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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

For not wanting to commute 3-4 hours on the bus a day, two days a week for £200 at the end of the month?

33 replies

Evycanary · 13/01/2020 22:15

Cleaning job through an agency, 5 hours per week over two days. 2.5 hours per shift. Pay is £200 per month. I dont drive so have to spend between 90 mins and 2 hours travelling on busses (with changes) each way but I didn't know that until I had been given the job and subsequently sent the address. It was miles away but I thought ok well it gets me out and about.

Financially, not much incentive but the purpose of looking for a job was more about getting me out the house. I think I have PND.

I don't need the money desperately, I'm a SAHM with a toddler and a baby and OH earns enough to keep us in the green (an agreement reached between us when we planned the kids) I just thought it would be good to have a bit of time away from the children and i could use the £200 on something nice to treat myself.

Today was shift number two and the second bus took even longer than normal, It was late and for some reason unbeknownst to me terminated miles away from its destination so we had to get off. I was stood in the wind and rain at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere waiting for the next bus to come which wasn't due for another 15 minutes and I was already late.

I got pissed off, a bit upset and had a "fuck this" moment and stormed across the road to wait for the other bus home.

I've decided I won't be returning and will sheepishly explain why, to the agency.

AIBU? Would you do this?

OP posts:
ToelessPobble · 13/01/2020 22:22

You are not being unreasonable quitting the job but you probably should have finished that shift and then let the agency know as it is dropping someone in it, especially if you have a co-worker for that particular job. Next time be specific where you can do and if it is too far say and they can get someone else. Temp agencies don't tend to give jobs a decent amount of notice as they are scared people will undercut them.

That said I understand completely why you would just get the bus home.

Original poster
Evycanary · 13/01/2020 22:29

I feel quite bad for the way I handled things to be honest, it wasn't my finest moment.

As a result of the faff with the bus terminating so far away I would have been very late and reasoned that I would be earning about a fiver after the cost of the travel card. I was cold, wet and pissed off.

I'm an idiot for taking it in the first place Sad

OP posts:
Singlebutmarried · 13/01/2020 22:43

So it’s £10 per hour and you spend 3-4 hours travelling.

So more like £4.50/ph if you include the travel time.

That doesn’t include the cost of getting there and back.

A travel card here is £8/day.

So you’d net £17 per shift once you’d paid the travel.

I wouldn’t do it personally.

Maybe look at doing cleaning locally and building up a few clients in walking distance. Have a funky trolley for your cleaning gear.

RhodaDendron · 13/01/2020 23:00

It’s a learning curve... I didn’t realise I couldn’t handle a two hour commute until I had one! It wasn’t a nice journey either and was often blown apart by a small delay on one train that made me miss the next. YANBU to quit... preferable not to have done it in that way but at least you know for next time.
Good on you for getting yourself out of the house, don’t give up on that - hopefully you can find something locally?

Daftodil · 13/01/2020 23:19

I wouldn't want to spend that long commuting for 2.5hrs of work. Can you give the agency a radius of how far you'd be prepared to travel?

If you don't need the money and are just looking at getting some "me-time" away from the DCs, is there anything else you could do instead for these 2.5 hours? Any family/friends to catch up with or old hobbies you could revisit to give you a bit of a pick-me-up? Lunch with a friend? Gardening? A choir? Adult education class? Exercise class? Nice long walk? Bubble bath & wine? Reading a book? Yoga? Meditation? Massage? Painting?

Retroflex · 14/01/2020 02:18

@Evycanary why don't you set up your own business cleaning? Then you will be free to choose where you want to work, and won't have any unreasonably long trips on multiple buses to get there? You can get business cards relatively cheap online, then you register as self employed with HMRC, and file your self assessment tax return annually... Owning your own small business isn't as difficult or scary as some people think... Even asking if you could leave a few business cards in your local doctors surgeries or community centres might give you the hours you're looking for quicker than you'd think... I'm disabled, and at the moment cleaning is manageable with my husband, but should the situation change, I wouldn't hesitate to employ a local person to help out...

zebra22 · 14/01/2020 02:29

Why don’t you just get some of your own local cleaning jobs?

