Midlands to London

[BibliophileYogiGirl]

AIBU to consider the commute from the Midlands to London?

The industry I work in has done really well the past few years so salaries have gone up to insane figures.

It would take me around 1hr 10 - 1hr 30 on the train and would only have to do two days a week in London so could stay the night and come home.

I earn high 40s now and could get mid 80s to low 90s if I get a job in London.

Anyone who does this and it's fine? Please let me know you're thoughts on whether it is sustainable etc.

Thanks in advance

I would definitely consider it for that much of a pay increase. Especially if you can only do the round trip once a week with staying overnight. It might depend on exactly where your new role would be - or you might want to look at jobs that are near to the station you’re arriving in - because if you have to get the train into London and then commute across London that’s going to be a pain in the ass and involve an early start. Worth looking at how much it will all cost too (guessing pretty expensive when you think of the trains plus overnight if you need to stay at a hotel).

New Street to Euston may take that long, but that's without the time from home to the station and then tube or walk to your office from there. In reality, on the rare occasions i do it, it can take me nearly double that time from home to desk. However, if you only need to do it once a week and can stay over, and (crucially) you know that it will stay that way and you won't be required at your London base more often as time goes on, then it can work.

@5128gap

New Street to Euston may take that long, but that's without the time from home to the station and then tube or walk to your office from there. In reality, on the rare occasions i do it, it can take me nearly double that time from home to desk. However, if you only need to do it once a week and can stay over, and (crucially) you know that it will stay that way and you won't be required at your London base more often as time goes on, then it can work.

Yep, this is the all-important bit to consider. Check out possible routes from Euston to wherever you need to be on the TfL website.

My local station in the Cotswolds is 1hr 10 from Paddington, and lots of legal folk used to commute four days a week. It is doable, depending on how long you need at the other end. With hybrid working it sounds an even better prospect.

I work with a few people who commute in from Solihull and Stratford. They do a couple of days a week and rarely stay overnight.

Yes it would be fine. I knew a solicitor who commuted from Birmingham to St Paul's every day so that was 5 days a week prior to the pandemic.

Two days is really cool.

I did 4 years daily commute from Rugby. I was based in the Moorgate area. Absolutely no problem at all.

Once HS2 is ready the West Midlands will become part of the commuter belt to London. That's a few years away yet.

No-one here can tell you. Everyone has a different tolerance to commuting. I have a friend that wouldn't do over 20 minutes door to door in the car. I also know someone who did 1hr 45minutes and two trains each way quite happily.

However, as PP said, work out what it is actually going to be in time door to door, the effort and/or cost of parking at stations if relevant, the cost of travel itself, cost of night in London, and any other inconveniences it may cause. Also, you might want to check that the company allows 2 consecutive days in the office, you plan wouldn't work if those days in there office were Monday and Thursday.

I have a 2.25 hour commute to work and I stay over, so two days in the office. Definitely worth the extra salary, but take into account the cost of the trains and the hotel. Hotels are much cheaper on Mondays and Tuesdays than later in the week.

My DH used to do 2 days a week in London from the south of the Midlands (2 hours on our slow line) and it was fine. Up v early to get the 5.10 on day 1, in the office at 8, long day of meetings, usually a customer dinner/ meetup, a night in the Premier Inn/ Hub by HI/ whatever was cheap that week, office at 8am, train at 6.
But if the train is only an hour to 90 mins, then thats totally commutable with no overnight stay

I do similar in a wheelchair. Also for the money. So if you’re crackers for considering it, I’m completely unhinged for doing it.

Commute is fine two days a week for the increase I think...but missing the point of the thread..what job do you do?

Depends from where in the midlands. Northampton/Rugby/Birmingham I think are cheaper but from Leicester or anywhere along the st Pancras to Nottingham/derby line it’s extortionate - I’m originally from market harborough but live in london and the monthly cost of commuting even just 2 days a week would’ve been over £500 a month. Even with a pay rise it’s lot extra to spend on travel

I do twice a week, London from East Anglia. Used to be 5 days a week before COVID with no issue. Shorter train and just a quick walk at the other end for me mind.
Your journey sounds OK to me but as others have said depends on either end of the train too. Can you trial the journey on a day off see how easy it really is?
Does the over night stay make it much cheaper? If not I don't think I'd bother.

From my house to station it would be 8 minutes in the car. Then 1hr 10 - 1hr 30m to Euston. Then 20 mins from Euston to firm.

Having checked the cost of the train a return with a railcard is £75! Crazy, it's on the Rugby line just a bit further up.

I could stay with family in London so that would help with the cost of hotels.

@Londongent

Commute is fine two days a week for the increase I think...but missing the point of the thread..what job do you do?

I'm a solicitor

Is that a day return or could you do an overnight for that price?

@Thoosa

Is that a day return or could you do an overnight for that price?

That's the overnight price

So about £3750 a year set against a much bigger increase in net income? Sounds doable to me. The other three days being WFH, rather than “work from satellite office” helps balance the effort out.

@Thoosa

So about £3750 a year set against a much bigger increase in net income? Sounds doable to me. The other three days being WFH, rather than “work from satellite office” helps balance the effort out.

This is so true. Thanks for your thoughts!

Sorry? Completely lost track of my inverted commas there.

And now the question mark.

Good luck with it.

@Thoosa

And now the question mark.

Good luck with it.

Thank you!