Unreasonable work commute

[restingbitchfarce]

Looking for a new job in quite a niche role and as current contract ends this month

A job has come up which would be a 90 minute commute each way

Would I unreasonable to my kids to even think about this? They're 13 & 18 and just us three at home. I feel it would be a long day out the house for me

@eurochick- really you know nobody that drives to Watford or Stanmore or further on the outskirts? Those are the places in London most commuters from the home counties work and in traffic can take up to 2 hours door to door. The train is only a regular commuting option for central London.

I live in London. The job is near Guildford, about 20 minutes outside of town. One upside is I'd be driving the opposite way to most of the traffic which is going into London. This is why I'd be driving rather than train.

The job itself is quite intense but I've been told the commute home might be just a hour instead of 90 minutes.

So much to think about.

A colleague I’m working with lives in a London suburb (on the A3) and recently left a job in Guildford. The drive could be horrifying apparently and that’s a journey that takes 25mins in zero traffic.

I used to commute down A3 to Guildford - it was fab! Dead easy and no traffic in that direction. Took forever to get to the A3 mind....

Doesn't sound like you have a choice OP.
Can you give it a go for 6months to a year and aim to find something else before the 13yo is deep into GCSEs?

Or, could you and the kids move closer to your new work? The 13yo is at a stage they could still move without impacting their studies and the 18yo must be too?

Otherwise I agree with a PP - having a family call every other day / every day would really help keep in touch. It's also easier to have certain conversations by phone rather than f2f so might work well anyway!

Can you help with an early school drop off some mornings? Are there clubs the 13yo can join before school?

What's The 18yo doing? Ie are they finished with school and working or are you worried about exams and keeping them focused? If they are out of school then don't worry about them. They will be off doing their own thing soon anyway!

What is so niche about this role by the way? Am wondering how niche it can be if it is in Guildford!