MrOnionsBumperRoller · 14/01/2020 03:15

Start your own cleaning business as PP suggest? Loads of Mums do that round here so there seems to be a market for it (in Derbyshire anyway!).

FallenAngel01 · 14/01/2020 04:11

If you don't need the money, but need to get out of the house, how about doing some voluntary work locally? Have a look at Do-It.org. There are so many choices, drop down menus, etc. so you can choose what you want to do, and where you want to do it. You can build on your skill set and meet new people, etc. Good luck!

Monty27 · 14/01/2020 04:29

I wouldn't. And I'm poor.

Mmer · 14/01/2020 04:38

Yes, you would earn much more with your own business and you wouldn't have such a long commute.

CoffeeRunner · 14/01/2020 04:45

I would only want to do a long & difficult commute if either;

a) I loved the job or,
b) I was earning the kind of money that wasn’t available closer to home.

YANBU.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 14/01/2020 05:11

I'm.completely baffled that anyone would spend 3-4hours on the bus for 2 hours cleaning work?!

There must be other work nearer home, OP? anything - ask in a pub if they want extra hands to cover lunch or dinner rush?

OhTheRoses · 14/01/2020 05:35

Who looks after your dc?

Beautiful3 · 14/01/2020 06:06

I don't blame you at all. Next time don't take a job unless you know where it is first. Agree with others about local cleaning or even support in a school.

myusernamewastakenbyme · 14/01/2020 07:17

@OhTheRoses

Who looks after your dc?

Why is this any of your business??

OhTheRoses · 14/01/2020 07:21

It relates to the potential cost of childcare which is relevant in the context of the arrangement being worthwhile and answering the op's question.

SnuggyBuggy · 14/01/2020 07:21

If there is one rule I live by its never do a journey involving more than one bus. Busses just aren't reliable enough for that.

EnidBlyton · 14/01/2020 07:24

So its £50 per week, for 2 days?
not bad.
shame about the journey.
i hope you can find one closer to home

Ginfordinner · 14/01/2020 07:32

Is learning to drive an option?

Original poster
Evycanary · 14/01/2020 11:25

Hi all,

I was actually a self employed cleaner prior to having the children. I had a contract with one specific company and worked 40 hour weeks. I terminated my self employed status when I was 37 weeks pregnant with DC1 as I had no plans to continue for the foreseeable. I didn't think it would be worth me starting up again for the sake of a few hours per week, that's why I took the small job through the agency as I only wanted a few hours.

Either my OH or my DM mind the children for me, usually my OH as the job conveniently worked around his own hours.

Volunteering is an option I hadn't looked at but will be doing.

Unfortunately I don't have any local friends (new area) that I could do anything leisurely with, so I'm either on my own (When OH is able to take the reigns with the children) or go everywhere with them.

I spoke with a man from the agency last night and explained my position and apologised for any inconvenience caused. He is being perfectly civil about it but is pressurising me to go in later tonight which I can't do because today isn't one of the days that my OH can mind the children, I also don't want to inconvenience my mother and have her come over when she has other plans. Grrr I only have myself to blame.

OP posts:
Original poster
Evycanary · 14/01/2020 11:27

Learning to drive; I could do and probably will at some point in the not so distant future. I started lessons a few years ago but put it on the back burner as life got in the way. I live pretty central in a big city where transport is generally good so I've not had the need before now, it just so happens that this place is right outside the city nearing the border of another one.

Generally, I can get everywhere I need to go fuss free.

OP posts:
Urkiddingright · 14/01/2020 11:29

I think you’d be better off getting driving lessons tbh. It’s 2 hours a week out of the house and you’d be doing something that will hugely benefit your life.

Original poster
Evycanary · 14/01/2020 11:58

Yes you do have a good point. Perhaps I'll proceed with driving lessons and then revisit the possibility of something like this

OP posts:
ApacheEchidna · 14/01/2020 12:03

Could you do it all on one day? Would your other commitments allow you to get there, do 5 hours cleaning, and then get home again. That would be 8-9 hours out of the house including travel time so a long day, but only doing the travelling once would make it a bit more rewarding for your time.