Depends a bit on how much of the commuting time can be spent doing activities they enjoy. Obviously it is preferable to have complete freedom and home comforts but for example if I'm reading a book or watching a TV show that I would have done anyway at home I don't consider the time to be completely wasted.
Furthest you would travel for a job
- Thread starter bakes0310
- Start date
Depends a bit on how much of the commuting time can be spent doing activities they enjoy. Obviously it is preferable to have complete freedom and home comforts but for example if I'm reading a book or watching a TV show that I would have done anyway at home I don't consider the time to be completely wasted.
Slightly off-topic, but tube journeys in London can be improved by picking the right line (ie. one with more modern trains and air-con). I've commuted in from Essex to London for the past 22 years, I still find it reasonable - most of the time.
3 hours each way is insane, especially driving - I'd go as far as to say that you'll be at high risk of having an accident on the way home due to tiredness. It also means that you'll be far less likely to want to put in any extra effort at work from time to time, as the 3 hour journey home will be playing on your mind.
I'd consider hotel/renting for the week and travelling back home at weekends.
3 hours each way is insane, especially driving - I'd go as far as to say that you'll be at high risk of having an accident on the way home due to tiredness. It also means that you'll be far less likely to want to put in any extra effort at work from time to time, as the 3 hour journey home will be playing on your mind.
I'd consider hotel/renting for the week and travelling back home at weekends.
Deleted member 651465
D
Deleted member 651465
1.5hrs was my longest commute and after 4 years I was done with it.
I say done... I mean, I hated every second of it. On a good day I'd "forget" how annoying it was and then it would rain/someone would crash/bank holiday and I'd remember exactly why I hated it and hate myself more for forgetting how much I hated it, in the first place
I say done... I mean, I hated every second of it. On a good day I'd "forget" how annoying it was and then it would rain/someone would crash/bank holiday and I'd remember exactly why I hated it and hate myself more for forgetting how much I hated it, in the first place
Associate
I would say anything over 35 minutes is, personally, too much from a work vs life point of view.
personally I commute upto an hour each way. its just the way it is.
Worked in London for 10 years
Worked in the Marlow Area for 2 years.
Yes working in London would probably net me an extra 20-40% pay
would I go back?
nope!
personally I commute upto an hour each way. its just the way it is.
Worked in London for 10 years
Worked in the Marlow Area for 2 years.
Yes working in London would probably net me an extra 20-40% pay
would I go back?
nope!
It depends...
If you are expected to commute every day then 6 hours commuting is frankly madness, so you would need to consider staying close to the office 2-3 nights a week, funded by the company. However if you can home work and perhaps visit the office once a week then 6 hours is not a big issue. I have worked in the London for circa 20 years on and off and in that time I have both home worked, commuting as needed and daily via train a trip of circa 2 hours 30 minutes door to door. Aged 50 I simply could not do that anymore and I have the luxury of working where I want when I want.
If 80% more of say £30K is the offer then nah, would not even consider it. If it's 80% on top of £150K or more then moving the family or even buying/renting a property locally would be an approach you could think about?
If you are expected to commute every day then 6 hours commuting is frankly madness, so you would need to consider staying close to the office 2-3 nights a week, funded by the company. However if you can home work and perhaps visit the office once a week then 6 hours is not a big issue. I have worked in the London for circa 20 years on and off and in that time I have both home worked, commuting as needed and daily via train a trip of circa 2 hours 30 minutes door to door. Aged 50 I simply could not do that anymore and I have the luxury of working where I want when I want.
If 80% more of say £30K is the offer then nah, would not even consider it. If it's 80% on top of £150K or more then moving the family or even buying/renting a property locally would be an approach you could think about?
Man of Honour
I have done this (3 hours each way, Leicester to Leyland including rush hour M6 traffic) for a week.
I can tell you that it is absolutely not sustainable, and to be frank you are fooling yourself if you think that it is doable on a daily basis.
When I'm based in Europe I generally have a two hour flight plus airport time and travel time to and from the airport. The difference is that's twice a week not ten times a week and I'm compensated for it.
I can tell you that it is absolutely not sustainable, and to be frank you are fooling yourself if you think that it is doable on a daily basis.
When I'm based in Europe I generally have a two hour flight plus airport time and travel time to and from the airport. The difference is that's twice a week not ten times a week and I'm compensated for it.
Associate
Gosh I think a 60 minute commute is the top end of what I'd do. A three hour commute one way costs big in time and probably money too. Are you taking the job, OP?
If it's 3 hour each way, why not stay over 2/3 nights a week? Depends how old your family is.
It's too long to do over multiple days, for safety reasons and fatigue.
Most people would look to move homes in these circumstances, in the long run.
It's too long to do over multiple days, for safety reasons and fatigue.
Most people would look to move homes in these circumstances, in the long run.
Associate
no to far for me. Anything over an hour each way and the job really has to be amazing and pay well.
Dont want work to take over my life and need some home / free time. Being in a car doesn't count.
Dont want work to take over my life and need some home / free time. Being in a car doesn't count.
