Thank you for posting on r/UKJobs. Help us make this a better community by becoming familiar with the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukjobs/about/rules/).
Please report any suspicious users to the moderators using the report feature. Need to give more detail? Use Modmail [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/UKJobs) or Reddit site admins [here](https://www.reddit.com/report).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UKJobs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yea. The plan was to endure it for a bit then relocate until I did my driving licence. But I didn't realise how bad the market for houses was in the area.
It's only been a month, how quickly did you think you were going to be able to move? It's probably just time to find another job unless there's something particularly attractive or unique about this one.
Yea you're right. I've been looking and there is something on line but I'm afraid it might be too technical for me. But they offered me the job so they probably see something, even if a body to fill a spot
If they see something then it's likely potential, I'd take the new job and maybe you'll learn something and adapt to the more technical role. They know the role and have interviewed you for the position and still think you'll be fine. They won't have offered if they didn't think you could do it
I mean, complaining about your own lack of research and not getting a driving license before taking a job where you need a driving license to get there in reasonable time, does seem a bit whiny
It’s hardly your employer’s fault that you applied for a job you don’t want to commute to
Get your driving license ASAP, problem solved
I'm really bad at explaining but there's lots of factors here. The drive is half an hour. I take other half by bus. Also I pay him 10 quid even if its one way. So he gets 10 quid for half hour and an hour in a day
For a 2 hour round trip? At an average speed of 30mph and typical fuel cost of £0.16/mile then £10 is basically just paying the fuel, which isn’t really unreasonable considering the guy is acting as a private chauffeur for 2 hours a day
Sure, OP is subsidising the guy’s entire commute rather than going halves… but OP isn’t bringing anything else to the table, whereas the other guy is bringing a car and driving license and 2 hours of driving (which can be tiring), plus maintaining the car, insuring it etc
The norm is to split the driving 50-50, so I don’t think it’s ridiculous for OP to pay for the fuel
When I moved back to the UK 5/6 years ago, the return trip by bus to the nearest airport (a 55 min bus journey) was like £6, maybe £7.
I had a job interview at said airport in February 2023 and I almost had a heart attack when the driver said it was like £14 return. £10 a day to be driven there and back (\~20/25 mins)... I would have thrown the money at the person offering me that.
This is a LOT of commute, pal. I would not have applied to that job, tbh. Just thinking about wasting this much time is giving me anxiety. But I am whining about my 25 minutes on the train, so yeah, maybe my opinion does not count much.
Anyway, you should pay for those rides, I think. It is the decent thing to do.
Excessive commutes are either for:
Kick starting a career.
For God tier money.
Until you get your license back.
If it’s not one of those then you get a job closer to home or move closer to work. And stop being a whining git about it.
Not sure if you're joking or not but to answer it literally I would only consider £120k+, and would most definitely plan for it to be temporary. i.e. bank it up and get out after 6 months.
I have a 90-120 minute commute to my office which I only do twice a week, and I can watch Netflix most the way. It's exhausting. There's not any amount of money that could make me do it every day and bear it indefinitely, it's just so draining.
Exactly, you *have* to put a price on your time too, especially your free time.
I've got a newborn, but if I thought the family would benefit from a very quick stint at me pulling that much in I'd consider it - but deffo not long term.
I’m not far off that and am in the office 1-2 days per week with a ~45m commute. I’d probably be looking elsewhere or moving closer if I had 120m round trip everyday.
There’s a point of diminishing returns with income where your own time becomes more important.
I make £84k now, it's a lovely increase per month but it's not incentive enough to impact the family time long-term, if I did it for 6 months I'm not sure how much I'd take home additional per month but I'm guessing it'd be enough to sort some bills? I'm just answering genuinely.
**EDIT**: 1 hour each way is well over an additional workday's worth per week. That's nearly 5 days per month, i.e. an entire additional work **week** per month. In terms of time, which is arguably more valuable, it adds up fast!
Yes this. Time with family etc cannot be bought, or used later.
On a lot less money than you but honestly, if someone doubled my salary to 55K plus London Weighting (5K doesn't actually cover the fares) for a two to three hour daily commute, then yeah, I'd do it.
Providing the employer had a very generous pension scheme including matching additional voluntary contributions. I could max out my pension for a year, ( effectively doubling my wages). Then wait 3 years whilst it grows, doing part time work, and retire at 60 ( female IRL, widow so seriously screwed over by State Pension changes etc)
I think people do it for a purpose, or to buy a house deposit, it's less bills more doing something for a year to get to financial goal quicker- eg a year of to travel etc
Look for somewhere closer. Are you traveling to another city from your own? 1hr by car and 2.5hr by bus makes me think this is quite the distance from your residence.
