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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you do this working week ?

32 replies

Tyra435 · 31/10/2019 06:59

I know there will be people who have a much busier week, but I was curious to know what people thought about this one.

Monday to Friday, wake up at 5:55am, leave at 6:30.

Arrive at work at 7:45, leave at 3:45.

Monday Tuesday and Thursday tutoring. Takes me 1 hour to get to each person's house, 1 hour to get back.
Get home in the region of 7:45pm those nights.
Tuesdays tends to take me 1h30 to get home in traffic so I get home around 5:30.
Fridays I finish at 3 and get home around 4:15.
Weekends are completely my own, i'm single and have no kids.
I'm just knackered most evenings and I waste so much time on public transport. I cannot drive which doesn't help but i'm planning to start lessons soon (though can't find the time).

Does this sound like too much for a week ? I couldn't imagine dating someone unless I only saw him weekends and also having time for friends/family/hobbies.

OP posts:
Original poster
Tyra435 · 31/10/2019 07:01

Also with the tutoring, depending on trains etc. It can take me longer than an hour.

OP posts:
KindOranges · 31/10/2019 07:02

Is the tutoring in addition to your main job? Why? And how much do you actually earn for the tutoring per hour — can it be worth the travel time?

JustLikeJasper · 31/10/2019 07:02

It depends if the money you are earning is worth it? If you're not earning enough to live the life you want to in your free time then no I wouldn't do it

KatherineJaneway · 31/10/2019 07:02

Would your commute be much shorter if you could drive?

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 31/10/2019 07:02

Can you offer tutoring in your own home?

Loopytiles · 31/10/2019 07:04

I do similar hours/commute to your “main” job.

The additional tutoring could be workable, but in addition to long commutes and early start it sounds too much for you to do nice things during the week, eg eat well, hobby, exercise, socialise or date.

Walkacrossthesand · 31/10/2019 07:04

So much time spent travelling - 3hours a day on tutoring days! Presumably not in London as driving wouldn't be any help there - so, if your job looks reasonably settled, why not move closer?

Original poster
Tyra435 · 31/10/2019 07:05

I earn 1132 in my main job (TA) but I should add I am soon changing to another job where I start slightly later, less travel time and I will earn 1250.

My current salary is low for 37 hours per week so I do the tutoring to earn a little more.

I earn £50 per week for 3 hours of lessons.

It's such a pain spending all that time travelling, but sometimes it can be cancelled etc

OP posts:
LadyLanka · 31/10/2019 07:05

This sounds a lot like me about 30 years ago, although I didn't have much of a commute to work, so was often in for 06:30. We had flexi-time, so I could leave as early as 15:15 or ramp up the hours and take a flex day per month :-)
I taught evening classes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays for between 90 minutes and 3 hours. when I met my then boyfriend, who lived about 40 minutes away, we used to see one another on Wednesdays and at the weekends.
It worked fine, but only because I was independently mobile and didn't have to rely on public transport. I actually rather enjoyed the contrast between work and teaching. Not sure I could have sustained it for years, though.

Original poster
Tyra435 · 31/10/2019 07:07

I'm in another big city, and if I could drive it would save so much time, but I couldn't really afford to run a car at the moment :/

Tutoring from home would be a good idea. Even on non tutoring days I spend 2.5 hours on transport 😔

OP posts:
Teachermaths · 31/10/2019 07:08

The tutoring is not worth the money at all if its taking 15 hours per week and you only get £50. Ditch it and find something where students come to you.

Squirrelblanket · 31/10/2019 07:10

Those are similar hours to me and sound pretty normal, apart from the tutoring. I don't like having anything to do after work, especially if it takes up much of the evening so I'd cut that out unless it's really necessary.

LucileDuplessis · 31/10/2019 07:11

As you have the weekends to recover it sounds tiring but doable to me. The good thing about public transport is that you can read or doze on your commute.

As others have said, it depends if you need the extra money from tutoring or you could ditch that bit?

SnuggyBuggy · 31/10/2019 07:11

I'd struggle with this but everyone is different. I'm guessing you don't have much choice and couldn't give up the evening work or change location.

mindutopia · 31/10/2019 07:14

That sounds fine to me.

I do 3 days a week doing your long days, leave home at 6:25, back that night between 7-8pm. Then work from home usually 9-10pm ish those nights. Then do one day that’s 9-2:45 (I do school run this day, will also work in the evening this night usually) and then I have Fridays off with my youngest (nearly 2).

I have 2 dc and the only hard thing about my schedule is balancing it around childcare and children’s needs. My dh and I see each other at the weekends. If I had no children, it would be a breeze and I’d be so much better rested than I am (not having to get up at 6am in the weekends too).

EssentialHummus · 31/10/2019 07:14

Could you tutor locally or online?

BeanBag7 · 31/10/2019 07:18

I would drop the tutoring. £50 a week is not much for 3 hours of lessons + 6 hours travel time. If you include the travel time it's less than £6ph not even factoring in the cost of public transport.

If you really want to do tutoring, I would look at online, tutoring from your home or finding students who live closer to you. Otherwise you would be better off getting some other part time job locally one or two evenings a week which would probably give you a better hourly rate.

AmberDino · 31/10/2019 07:25

Maybe you could do online tutoring as well as tutoring from home instead? With the right advertising of your services (I used Gumtree) you should be able to get a fair few students.

I understand the struggle - I was doing similar, teaching music on the side and taking public transport to each student's house. After a while I got better at scheduling students who lived close together on the same night. Eventually I saved enough for a car and it was much, much easier after that (and my profits increased since I could take on extra students with the time I saved).

I now only teach music online (dont need as much cash now), and it works really well for me.

Wishing you the best!

Babushkacandle · 31/10/2019 07:25

Doesn’t sound like the tutoring is worth it, £50 for all the travel.
As previous poster have said try and do something online or closer students.
You would earn more just working couple of evenings a week your local.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 31/10/2019 07:25

You'd earn more money taking on a bar shift on a Friday night than the tutoring.

PrincessRaven · 31/10/2019 07:29

I wouldn't have a main job so far from where I live, unless the pay was much much better.

BanginChoons · 31/10/2019 07:30

Arrange for a driving instructor to pick you up at work, then end your lesson at the house you go to to tutor.

When you pass your test all this will seem much easier.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 31/10/2019 07:30

Do you work in the summer holidays OP?

Ash39 · 31/10/2019 07:34

Ditch the travelling to tutor. That's ridiculous. They should come to you. You say you live in a large town. Are there any opportunities with companies such as Explore Learnjng, Kumamoto or Kipp McGrath? Or online tutoring

BeanBag7 · 31/10/2019 07:37

You could do a short course driver's training in the school.holidays when you might have a bit more time.

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