Not to take job as it's 1 hour commute ?

[pollyputaket]

Basically I've been looking for a job for a while now and the only job I've been offered is 1 hour commute.
It's a 5 min walk from my house to train station
Then 50 min train journey
Plus 5 min walk from train station to office.
£11 train per day travel
So that is £55 on fares per week
Aibu not to take it for this reason ?
What would you do?

I mean too much cost for the travel fares... for a minimum pay job.

Kind of depends on your circumstances and if you need the job. That’s a pretty reasonable commute tbh

A company which only pays the very minimum wage they can legally get away with has no respect or care for its staff. I would decline on that basis alone, never mind the additional time and expense of travel to and from the workplace.

Add to that the fact that they were disingenuous in the job description, insinuating that you would be working from home from the start, and you have to ask yourself not only "Is that all they think I'm worth?", but also "Is that all that I think I'm worth?".

I walk 35 minutes to the station, 40 minute train then 20 minute walk from station to work

I also buy a monthly train ticket because I have common sense

Sounds like every job I ever had, if it’s all you can get then of course take it.

It won’t be an hour though. Trains will be late/delayed etc. I’d guess 1hr 15 min usually. Same as my last commute except I also had to change trains in the middle. It’s annoying but most people do it.

My partner spends 2 hours plus getting to work everyday more when there's traffic so I think an hour is pretty standard and I'm sure you might be able to claim travel back??

The fact is OP these days...for most people...the longer you are out of work the harder it is to get back in. Take the job and see it through and keep looking for another one closer to home. If you have no children and your time is your own then I wouldn't worry. Spend the hour commit reading a book, etc etc. It will be fine. Do it!!

@littlepattilou

I mean too much cost for the travel fares... for a minimum pay job.

But someone upthread said she can buy a monthly pass for £80.

£1252 take home means about £17k a year.

OP do you mind if I ask how old you are?

One hour commute is normal/good for those working in London who often spend longer than that travelling. The five minute walks to and from station are great! You can read on the 50 minute train journey.

Presumably, once you've established yourself in the job, you can get a season ticket with reduced fares.

It depends how much you need the job. I wouldn't want to rely on trains being on time for a journey of that length. That 50 minutes could easily turn into 3 hours if there's problems on the line.

Oh, come off it! How often does a 50 minute Metro journey turn into 3 hours?

I would take it since it is only 6 months office based and 400 left a month is a good amount I used to travel an hour and a half for my old job 3 busses

I'm sure you might be able to claim travel back

I'm sure she won't. Have you ever had a job in the UK? I've never known one pay for normal commuting, except perhaps taxi home on late shifts in city centres where it's not practical to drive in due to lack of affordable parking and no public transport.

Not many nmw offer much in the way of job satisfaction, rewards or advancement. An hour each way is too far for that. I say that as someone who's done many mw jobs.

You say you've struggled to find a job. You've now got one. An hour commute is not fun but it is what thousands of people do every day (I did it for years myself, pre-COVID). Take the job, get the experience on your CV and keep your eye out for something closer to home.

It's normal time and money ime.

I wouldn't, but then I wouldn't take any job that involved a train journey. I'd probably consider it if I could drive it, but train, no way.

Like all of life's decisions, you have to compare it with the alternative(s).

Obviously, if you've got (could get) an alternative similar job with a shorter commute, then you'd be daft to go for the longer one. You wouldn't go for a limited prospect minimum wage job an hour away if you could get a limited prospect minimum wage job on your doorstep!

But if this is your "dream" job, i.e. due to the employer, higher pay, career prospects, or training options, etc being far better than what you could get more locally, then a pretty modest/average commute is probably worth it.

You have to weigh up the pros and cons. There are always compromises.

It’s fine. Quite normal really. Mine was 2 hours door to door am and then pm did it for ten years. Not amazing pay but was better than local work. If you don’t have a job at the moment then go for it!

Given the government is threatening to reduce UC come April, I’d take any job for now, but keep applying for others. You don’t have to commit to this job indefinitely.

As you don’t have DC, is moving closer to Newcastle an option?

OP: as this will be your first job since being on Sickness Benefit? If the travel on top of full days will be too much then that is worth thinking about. I see you are keen to get back into work, and I do agree with all the reasons people have said for accepting the job, but don’t underestimate how hard it could be to get back into the swing of it.

[quote pollyputaket]@LBunz would four lane ends be the closest stop?
At first I was going to get off at longbenton [/quote]
Four Lane Ends probably closer but there’s not much in it, 5 mins extra walking maybe? If you can spare the day ticket cost maybe try the journey out? I know covid etc might make this a bit more difficult like.

Longbenton is 5 mins more walking if that wasn’t clear either. The stops are stupidly close together haha.

@MinesAPintOfTea no I don't want to move as my family live in Sunderland and also the hassle of looking for new house /moving etc etc
I think that would be more stress than just a bit of a commute
Also I love my house and it's so close to my city centre and everything on my door step

@LBunz ah thanks again for your help,they are so close together
It will be fine in the summer ha