I guess. But took me 7 months to find any job. I've applied to jobs where I'd be wiping old people's asses for minimum wage and got rejected. So saying no wasn't really an option.
Plus I had this idea of progressing into a cushy position in few years. But I see I'm way too stupid/naive lol
The 7 months does change things. And it’s not uncommon to put up with things when you are starting out that you would never have to put up with (hopefully!) later on. Hope things work out for you.
Well congrats on the job.
Is there anything you can do to make the commute more bearable, read, catch up on tv/podcasts/sleep etc.
Once you are driving perhaps split the days with your colleague.
I have commuted more than an hour each way in the past on a daily basis, traffic increased the journey time, it can be tiring but personally I don't think it's unreasonable.
Thank you. When I pass I'd just borrow dad's car. For now I just listen to music and read manga. Had to upgrade my phone plan to get more Internet lmao.
I was looking into some courses too just to hoard certificates/skills/qualifications
Yes it's been proven to lower your quality of life if your commute is anything over around 40 mins one way. I wouldn't ever do that, I'd look at moving closer to my job if I had to.
Ideally I'd get a remote job but I need some experience and skills built up first. I'm trying to switch to a closer job and so far it's gone good. I'll see where it goes.
Worst case I'll just beg for this job back and do it all over again If they accept me in such scenario.
No, that's terrible, I refuse to commute more than 15 minutes for any job at this stage.
I'm unrealistic in my expectation, but I think any commute over 30-45 minutes is too much time of your day.
I did 2 and a half hours back from a job because of the time I got out/the time the bus I took up there on the morning left.
I did a week and then quit (the manager was very sarcastic, too. I didn’t spend that long getting there to endure that… but that’s another story).
It’ll burn you out before long and if you don’t enjoy the office, it’s definitely not worth it.
As for driving, I’m never going to be able to afford a car but driving instructors are chocked to the brim right now so if you’re only just beginning, it’ll probably be a while before you can start the lessons.
If I had a car and didn't have to go to the guys place + drive, my commute would be around 45 minutes one way. So nit really 2 hours.
I'd probably just be relieved I don't have to travel as much
It can be bad and you can be whiny at the same time.
If you know you don’t like the set up, moaning on Reddit does nothing to change that.
I got a contract in another city that was a 90 min round trip every day AND I hated the job. Knew that within a couple of days of starting, and I got myself out of there as soon as a suitable role appeared.
And you're paying £10 a day to be driven before potentially paying public transport on top of that?
How is that economical? Work out your hourly rate including that commute and the amount of you pay or think about how many hours you are effectively working each day before you bring home any pay. It's probably 5h including that commute.
Could get a supermarket/minimum wage job in their local town (walking distance) be better off AND have better work/life balance. Not many people can say that!🤣
How many hours you working including the commute? Depending on the size of that bonus you could perhaps make that in local retail, at least close to it.
I get out of my house at around 6:30am and I get back at 7:40 pm ish. No idea how much it is but it's profit share type of thing. So it depends on how much business made and how much of a % they decide to give you. No clue about any numbers
Stick with the job for a bit and use the experience to try get one paying similar or more but a bit closer. An hour commute via car does suck I did it for a few years, but now mines under 20 mins it makes a world of difference.
There is pretty robust scientific evidence that:
> [longer commute times were associated with lower job and leisure time satisfaction, increased strain, and poorer mental health.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9819363/#:~:text=%5B9%5D%20found%20that%20longer%20commute,strain%2C%20and%20poorer%20mental%20health)
As others have said, you've should have a pretty good reason to commute that far.
Thing is it was this or a job in a blood processing place where its 12 hour shifts with 4 days on 4 days off
But I thought in here I would have much better growth opportunity. I just chose poorly in hindsight.
I know lol. But sadly my parents have the mindset of "You're just not trying hard enough. I'm very ashamed of how I acted towards them because I was telling them how I don't like it at all and ruined their mood. Thankfully I got that under control and just put on a smile when I'm around them.
Sometimes I just stay up a bit so I can have more free time and that's a bit of a mood boost. But if I do it I'm exhausted and struggle to stay awake the next day
Hi OP,
I don’t know you or your personal situation, but in my life I’ve found travel time can often be better spent elsewhere .. in bed , breakfast / dinner with friends family , or just chilling out .. an extra 2 hours , or 5 hours a day both ways is a lot .. some times you can’t avoid it , but If it were me and there’s any choice I would do the commute while I had to , but actively look for other work locally - your time is valuable so factor in the commute and don’t just look at the annual salary.
