Help! Leeds to London regularly doable?

[diffNameSameMe]

I applied for a role expecting it to be in a Northern office. The company are a bit wishy washy but would be a good stepping stone. Now looking into train tickets and an annual price of 15k?! So, does anyone have any advice or bright ideas? I think it's 2-3 days in the London office and the rest from home. Office hours 9-5, cheapest and time efficient ideas gratefully received!

You're still unsure as to the times/location?! You'll need clarity on that in the first instance, it's fairly crucial.

either move or don't bother doing the job, it's very far and a lot of money

Yes, absolutely need the office days in writing in your contact. And then I reckon you'd need to stay two nights in a cheap hotel in London. Trains to London are two and half hours. Depending on where the job is and where you live you'd probably need to leave home at 5:30am to be at your desk by 9, and if you actually got away at 5 you might be home by 8:30pm, just in time to go to bed for your 4:30am alarm call!

Do some research but the cost of a cheap hotel might be justified by the savings in transport cost and hours wasted on trains/buses. It could work if you fancy a second life exploring London. It's an interesting place you know

I've done the long 100 mile each way commute, 2 nights away in a Travelodge, away from the family 3 days a week, and quite frankly it was a massive relief when I found something locally, that didn't pay so much but I immediately shed £150 per week empty costs.

You need to factor in the time and stress involved in having to search for cheap hotel rates as they change frequently. It's hours of your life you'll never get back.

Most of all, a local job is life enhancing in terms of lack of fatigue and stress.

If the job required a once per month visit to a distant head office, that's one thing, it's very doable. The weekly grind, week after week, is not sustainable based on my experience.

Thanks for the input all, I'm hoping to speak with them next week so will ask the difficult questions!

This wound be cheaper. Means you can go down night before when tickets are much cheaper as well. 21 nights a month for £900. The non stopping trains are : bites but ore COVID to get to London for 9am would be £200 return minimum unless you wanted the 1st train at before 6am (but no public transport and very little and expensive long stay parking). We have both lived in Yorkshire and worked in London. Not really doable going each day

www.headforpoints.com/2021/08/24/point-a-hotels-a-list-review/

I wouldn't do that even for a brilliant wage, no chance. Im from Leeds and have travelled to London for work now and again and its a long way, its exhausting. You'd have to be up at 4/5am.

Midweek spare room let?
m.spareroom.co.uk/flatshare/london?days_of_wk_available=Mon+to+Fri+only

How long journey end to end?

It will be hell.

Most with that deal I know do eg 3 nights every 3 weeks and stay down.

Tell them you were assuming Northern office. Why necessity to be in London. You can do (2 days a month or whatever you think).

If they don't have a brilliant reason for you being needed in London say no I'll do X and this in northern.

Point out the commute will mean very long and you will perform better if not having incredibly long days.

I would do it for great job and pay worth it taking it into account. Stay down.

If I had no children. And was single or in a relationship that would not suffer for it.

I did this some years ago 2 days a week but my company paid the travel and hotel as it was at their request. I used to get the 6.40 from Leeds to kings cross (but I didn't start until 9.30/10), work, stay overnight in a hotel, work and then aim for the 19.00 back up to Leeds the next day. It was tiring but ok. It was for a set amount of time for me, although other colleagues did it all the time- some stayed during the week and travelled back up north on a Friday and back down on a Monday. It's not amazingly compatible with family life (assuming you want to see your family!) I didn't have kids at the time, had a number of friends in London, and enjoyed being able to experience London without actually living there. If your office hours aren't fixed you would be cheaper travelling off-peak - start later and finish later. If you don't have family commitment, and can book ahead, you could do one week a month rather than two days a week and get a good deal on Airbnb/hotel and advance train tickets.

You guys are fab thank you :) for a bit of context it would be time limited - 2 years and six months of that in another office. They do say flexitime and work/life balance, it is for an amazing job that would enhance my CV so there are lots of positives but am very grateful for everyone's perspectives.

Are you getting London money? If you are getting a significant increase in salary because it's a London wage, but your housing costs are not, it might just be worth it. If however, you applied for a job thinking it's a reasonable wage for elsewhere in the country, then we're surprised it's in London, and aren't getting any extra money, then quite frankly they're taking the p*.

Tuesday is by far the most expensive night of the week for hotels in London. Sunday cheapest and Mon-Fri then Thursday is cheapest.

Also, where is the London office? Near Kings Cross? A commute across London too would be a massive pita.

Where in London is it? And where in Leeds are you?

And to add, if you're not upping your salary considerably, they really need to cover your travel and hotel costs, and preferably book at that for you. The sound right CFs if they're expecting you to just shoulder all that.

And I wouldn't work for them.

I live beyond Leeds. Used to get the 6am train to connect the 7am at Leeds to LKX. Only stopped at Wakefield and so took 2 hours. Was in the office by 9.30am

I used to get a lot of delay repay (ie it wasn't reliable). Got the 17.33 back which got to Leeds at about 8pm.

After 5 years I was staying over 1 or 2 nights a week. Same trains or went down the night before (evening train plus hotel was often cheaper than the 7am train)

One other thought - how reliable is that line? And how would the employer react if it had engineering works and delays for a month? The journey looks pretty horrendous even if everything runs smoothly. If it involves a bus replacement service it would be impossible!

I know lots of people who do/did this. Based in Leeds/Sheffield but needed to work from London office 2-3 days a week. They'd overnight in a Travelodge or similar.

I sometimes did it the other way (London based but 2-3 days in Sheffield/Leeds/Chester). Early starts and hotel overnights are the norm in some industries.

Sorry to keep posting OP, but something about this just sounds a bit off. Why did you think the role would be in a northern office? Did the job advert lead you to think that. Could they possibly just be trying to recruit for a London role on the cheap? Presumably you know OP that for lots of professional jobs, London wages are considerably higher than elsewhere? To offer you a job but be sketchy about location, when that's such a significant factor, just seems a bit fishy.

@Themeparklover

either move or don't bother doing the job, it's very far and a lot of money

Seconded. Leeds to London for 2-3 days a week will be a nightmare.

Yes it's a London wage so should be doable from a cost perspective. They do have a base in Leeds so I'm going to discuss it with them. I only live a five minute walk from train station and they are about 10-12 minute walk from kings Cross so won't need to add taxis either end but am going to pitch two days in London and three from Leeds I think and see what they counter offer if that's not doable.