Long commute for a big pay rise... would you?

[KingHyx]

I work in a specialist field where jobs in my area are very hard to come by. I live outside of the city where salaries are generally very low. I am lucky enough to work close to home at the moment and whilst my salary is considered very good for where I live, it’s low for the field I work in.

I’ve been offered an opportunity in central London (where most of the jobs in my field seem to be), which would be a £30k pay rise plus benefits for doing the same role I do now. The commute to work would be around 2 hours each way.....!

I’m 25, married but no children and we own a property, so moving closer isn’t really an option for us at the moment. We are comfortable financially, but of course it would be amazing to have such a large pay rise and an opportunity to make some significant overpayments on the mortgage etc.

Am I crazy for considering this? It would be really helpful to hear from anyone else who has a long commute to work and what your experiences are!

[Nowordsleft]

I wouldn’t want to do it but know people who do. In London it’s quite normal. I would definitely consider moving or staying over midweek.

[ElspethFlashman]

I would definitely have done it at 25. Its such a good opportunity to overpay on the mortgage at the time in your life when you have a fair whack of energy. Two years of that would knock so many years off it.

I'd stock up on every travel luxury I could find - cups, neck pillows, mini cushions, eye masks, the works!

I'd also definitely use some of that extra cash to hire a cleaner as you'll never have the energy to lift a finger at home.

But fuck yeah, I'd try it out for a couple of years.

[Chewbecca]

My commute is 1hr 45 & I do it 3 days a week. It isn’t great but it is ok & the money is at least double what I could earn locally so definitely worth it.

In my 20s I worked long hours plus went to college 4 nights a week & had a good social life, I had plenty of energy.

So I say go for it, without question. I would consider moving closer though either by selling/buying or renting/renting.

[SaveKevin]

I did it at 25, it was worth it. Don’t under estimate the cost of travel but the 30k pay rise should cover it (mine was only 5k rise!)
When I fell pregnant and had bad morning sickness and was just exhausted, it was really hard. So my advice, do it and save / over pay your mortgage so that when you do have kids your in a better position to be choosey about going back / cutting hours or not. As for me, once I had kids the commute and time out the house was too much to do with a baby / school run etc.

[Userisi]

If it was a promotion which would add to your skills and experience to help your career in the long term, I'd say go for it, but for a sideways step I don't think a 4 hour round trip would be worth it, unless the salary would really improve your life, I find it hard to believe £30k post tax could outweigh a 4 hour round trip unless your commute was already quite long.

[starzig]

What is quite common is to rent a room in the week and go home at weekends.

[Foottunnel]

I used to do similar and it wasn’t pleasant.
It’s often longer due to train / tube delays, or if you get stuck at work. You end up eating crap meals in railway stations or on the train. You have no down time because you feel like you’re just commuting, sleeping and working.
I lasted a few years and then moved nearer to work.

[Bobbindobbin]

I’d look into a travelodge a few nights a week

[CatToddlerUprising]

Could you try the route to make sure it is 2 hours? I travel from zone 6 to zone 2- in theory it should take 40 minutes but in reality it takes me 1 hour 15

[havingtochangeusernameagain]

Do you have any hobbies that you would miss?

If not, do it. But only if you can work from home one day a week. Being in the office 5 days a week for long hours and then having a long commute isn't fun. It doesn't matter how old you are.

And the 2 hour is predicated on reliable trains I am guessing. Have you checked how reliable your line is?

[Cineraria]

I'd do it if the commute would be relaxing, e.g. A single train or easy change with a good likelihood of having a seat the whole way plus ten minutes' walk either end. I have found my commutes a very enjoyable part of my day including when my son commuted with me, and part of the way with my husband, to a nursery near where I worked.

I wouldn't do it if the commute would be stressful.

Have you tried doing the journey at the typical times you'd be doing it?

[Rainsunshine]

My commute is 15 minutes and I find that stressful enough 😬 if you’re young with no kids though i’d say go for it!

