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?

MN is south east centric. 80 % of the uk have a commute of 30 minutes or less.

This is the important piece of information. If you are training into Newcastle and it takes 50 minutes where do you live? York? Or Hartlepool? If Hartlepool (more likely answer based on cost) then it's not a great trip to do every day on those local trains but there's not many opportunities locally so you might need to put up with it while looking for something else. DH did a similar commute into Newcastle (but for more money) for a few years and it was exhausting and always took longer than he expected. But it took forever to find the right job more locally.

I think it's a long (all my jobs I've been had I've been able to walk to) but at least it's a train and not driving so you can read or have some time to yourself.

But if you eat breakfast on the train you could get away with only getting up around 6:15. You might need to leave at 6:30 for a week or two but you'd soon find out how reliable the trains are. On the way home it wouldn't take an hour and a half because you wouldn't book a specific train. So you'd be home by about 5:15 and would have had 1 hr 40 mins to read/ do admin on your phone etc. And then after 6 months you could WFH?

But after 6 months (or less) you will be at home anyway so the travel costs will disappear. Also, look at the opportunities for growth within the company. You might be walking through the door in minimum wage but that doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck in NMW forever there. Surely team leaders and supervisors are in more than that?

I’ve done worse commutes. Admittedly for a lot more money but I live 150 miles from the office. And part of that is by boat. When I first started I was in the office two days a week so I would leave home Tuesday night, stay overnight in a hotel or with a colleague on Tuesday and Wednesday and then drive/sail home after work on Thursday. I’d get home at around 9 pm and start work the next day at 5 am. I did that for 6 months. I’ve now been at home full-time for 4 years. The first 6 months were awful in terms of being away from home and the driving but it’s now a distant memory, as your commute will be in 6 months from now.

The hour is a bit long especially after work. However if it means you have a job and after paying for your commute it’s viable money wise I would take the job OP.

I wouldn't usually say yes to 2 hours commuting for a minimum wage job. Just because long commutes are normal it doesn't make it a good thing.

That said with the economy being what it is I'd consider it. How comfortable would it be? Would you get a seat? Could you use the time to apply for other jobs that are more practical?

I used to do a 2.5hr door to door journey, so 5hrs a day. And my monthly ticket cost more than my mortgage.

More fool you!

It's not a race to the bottom.

Amazed that you would consider not taking it to be honest, especially if you are not working right now. It's an easy commute, even at worst you'll be nearly 300 per month better off and you can look for something else closer while you are working there.

Assuming no other circumstances such as kids or disability I would take it. If you can't bear it then quit but you'll make less progress in life not working than working whatever it might be.

Honestly I can't even imagine not taking. It look like short term discomfort for long term gain.

@topcat2014

MN is south east centric. 80 % of the uk have a commute of 30 minutes or less.

Plus you never get that time back.

However in the absence of another job I would probably take it

Exactly this! OPs outgoings are not overly high she could manage to make the job work until she finds something nearer and she probably will work from home for now.

@vanillandhoney

I used to do a 2.5hr door to door journey, so 5hrs a day. And my monthly ticket cost more than my mortgage.

More fool you!

It's not a race to the bottom.

😂

I'd be reluctant to say no. Though a commute can vary a lot according in particular how frequent the trains are and how reliable. London Underground trains are every few minutes, Northern ones not, for example.

I'm my experience whenever I've not been sure if I want to do something listening to people boasting about how they do or did an even worse variant of that something has never convinced me to do it.

i used to take the bus to work, i miss that opportunity of reading in peace

Ok I haven’t had a job for years because I am too ill. However, my thoughts are that you could take this job and if you get the other one, start that one instead. I wouldn’t flat turn it down in this market. I know it’s cheeky doing this. However, this is a minimum wage job, they’ll fill it. NB Even if the other job is better paid, I would go for the one with the better prospects and training. Perhaps someone will be along to say my suggestion isn’t possible these days due to legislation. But I would think you could walk out of a job you’ve just started if you wanted.

I only work about 7 miles from home but to go by public transport is 25 mins walk, 8 mins train and 15 mins walk. Shorter walks and longer train would be better for me. Currently driving so that is a lot easier.

Would your benefits be affected if you decline the offer? Plus after 6 months you are working from home, so it seems like a bit of short term pain but better longer term.

I used to do a 2.5hr door to door journey, so 5hrs a day. And my monthly ticket cost more than my mortgage.

That's nothing. My commute was so long that I when I got to work it was time to go home again. I had to take out a second mortgage to pay for the ticket.

It isn’t just the extra disposable income though.
You will also have employers pension contributions (plus the tax contribution on those)
NI contributions towards state pension
C.V material / a stepping stone
Promotion / pay rise potential

So it all depends on your chances of getting a job nearer.

Surely it depends on the circumstances, which the OP has given little detail about?

If the OP is commuting to a city for a high paid job, it's fine, but it's not, it's NMW.

If the OP lived in the middle of nowhere and there are no jobs locally, she should probably take it on a 'needs must' basis, but seeing as she has the luxury of 5 trains an hour, a five minute walk away, she's probably not in those circumstances either.

If she really did live in the middle of nowhere, there would be one bus a day in each direction if she was lucky and it may or may not match up with her work hours. And if that bus missed for any reason, she wouldn't be able to get to work, or would be stuck at work and face an extremely expensive taxi journey to get home.

If the OP was in the situation where someone expected a person who lives in Leeds to travel 2 hours a day to work in a shop/warehouse/care home in Manchester, you'd be mad to take it, because you'd just get the same sort of job on your doorstep.

I used to have a similar commute. Sitting on the train for 50mins is fine. I used to snooze on my way in and read on my way home. It was a good way of separating work and home.

And if you can WFH in 6 months, you don’t have to do it forever.

I don't understand the issue, OP gets off benefits, has a job and will be better off by over £4,500 per year, what's the problem?

Definitely do it, especially as you can WFH after 6 months maximum. I work near Newcastle. Without traffic it's a 25 minutes drive. I have to allow an hour to get there on time and walk to my office. Your commute would be a similar length. I don't live or work near a metro station but would use the metro rather than drive it it was an option as it's cheap and quick. You will he better off and I doubt its an option to decline a perfectly good job and stay on benefits. It's easier to get a job while you have a job so you can continue looking for another.

Sounds completely normal to me. I did similar or longer commutes for over 20 years. You get used to it very quickly

If the job will pay more money after train fare I’d take it. Bigger cities are where the jobs are at the moment. I took VR from my london based job to try and reduce commuting time & have ended up working for northern roles with shorter but less straightforward commutes. But it was always for more money.

Normal commute, i would take the job, especially in these current times