Associate
- Joined
- 7 Sep 2014
- Posts
- 1,160
I'd say it depends on what value you place on your personal time to be honest. Some of us are family orientated and want / need to get home in the sub 1hr time frame, others probably go home and pop on the xbox. I'd NEVER consider driving 6 hours a day to get to and from work, but I might consider a train ride of a similar length if my employer was willing to count some of that time as working (lets be honest for most professionals a good hour of our day [or a lot more for me 
] is dealing with admin none-sense like emails).
] is dealing with admin none-sense like emails).
Soldato
3 hour commute..... The employer / client would have to be paying me a truck load to do that. I'm talking at least 1k a day.
Personally idI either move closer or stay close during the weekdays (hotels).
Personally idI either move closer or stay close during the weekdays (hotels).
Soldato
I used to commute 600 miles to Frankfurt every week. I'd fly out at 6.30am on a Monday and fly back Friday evening. It was pretty painful
I did a 1 hr station to station with one change and a 10 min walk to and from station each way so roughly 1.25 hours each way on a normal day. Did liftshare for a few years due to a massive problem with the train line that was going to last a few weeks, and it was roughly the same, about 50 mins each way and probably another 15 mins sorting out lifts and dropoffs each end (was a 2-4 sometimes 5 person depending) each end, again on a normal day with no motorway incidents.
For the first 5/6 months of the job I was doing a 1.5 hour with two trains and one underground, that was horrendous but I knew it had an end date and it made the 'normal' commute seem more reasonable. Would leave the house at 0745 and get home around 1900. Traffic/trains incidents could make that so much worse.
I did that for 8/9 years and frankly my well-compensated redundancy was a blessing in disguise, I took some time out to recover and recharge and frankly I think my health both mental and physical was and would have continued to suffer, now I am fit and healthy again and aside from a few months of unsuccessful interviews I'm now back in work in a similar role, for a little bit lower salary (still very comfortable for my circumstances, and I got to quite a nice level quite quickly in previous role which helped me get into a good position) and have a much more reasonable commute: train would be 3 stops one change about 45-50 mins door to door, but at the moment I'm driving it as its about 30 mins (slightly longer if I'm getting in/leaving later, slightly less the earlier I get away), and since I bought an E93 M3 Vert with some of my redundancy, I'm actually enjoying the commute as it is mostly fairly quiet backroads between my town and the town I work in. If I leave at 0745 I can usually be home by 1745 latest. So much more civilised, the time I've done all the stuff (mostly dinner) I need to do it is the time I would normally have just been getting home, and I have a variety of road route options if there's any traffic probs.
Knew a contractor who drove into London from Birmingham and back every day. Cannot fathom how other than being on a very nice day rate for 6 months only (no one would extend that contract surely?). It always seems to me people with long commutes especially contractors, unless there's a back story to it (in my case started off while living at home, planned to move closer but ended up staying in my home town as I could get a nicer place in a nicer area for same money, are not good enough to find a more local role. Sometimes it is more specialist skills/roles/areas I guess, but surely in this case (devops) London isn't the only place...especially when you have senior managers doing huge commutes - if they are so good as to get such a role surely they could find one closer home?
For the first 5/6 months of the job I was doing a 1.5 hour with two trains and one underground, that was horrendous but I knew it had an end date and it made the 'normal' commute seem more reasonable. Would leave the house at 0745 and get home around 1900. Traffic/trains incidents could make that so much worse.
I did that for 8/9 years and frankly my well-compensated redundancy was a blessing in disguise, I took some time out to recover and recharge and frankly I think my health both mental and physical was and would have continued to suffer, now I am fit and healthy again and aside from a few months of unsuccessful interviews I'm now back in work in a similar role, for a little bit lower salary (still very comfortable for my circumstances, and I got to quite a nice level quite quickly in previous role which helped me get into a good position) and have a much more reasonable commute: train would be 3 stops one change about 45-50 mins door to door, but at the moment I'm driving it as its about 30 mins (slightly longer if I'm getting in/leaving later, slightly less the earlier I get away), and since I bought an E93 M3 Vert with some of my redundancy, I'm actually enjoying the commute as it is mostly fairly quiet backroads between my town and the town I work in. If I leave at 0745 I can usually be home by 1745 latest. So much more civilised, the time I've done all the stuff (mostly dinner) I need to do it is the time I would normally have just been getting home, and I have a variety of road route options if there's any traffic probs.
Knew a contractor who drove into London from Birmingham and back every day. Cannot fathom how other than being on a very nice day rate for 6 months only (no one would extend that contract surely?). It always seems to me people with long commutes especially contractors, unless there's a back story to it (in my case started off while living at home, planned to move closer but ended up staying in my home town as I could get a nicer place in a nicer area for same money, are not good enough to find a more local role. Sometimes it is more specialist skills/roles/areas I guess, but surely in this case (devops) London isn't the only place...especially when you have senior managers doing huge commutes - if they are so good as to get such a role surely they could find one closer home?
Last edited:
London has a large number of [well paid] senior management roles, depending on where they live they may have only a handful of suitable vacancies come up in a year, compared to every month in London. Even then, some of those positions may require specialist skills that not everyone has (perhaps knowledge of a particular technology stack) meaning they are not deemed suitable even if they want the job. To be financially viable such positions may also be more senior than the current role which may make them more difficult to achieve - in other words getting a senior role in London is easier than getting a role locally that gets close in terms of package.
I would take a pay cut to get a local job, but not much of one.