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?

Good luck with the Friday interview - if that doesn't work out I would take the job offered for the many reasons that others have said.

You are very lucky to live 5 minutes walk from a station, and the office 5 minutes walk the other end - so no stress about missing connections. And as the weather improves your idea of getting off the train a few stops earlier to save money and get some exercise will be good for your health.

I'm semi-retired and will only take assignments within walking distance! Some of my younger colleagues have the most horrendous commutes, bus, tube, bus, across the length and breadth of London for minimum wages.

If you are on benefits then you shouldn’t even be questioning it
If you are living off your savings or being supported by someone else then you should still go for it, £400 per month spare is pretty good

Interesting people dis-counting the idea of a 1 hr commute for a minimum wage job.
A good friend of mine works in retail in central London (shes on furlough atm) on not much more than NMW. She commutes for around an hour.A lot of her colleagues do too (and longer) as there arent many affordable places to live close to central London. I imagine the scenario is replicated with loads of restaurants/bars/shops in London - all pretty low paid so feasible a lot of workers will have to live further out where housing is more affordable.

That doesn't sound too bad to me.

Do you actually want the job though? Are you trying to find reasons not to take it?

That’s shorter and cheaper than my commute (hour and a half, changing train/tube a few times, £470 a month) so I wouldn’t rule it out on that basis. It depends if it would interfere with any of your other routines though I.e. childcare?

55 hours a week for £400
For £400 ON TOP of essential spending. That's OK IMO.
I've worked at home (freelance) for years and still miss my hour-and-a-bit commute to my last job. I don't read nearly as much now because I used to do a lot of my reading on the train and tube to and from work.
I'd take it.

@Fizbosshoes

Interesting people dis-counting the idea of a 1 hr commute for a minimum wage job. A good friend of mine works in retail in central London (shes on furlough atm) on not much more than NMW. She commutes for around an hour.A lot of her colleagues do too (and longer) as there arent many affordable places to live close to central London. I imagine the scenario is replicated with loads of restaurants/bars/shops in London - all pretty low paid so feasible a lot of workers will have to live further out where housing is more affordable.

The OP doesn't live in London. She lives in a small city an hour away from Newcastle, probably somewhere like Middlesborough.

In Middlesborough, you can buy a terraced house for under £50k. Even single people on NMW can get a mortgage for that.

Obviously if the OP is currently unemployed, she should take this job. But there aren't many people in northern cities who commute an hour to NMW jobs, because it's likely they can get a similar job with a much shorter commute.

I would take the job in the current climate. With Covid you may find you have the option to work from home and wouldn't need to be commuting for each of your contractual days (obvs dependent on what sector the job is) .

I live in Sunderland.
The job is near four lane ends so it takes around 50 mins on the metro.
I'm currently on sickness benefits so that's how my rent /council tax is paid for.
Obviously being on that I don't have much money left for myself.
I do want a job (obviously I'm applying for anything admin /customer service I can find)
It's just the massive chunk (for me ) of money wasted on travel.

At the minute I have no children to support but hopefully in the near future I will and I'm not sure how sustainable it would be.

Fairly average commute. Depends on the salary?

But its not wasted uf that's how you get to the job

Everyone who travels on public transport to work has to pay. It doesn't matter what job it is, you will have to pay to travel.

You'll have to pay for petrol if you drive.

That's a really strange reason to me to not take a job.

Compared to London that is so cheap and a lovely commute!

Also I don't see how it's wasted money if it's getting you to your job where you earn a salary?

that doesn't sound too bad!
A train every 11 minutes as well.

I'd definitely take it! Just take out a subscription to audible or futurelearn or something and do something on the commute - that's what I do! Good luck!

It sounds like you have quite a few options now OP. The important thing is that by the end of the week, one way or another you will have a job.

I wouldn't worry too much about the commute. Whether you take the train the whole way or walk part of it, it will fly by as you read or listen to podcasts/music. I used to enjoy my (longer) commutes as a break between work and home.

@pollyputaket

I live in Sunderland. The job is near four lane ends so it takes around 50 mins on the metro. I'm currently on sickness benefits so that's how my rent /council tax is paid for. Obviously being on that I don't have much money left for myself. I do want a job (obviously I'm applying for anything admin /customer service I can find) It's just the massive chunk (for me ) of money wasted on travel.

If they train you and after 6 months you can WFH that will make a big difference - how many actual miles is it? I used to comment in London and it was only 9 miles but the train journey ended up taking about an hour so I used to cycle which saved me money and got me fit - although you have to be careful with the crazy drivers.

I'd go for it it's extra money and gets you back into the workplace - if you really enjoy it and you end up WFH that's a bonus - but once in a job you can keep looking and it looks better if in a job. Good luck.

I am going to say something quiet harsh here.

At the moment you don't have a job, so I am assuming you are getting some handouts.

A job gives you an opportunity which may lead to something else.
If you sit as home or only look at a small radius what job do you think you might get. You said yourself the majority of the opportunities are this commute away.

Take the job, give it 100% and use it as a stepping stone.

There is a lot of discussion on these boards about success and earning a significant wage and how unfair the world is.

This is the difference folks, some are willing to get off there backsides, chase opportunities, put themselves out to put themselves in a better situation to grasp the next opportunity.

When people say right place right time, what it actually means is they have got themselves into a situation where they can take advantage of the next opportunity.

1 hour commute for min wage, yep I get it not ideal, but better then no job. It get you out and about and focused. Do your training, work hard, become indispensable, keep your CV up to date and look for the next step either within the company or from outside.

No ones just gets the £100k+ p/a they start like this.

@JorisBonson I say "wasted money "as my last job was walking distance so my travel costs were 0
£200 travel on a min wage job seems like a lot of money wasted (because previously on similar wage my travel was 0)

That’s a very reasonable commute. The fare is pretty standard too but a season ticket would reduce the daily cost......

I do have a short commute now (20 min drive) but for years I worked in London. 10 minute walk to station, 40 minutes train, 20 minute walk to office.

That’s a totally normal commute and cost. It sounds quite pleasant if you dont have to make any train changes and only a five min walk each side! I think you need to adjust your expectations

@pollyputaket take the job, get the experience, do it for a year and then start looking for something nearer if that’s what you want. An hour door to door is not unreasonable or unusual but it’s ok to want to work nearer home. You are unrealistic to assume it will happen if you just wait for it. It is a lot easier to get a new job from employment rather than from unemployment.

Take the job.

Do you honestly think it’s normal to have no travel costs?