Need some guidance, heads a mess

[Steveocee]

Hi all,

I have a conundrum;

Current situation:
In a job, it pays OK, I have not a lot to do day to day and it's driving me up the wall! I live 600 metres from the place and the out of hours on call work isn't too bad although can be annoying and the customer base can sometimes be extremely difficult.

Option 1:
Have found new job at a place which will utilise my current niche skill set to it's fullest, they guarantee I'll be busy and on paper it would be a "dream" job from where I am. the problem is that it is an hour away on a good day. the company have already offered vehicle and fuel to compensate my travel though. 25% increase in pay as well as certification in the courses I've showed interest in.

Option 2:
Current place don't want me to leave, have said they will try to make me busier. Are not offering any more money however there "could" be possibility in 6-12 months time. It's round the corner though so no commute.

Bottom Line:
Apologies for blandness. It comes down to the question really of is an hour commuting a nightmare? I don't know, the motorway isn't great and I've seen google maps estimating between 50 minutes and 1hr 20 minutes so far.
Do I gamble on my current place and the possibility of things getting better in the future or could it be a tactic to get me to stay with nothing behind it?

 

[Steveocee]

I have a wife and 4 children.
It’s an hour on a good day with primarily motorway speed traffic.

Moving will be difficult as we need a big house and the one we have won’t sell for a lot due to area.

Flexible working has been offered, hour either way of a 9-5.

There is no train option.

At my current place my most recent project and product from it has diversified business and generated a huge profit in a short time.
I am crying out to get 2 certifications through so we can push further so we have accreditation in the field we are in rather than relying on the “raw” push.

 

[Steveocee]

Truth is I’m so torn. It is a bit of better the devil you know to a degree but I don’t know how or if I will cope with the travel times.

The vehicle from the new place will be commercial so tax will be around £60 per month so I won’t be worse off for the increase (I also have similar now).

I was thinking a couple of years in the new place and then look to move closer home.

When I started speaking to “new” place I originally approached and asked about WFH but it quickly escalated to a centrally based position due (hopefully) to what I can bring with my skill set.

 

[Steveocee]

I made the decision.
I actually went with staying at the current place. Home life with 4 kids wasn't worth the increase.

Thank you to all who helped advise.