To wonder if this work pattern is sustainable long-term?

[Lunedeciel]

I recently moved to a new role I'm much happier in. I took on evenng tutoring almost 2 months ago to help pay off my credit card debt, however I'm not sure how long i can sustain this as I'm very tired.

I have a 1h20 commute each way to work as a teacher, but fortunately will have the holidays to recover from this.
I take the bus because I'm trying to save money and a pass is only £20 a week unlimited.

I leave my job at 4 and arrive at tutoring Monday and Wednesday for 5:15, tutor for an hour and get back home about 6:45pm (the tutoring is nearer my home on these days)

On a Thursday, I leave at 4pm, arrive to tutoring for another pupil at 5:30pm, tutor until 7:30pm then reach home for about 8:30pm.

So every Thursday I'm out from 7:35am to 8:30pm,and 7:35am to 6:45pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Twice a week i have to pay for the train to tutoring too, which is around £9 a week. My tutoring is £20 an hour so it comes out of this.
Fortunately I have been offered a casual bank role so I'll be able to pick up extra work over the holidays, I'm just finding this tiring but not sure if I'm being unreasonable.
I think its the long commute between each place. I don't want to let the pupils down though, but would you carry on with this.

So you're making about £50 (£35ish after tax?) and it's taking you an extra 6 hours a week?

I don't think that's worth it, personally. You'd do better on minimum wage in a job that doesn't require any extra commuting.

I would look more closely at the online stuff people are talking about on here.

I agree it's not worth it, can you not do online? The hours out of the house aren't bad, it's normal here in commuter suburbia. I leave at 0745 get home at 1945, if the trains are working.

£20 per hour was the going rate for 11+ tuition when I was young enough to be doing them...30ish years ago. I think you're undercharging, and for that net gain I would save my energy and perhaps try and spend the time creating habits that'll save costs instead, such as bulk buying or batch cooking or meditating (to decrease cravings) or mending/adjusting your own clothes or something.

Thanks everyone. Going to look at online instead.

Do it til you pay off your credit card debt, you’ll be so proud of yourself!

At least move prices up to £25 ph plus travel and that's cheap. Alternatively could you get tutees to travel to you.

That isn't ridiculously early to leave, nor late to arrive home. Some people cope better than others, depends how much of a 'coper' you are.

It’s a personal thing OP.

I work 13 hour shifts so leave the house about 6:15am and get home about 8:15pm (or the opposite if I’m on nights). I work 3-4 days a week.

Some weeks I am fine and others I really struggle to function on my days off.

Only you know if it’s too much

It would kill me.

I'm going to presume no kids as you're ignoring the question but no, really doesn't sound bad, especially if you're relatively young and have no other commitments.

I work Tues-Fri. 2 days I start at about 6.15am, at least 2nts I finish late - last week i did 46hrs in 4 days. I am 46yrs old and have 2 young children (4 and 7). I also have a large house to look after, a disabled parent, kids both have hobbies, and we do stuff every weekend.
It's not a competition and we're all different but I presume you have lots of downtime at the weekend and 13wks of holidays too? (You might have other commitments but you haven't mentioned any).

I don’t think those are long hours with that commute. DH leaves the house at 6:30 every morning and is rarely home by 6:30pm (much later in summer). When I commuted I left at 7:45 and would be home 6:45 at the earliest.

Whether the extra hours are worth what you’re earning is a different question though. I pay my cleaner £15 an hour in the NW, I wouldn’t expect to find a tutor for £20.

I start at 7.30

Only you know. We work two jobs each, it works for some, it isn’t good for others.

My office days I leave at 6.30-6.45 and get back in for 6.45-7ish. Have 2 small kids. Sounds normal. But agree with others charge more for tutoring!

My experience is that if I have to ask myself about a schedule “is this sustainable?” it usually is not. I’ve learned this the hard way more than once.

I agree £20ph low for tutoring. Can you tutor online for a higher rate? Or take on marking in the holidays for extra cash?

Pre children I was a teacher and would usually be at my desk by 7am and leave at 6pm. Commute on top which was one bus but could be slow due to roadworks (always somewhere on my route). I couldn't have managed tutoring on top and took work home at weekends too. There's no way I could work that now but it is more doable when single.
Your teaching job sounds amazing but I agree the tutoring doesn't sound great - £20 p/h to go to homes is ridiculous. Could you tutor online instead?

I’m at work longer than that, before travel time. But it’s not the point. If it’s too much for you, at this time, then that’s it.

The hours sound like standard hours to me especially pre Covid when most of the world had to commute but guess we’re all different. It’s more what you’re actually coming out with net after all the expenses that I’d be looking at, to determine whether it’s worth it

As others have said, very normal year-round without recovery holidays. Especially if your teaching job allows for ‘down time’ ie all your admin work so you’re not ‘on’ the whole time which is the only element that might make this harder than a more office-based job. I started a new job last July which I need to relocate for; this has taken much longer than planned and so I’ve been out of the house 6am-9pm 2 to 3 days a week since then with a 5 hour driving commute. The other days I work 8-5.30, and there has been not infrequent evening event work and just general late work for deadlines within that.

edited as realised I was optimistically under-estimating the drive - always tell myself it’s better than it is!

It wouldn’t be sustainable for me. I know because I did similar (9-5 office job then tutoring afterwards) and I totally burned out. But I could do it for X time until I paid off my debt!

Honestly, o don’t see the issue with this at all, many people leave the house around 7 or earlier and are home the same time in the evening. I leave home at 6:45am, get to the office for 8, leave at 6 and home for 7, mon-fri.

People have different energy levels.
There is a lot of context switching which takes a certain amount of energy
People have different levels of demand on them when they get home

I'm in the NW and pay £45 /hr. I think this is reasonable for the service my son gets.
The hours you work would definitely be too long for me. But I have 3 kids and husband works long hours. Also I guess if you have to do it for money, you have to do it unless you can significantly increase your hourly rate.