[soulrider]

How much of a percentage of your salary is the 30k? Would the commute be a short term thing, i.e. you could look at moving closer?

I don't think it's an easy choice. For me personally I wouldn't do it. I could earn 45k more working away Monday to Friday and I've done it before but it's not sustainable long term for me.

[ClashCityRocker]

What are office hours?

If its 9-5 and youre leaving home at 7am and back for 7pm, it's not too bad - provided you're not then expected to do the household chores and get tea on etc.

It's doable, but buy in services where you can for the house - so get a cleaner, pay extra for the bung in the oven type teas.

If it's a job where you'll be expected to stay behind in the office or turn up early, then perhaps not.

[eddielizzard]

Yes I would. Great experience and use the extra to pay off the mortgage asap. That will give you more options in the future.

[SardineJam]

A colleague has a 2+ hour commute, she managed to negotiate her hours, so that when she is on the train working, it counts as part of her working day!!

[cuppycakey]

Are you sure it is 2 hours? Have you actually tried it at the time you will be travelling? My route into London is 1 and a half hours door to door and in rush hour you would be very lucky to get a seat, it's incredibly overcrowded. Frequent train delays and cancellations. Is it a direct route or do you need to change?

I would probably move nearer the job at your age.

[CatGoals]

Rent the house out and go and move closer to London - it's an experience everyone should do.

[OhioOhioOhio]

I used to do a 2 hour daily commute. I slept every Saturday afternoon and dreaded Sunday evening. Weekdays I was in my bed, or worrying about getting to my bed by 9pm. If you can get a b and b and cut the commute down then consider it. Or do it for 2 years on the expectation the £60000 saved will go on something special but other than that I'd say no.

[JockMcGraw]

I think go for it, if it's an easy commute. 2 hours on one train and short walk either side is very different to a 2 hour commute with several different components and connections. I'm in a similar situation to you with a slightly shorter commute (between 1.30 and 1.45 each way) but it's all on one train with a 10 min walk either side.

I quite enjoy my train time to be honest! Yeah it's a pisstake when they're delayed, but for that opportunity I don't think I'd pass it up.

[gowgow]

Go for it, if it doesn't work out you can always look for another job.
I've done it, & having a partner that can have a meal ready when you get home was quite important for me.
Use the extra cash to employ people to clean, iron, garden etc

[clairefrasier]

I had a 1.5 hour commute, each way, for several years with no working from home and it is very tiring, but doable. However, I didn't have any other option at the time. My 1.5 hour commute quite easily became a 2-3 hour commute when there were train problems. Would i willingly select a 2 hour commute ? no way ! But 30k increase is a lot of money, so can see why you are considering it. One thing i would say is that, if you are planning on having any kids in the future, get a job near home so that when you come back off of maternity leave, you don't have a long commute to deal with. There is no way I could even do a 1.5 hour commute now, with kids to get back to.

[moosesormeece]

If the commute was on public transport, and I could be sure of a seat for most of the journey, I'd be very very tempted to give it a go for that sort of pay rise. If you really hate it, could you go back to your old job or something like it after 6 months?

For context, in my early 20s I used to commute just over an hour each way across London for a retail job I loved and which fit around my life. I didn't realise that was unusual until I moved up north where everyone seems to live within a 15 minute drive of their workplace.

[SwedishEdith]

If you do buy in services, convenience food, hotels for a few nights etc, remember to factor that in to how much you're really gaining. And 20 hours commute a week is really 20 hours extra at work. So, think about that when working out your real hourly rate.

But in your 20s, you should have loads of energy.

[KingHyx]

Thank you so much everyone, it’s so helpful to hear from those of you who ever do or have committed similar distances! I’d be leaving the house around 6am and returning at 7 in the evening. I hadn’t thought about staying in London during the week but that’s definitely an option. It’d be a direct train up to London (1hr 30) plus a 15 min tube trip.