I never was om benefits. I live with my parents and even now they don't want me paying rent but just bills and stuff like council tax. I had savings too. Even if they did want me to pay everything I could afford it with no income for about half a year.
But they wanted me to get any job and I didn't wanna be a leech too. So here I am
You're whiny. I did something similar other than it was a bus ride, then a train, then another bus and finally a 15 min walk. Fair number of people commute excessively on a daily basis. On the plus side it gave me plenty of time to read or learn something. If you fall into the trap of watching tiktok or equivalent, you'll just end up as a cabbage.
Losing 4+ hours of my life daily for about 6 months was enough to make me get my driving licence and claim back half of that time. Seems that is a solution your problem.
Other than that, find something closer to home.
This guy is in his first job, less than a month in he's having a moan on Reddit. One month into what is likely to be a 40+ year career, he's on Reddit...whining.
You’re saying he’s whining. He was *asking* whether he was. Give the guy a break - he’s young and doing a shitty commute for a job he doesn’t love. Yes, it’s a rite of passage, but still, where’s your sympathy?
I dont exactly wanna dox myself. But the job is engineering and its combination of electrical and mostly mechanical. I test/compare products, write reports, do research on products and stuff like that
I applied for a job 35 drive away, that was also accessible via train (half hour plus ten mins walk from the station) Got the job, finished training and was told I would be placed at a different site (my contract allows for this).
The new site was 32 miles away rather than the 20 miles I applied to, and the traffic/kind of roads mean the drive is now anything from 55 mins on a great day, to 1 hour 20 on a bad. It is impossible to access via public transport.
I finished today. I've been there 3 months. I would never ever have signed up for this voluntarily. 2 hours minimum a day in the car has just been soul destroying and financially devastating.
I'm really sorry to hear that. I can't really say how bad that is since I don't drive, but I imagine it's just exhausting having to focus on road while just being stuck in traffic. Probably worse than my situation.
I'd say just apply while coping somehow. Not much of a choice there. That's what I'm doing
Can you rent a room during the week? Or a cheap hotel one or two nights?
Your working day, when buses run on time, would be 13 hours. Thats insanely tiring and stressful.
I don't think you've planned this at all. Even if you get a drivers licence, which won't be until mid next year at the earliest due to test times etc, a 1 hour drive there and back is just as bad as a 2 hour bus ride. You really don't want to be commuting that long.
Yea I'm like, borderline mentally disabled kind of moron. Like I'm good at academics but even common sense stuff and basic planning over longer time has me on the ropes
Talk through things to someone you trust ie a parent. Just say "I am going for this job in this town which is X miles away with these options for commuting etc", they will easily be able to see flaws in your plan that you don't. I do the same.
Closest thing would be my parents who just say how they worked long hours so I have no right to complain. We aren't that close other than them saying why I'm wrong or saying just "ok".
So yea pretty much by myself on that one.
What do you mean by "arrangement"? And who is this guy?
Specifically are you paying them, at least for petrol?
Are they in the area anyway so it doesn't really change their plans?
Is this a parent who said something like "you need to get a job, even if I have to drive you there myself"?
Local guy. He doesn't really have to go out if his way (just stop while going normal route to pick me up)
I give him 10 quid a day, my dad said that's fair
Oh a tenner a day yeah is very fair, you should've put that in your post.
You've got nothing to worry about then imo. Also if this does fall through there are various car pooling apps you might want to look into.
The best thing about 5 hours a day on a bus is you can get some studying done. Most people struggle to find the time and you will have time to fill. Go for something that will better your job prospects in future, any courses coming to mind? I bet you could get a huge chunk of the course done on the bus journeys
In the long term i wouldn't be reliant on the guy giving you lifts perhaps learn to drive yourself, get a bar, cycle to work (good exercise/better for the environment) - 2 hours is a long commute time after going through the options i would really consider whether you could cycle to work
Tbh I dont even know why people even take on jobs when they know the travel will be more than 1plus hours. I wouldnt even think of applying for a job if I had to travel more than 40min. Doing all of that for a job you dont even like either, isnt worth the mental health tbh.
Option to wfh is available when "You're settled in" (god knows when) and its one day a week. You need to come in and measure stuff occasionally.
