're personally used to.

I also find the 'I would never travel more than a 10-15 minute commute' brigade really bizarre! As a few posters have said, that is very career-limiting, and I can only surmise that you have a job rather than a career.' So work (for example) at your local school as a dinner lady or cleaner, or you work in the local Asda or Tesco.

Most people I know who have a career rather than 'just a job,' have at LEAST a half hour commute on the train or underground, (not including the trip to the station.) OR a 30 to 45 minute drive.

Many good promising careers would not be a 10-15 minute commute from your front door.

I absolutely WOULD travel 40 minutes for the right job. In fact I have.

If it was a choice between a basic job on minimum pay 5 minutes walk from my house (so like £14K a year/£200 a week take home pay) or a step to a great career that is a 40 minute commute, and pays £35-40K, (nearly £600 take home pay,) it's a very easy choice!

That last line should read £35-40K a year (nearly £600 a WEEK take home pay!)

Up to an hour door-to-door is totally fine I think. More than that and it eats into your life.

Also like PP says it totally depends on the quality of the commute. Are you driving on the M way or is it on stressful snarled up city roads. Are you getting a seat on a 40 min train or do you have to change 3 times on packed undergrounds etc

Redandyellow that's a bit patronising isn't it. People are perfectly at liberty to prioritise different things.

For some people working in retail or in a school is a career not "just" a job. There's no need to be sneery about it. Plenty of people I know with very high flying jobs work completely flexibly.

40 mins is nothing. I drive 15 mins (no traffic) and then train it for 50 mins, then have a 5 min tube journey. I work in London and live rurally, so there has to a pay off. It is worth it to me though, I love my house and my job. You have to make compromises to have what you want sometimes!

redandyellow you sound delightful. Some of us don't want to commute because we work to live rather than live to work. I want to spend as little time as possible in work, travelling to work or thinking about work.

It’s easy to decide that a 40 minute commute is nothing on someone else’s behalf.

I have a career and a 15 minute commute (by bike). I have made choices to enable this because I bloody hated having long commutes (which made me ill). It’s perfectly possible to have a ‘career’ and still minimise your commute - so long as you’re willing to move close to where you work.

It’s perfectly possible to have a ‘career’ and still minimise your commute - so long as you’re willing to move close to where you work

I think that’s pretty tricky if you work in Central London. Most people I know who do don’t earn enough to live in any of the central zones... so it’s a compromise. ( cost of housing versus length of commute)

My commute is 40 mins door to door but it takes me an hour in the morning and 45 ish mins to get back (i leave work slightly earlier than rush hour) so i miss the mass of traffic. I've done it for 12 years, not ideal but its doable and just becomes the norm.
If i left 10 mins earlier the morning commute time would be less but I can't due to childcare arrangements.

I'd say a ha ha ha, mine is 1h 15mins one way, now that's long.
Good luck to your DP.

redandyellowandpinkandgreen99 DH has a 15-20 min cycle to work, I have a 25 min drive. We have a household income of just under £100k with both of us working PT. Do we have jobs or careers head tilt ? I am not at the stage of life where I want to increase my commute (school age children), and certainly not for only £35K.

Don't some hospital doctors have to be within a certain length of commute of the hospital? Does being a consultant count as a job or career do we think?

I used to do 1-4 hours, each way. If I was lucky the 4 hour I would stay over, if I was close to home the next day, it would also be a drive back. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Many of my colleagues live close to work, and I am actually, light heartedly, treated as a strange outsider.

I personally prefer to not live where I work. Also 'just' moving isn't always that simple. I have school aged children so would need to move them. I also have health care provision to consider and moving any distance closer to work would be a different health authority.

I live 6 miles from work. It takes me at least half an hour to get there - quite often linger than that. If I only looked for jobs less than 40mins away I'd be really restricting myself.

@SpiritedLondon It is possible to have a career outside central London. I could work in central London but have chosen never to apply for any of the jobs there.

Lots of people do move for work, with children and health issues and all sorts. One person may prefer a commute but others will move - often a lot further than 40 minutes away.

Mine is 1.5 hours!

It’s perfectly possible to have a ‘career’ and still minimise your commute - so long as you’re willing to move close to where you work.

Anything's possible. It's not always simple to just move though. Especially if you have to consider where a partner works too.

We moved so we both had a 20 minute commute and then a year later my partner's work moved so now he's an hour from work.

"I also have health care provision to consider and moving any distance closer to work would be a different health authority."

What difference does this make within the UK?

"I drive 15 mins (no traffic) and then train it for 50 mins, then have a 5 min tube journey. I work in London and live rurally, so there has to a pay off. It is worth it to me though, I love my house and my job. You have to make compromises to have what you want sometimes!"

How is this worth it though. A 7 hour working day becomes a 9 hour one, a 10 hour working day becomes a 12 hour one. What a waste of time!