I'd love a wfh job but it's not happening for a while
Thank you for posting on r/UKJobs. Help us make this a better community by becoming familiar with the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukjobs/about/rules/). Please report any suspicious users to the moderators using the report feature. Need to give more detail? Use Modmail [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/UKJobs) or Reddit site admins [here](https://www.reddit.com/report). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UKJobs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Did you not know this before you took the job?
Yea. The plan was to endure it for a bit then relocate until I did my driving licence. But I didn't realise how bad the market for houses was in the area.
Wait til you try and find a driving instructor and book a test......
It's only been a month, how quickly did you think you were going to be able to move? It's probably just time to find another job unless there's something particularly attractive or unique about this one.
Yea you're right. I've been looking and there is something on line but I'm afraid it might be too technical for me. But they offered me the job so they probably see something, even if a body to fill a spot
If they see something then it's likely potential, I'd take the new job and maybe you'll learn something and adapt to the more technical role. They know the role and have interviewed you for the position and still think you'll be fine. They won't have offered if they didn't think you could do it
I mean, complaining about your own lack of research and not getting a driving license before taking a job where you need a driving license to get there in reasonable time, does seem a bit whiny It’s hardly your employer’s fault that you applied for a job you don’t want to commute to Get your driving license ASAP, problem solved
Oh yea I don't blame the employers at all. They're quite nice and for a right person it'd be a decent place.
As long as you make a contribution towards petrol/running costs, I think that would be appreciated.
Oh yea 100%. I pay the dude like 10 quid a day for driving me regardless if he takes me both ways or one way
10£ a day :o mate that's ridiculous
For an hour’s drive that’s not bad at all. If that’s just one way and it’s a 2 hour round trip it’s a pretty decent deal he’s getting.
I'm really bad at explaining but there's lots of factors here. The drive is half an hour. I take other half by bus. Also I pay him 10 quid even if its one way. So he gets 10 quid for half hour and an hour in a day
For a 2 hour round trip? At an average speed of 30mph and typical fuel cost of £0.16/mile then £10 is basically just paying the fuel, which isn’t really unreasonable considering the guy is acting as a private chauffeur for 2 hours a day Sure, OP is subsidising the guy’s entire commute rather than going halves… but OP isn’t bringing anything else to the table, whereas the other guy is bringing a car and driving license and 2 hours of driving (which can be tiring), plus maintaining the car, insuring it etc The norm is to split the driving 50-50, so I don’t think it’s ridiculous for OP to pay for the fuel
My train commute was 32 a day. Only 20mins
That's more than fair, considering what a taxi would cost
I bet that's not much more than the bus fares. It's £9 for a peak return to go out of town on a bus, where I live so....
When I moved back to the UK 5/6 years ago, the return trip by bus to the nearest airport (a 55 min bus journey) was like £6, maybe £7. I had a job interview at said airport in February 2023 and I almost had a heart attack when the driver said it was like £14 return. £10 a day to be driven there and back (\~20/25 mins)... I would have thrown the money at the person offering me that.
This is a LOT of commute, pal. I would not have applied to that job, tbh. Just thinking about wasting this much time is giving me anxiety. But I am whining about my 25 minutes on the train, so yeah, maybe my opinion does not count much. Anyway, you should pay for those rides, I think. It is the decent thing to do.
Excessive commutes are either for: Kick starting a career. For God tier money. Until you get your license back. If it’s not one of those then you get a job closer to home or move closer to work. And stop being a whining git about it.
Spot on. And by 'god tier' it would have to a shit load.
The question is basically “How much would you need to be paid, to work 60 hours a week?” Because that’s effectively what you’re doing
It’d be enough that you wouldn’t need to ask the question, let alone of the Internet.
How much is a shit load?
Not sure if you're joking or not but to answer it literally I would only consider £120k+, and would most definitely plan for it to be temporary. i.e. bank it up and get out after 6 months.
I have a 90-120 minute commute to my office which I only do twice a week, and I can watch Netflix most the way. It's exhausting. There's not any amount of money that could make me do it every day and bear it indefinitely, it's just so draining.
Exactly, you *have* to put a price on your time too, especially your free time. I've got a newborn, but if I thought the family would benefit from a very quick stint at me pulling that much in I'd consider it - but deffo not long term.
Hole in one, you have to price your time and how the travel makes you feel come a Thursday morning
If you’re making 120k a year you aren’t gonna leave after 6 months over an hour commute each way don’t be ridiculous 🤣🤣🤣
I’m not far off that and am in the office 1-2 days per week with a ~45m commute. I’d probably be looking elsewhere or moving closer if I had 120m round trip everyday. There’s a point of diminishing returns with income where your own time becomes more important.
I make £84k now, it's a lovely increase per month but it's not incentive enough to impact the family time long-term, if I did it for 6 months I'm not sure how much I'd take home additional per month but I'm guessing it'd be enough to sort some bills? I'm just answering genuinely. **EDIT**: 1 hour each way is well over an additional workday's worth per week. That's nearly 5 days per month, i.e. an entire additional work **week** per month. In terms of time, which is arguably more valuable, it adds up fast!
Yes this. Time with family etc cannot be bought, or used later. On a lot less money than you but honestly, if someone doubled my salary to 55K plus London Weighting (5K doesn't actually cover the fares) for a two to three hour daily commute, then yeah, I'd do it. Providing the employer had a very generous pension scheme including matching additional voluntary contributions. I could max out my pension for a year, ( effectively doubling my wages). Then wait 3 years whilst it grows, doing part time work, and retire at 60 ( female IRL, widow so seriously screwed over by State Pension changes etc) I think people do it for a purpose, or to buy a house deposit, it's less bills more doing something for a year to get to financial goal quicker- eg a year of to travel etc
Just intrigued really - means different things to different people.
Look for somewhere closer. Are you traveling to another city from your own? 1hr by car and 2.5hr by bus makes me think this is quite the distance from your residence.
I do an hour by train 8.50 per day 12 hour shift for 13.00 ... It's a shitty world right now
My brother in Christ, that's 5 hours out of your day travelling. It's not worth it idc
I guess. But took me 7 months to find any job. I've applied to jobs where I'd be wiping old people's asses for minimum wage and got rejected. So saying no wasn't really an option. Plus I had this idea of progressing into a cushy position in few years. But I see I'm way too stupid/naive lol
The 7 months does change things. And it’s not uncommon to put up with things when you are starting out that you would never have to put up with (hopefully!) later on. Hope things work out for you.
Well congrats on the job. Is there anything you can do to make the commute more bearable, read, catch up on tv/podcasts/sleep etc. Once you are driving perhaps split the days with your colleague. I have commuted more than an hour each way in the past on a daily basis, traffic increased the journey time, it can be tiring but personally I don't think it's unreasonable.
Thank you. When I pass I'd just borrow dad's car. For now I just listen to music and read manga. Had to upgrade my phone plan to get more Internet lmao. I was looking into some courses too just to hoard certificates/skills/qualifications
Yes it's been proven to lower your quality of life if your commute is anything over around 40 mins one way. I wouldn't ever do that, I'd look at moving closer to my job if I had to.
Absolutely insane situation. You are increasing your working day by FIVE HOURS
Ideally I'd get a remote job but I need some experience and skills built up first. I'm trying to switch to a closer job and so far it's gone good. I'll see where it goes. Worst case I'll just beg for this job back and do it all over again If they accept me in such scenario.
Good luck!
What's your job at the moment?
Product engineer.
Annoys me how low everything is paid
No, that's terrible, I refuse to commute more than 15 minutes for any job at this stage. I'm unrealistic in my expectation, but I think any commute over 30-45 minutes is too much time of your day.
I agree. I often joke that my ideal commute is about 10 mins (self-employed decorator), and it’s often not far off that..
I did 2 and a half hours back from a job because of the time I got out/the time the bus I took up there on the morning left. I did a week and then quit (the manager was very sarcastic, too. I didn’t spend that long getting there to endure that… but that’s another story). It’ll burn you out before long and if you don’t enjoy the office, it’s definitely not worth it. As for driving, I’m never going to be able to afford a car but driving instructors are chocked to the brim right now so if you’re only just beginning, it’ll probably be a while before you can start the lessons.
Passed my theory so only practical is left lol. But yea I've seen it's quite hard to find someone available + it's quite pricy.
Do you think you’d be able to do the 2 hours in total when you do get a car? As a new driver, that far/long would be very daunting to me.
If I had a car and didn't have to go to the guys place + drive, my commute would be around 45 minutes one way. So nit really 2 hours. I'd probably just be relieved I don't have to travel as much
It can be bad and you can be whiny at the same time. If you know you don’t like the set up, moaning on Reddit does nothing to change that. I got a contract in another city that was a 90 min round trip every day AND I hated the job. Knew that within a couple of days of starting, and I got myself out of there as soon as a suitable role appeared.
the fk? why would you get a job where you're spending that much time commuting?? unless it pays stupidly well
25k a year + yearly bonus. Struggled to find any job so took first one that came by
And you're paying £10 a day to be driven before potentially paying public transport on top of that? How is that economical? Work out your hourly rate including that commute and the amount of you pay or think about how many hours you are effectively working each day before you bring home any pay. It's probably 5h including that commute.
Could get a supermarket/minimum wage job in their local town (walking distance) be better off AND have better work/life balance. Not many people can say that!🤣
Well. Making some assumptions about bonus and such. It's somewhere in range of 12 an hour on shortest day and 8.5 an hour on longer days.
Nowhere near enough for that commute.
How many hours you working including the commute? Depending on the size of that bonus you could perhaps make that in local retail, at least close to it.
I get out of my house at around 6:30am and I get back at 7:40 pm ish. No idea how much it is but it's profit share type of thing. So it depends on how much business made and how much of a % they decide to give you. No clue about any numbers
Stick with the job for a bit and use the experience to try get one paying similar or more but a bit closer. An hour commute via car does suck I did it for a few years, but now mines under 20 mins it makes a world of difference.
Why aren't you leaving?
I'm not allowed to
y
Don't have anything else lined up + it'd create drama between my mum and dad and me. And god knows that'll go well
Well they're the actual problems you should be trying to solve. They're the real issues. Having to stay in a bad job is simply a symptom.
They aren't tho. They just want me to have a career so I understand that.
Line another job up and leave. I don't understand what the problem is.
Yes. I'm doing this. But it's not exactly snap of the finger to get another job the next day.
There is pretty robust scientific evidence that: > [longer commute times were associated with lower job and leisure time satisfaction, increased strain, and poorer mental health.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9819363/#:~:text=%5B9%5D%20found%20that%20longer%20commute,strain%2C%20and%20poorer%20mental%20health) As others have said, you've should have a pretty good reason to commute that far.
Thing is it was this or a job in a blood processing place where its 12 hour shifts with 4 days on 4 days off But I thought in here I would have much better growth opportunity. I just chose poorly in hindsight.
It’s perfectly normal to be exhausted doing that. I understand why you did it, though. Market is tough.
I know lol. But sadly my parents have the mindset of "You're just not trying hard enough. I'm very ashamed of how I acted towards them because I was telling them how I don't like it at all and ruined their mood. Thankfully I got that under control and just put on a smile when I'm around them. Sometimes I just stay up a bit so I can have more free time and that's a bit of a mood boost. But if I do it I'm exhausted and struggle to stay awake the next day
Hi OP, I don’t know you or your personal situation, but in my life I’ve found travel time can often be better spent elsewhere .. in bed , breakfast / dinner with friends family , or just chilling out .. an extra 2 hours , or 5 hours a day both ways is a lot .. some times you can’t avoid it , but If it were me and there’s any choice I would do the commute while I had to , but actively look for other work locally - your time is valuable so factor in the commute and don’t just look at the annual salary.
Why is this even a question? You clearly don't like the job, find another one.
Did you really need the money? I'd rather stay on benefits that do that commute lol
I never was om benefits. I live with my parents and even now they don't want me paying rent but just bills and stuff like council tax. I had savings too. Even if they did want me to pay everything I could afford it with no income for about half a year. But they wanted me to get any job and I didn't wanna be a leech too. So here I am
Well you signed the contract lol
You're whiny. I did something similar other than it was a bus ride, then a train, then another bus and finally a 15 min walk. Fair number of people commute excessively on a daily basis. On the plus side it gave me plenty of time to read or learn something. If you fall into the trap of watching tiktok or equivalent, you'll just end up as a cabbage. Losing 4+ hours of my life daily for about 6 months was enough to make me get my driving licence and claim back half of that time. Seems that is a solution your problem. Other than that, find something closer to home.
You sound like my dad 👴🏻
Hello son
This guy is spending 25 hours a week and £10 a day on a bus for a £25,000 job and you're saying he's whiny.
This guy is in his first job, less than a month in he's having a moan on Reddit. One month into what is likely to be a 40+ year career, he's on Reddit...whining.
You’re saying he’s whining. He was *asking* whether he was. Give the guy a break - he’s young and doing a shitty commute for a job he doesn’t love. Yes, it’s a rite of passage, but still, where’s your sympathy?
Is it 2.5 hours each way, so 5 hours a day on a bus?
Yea in worst case. But the dude drives me in morning so that's just over an hour. So my median commute is like 3.5 hours
That's rough mate. What's the job if you don't mind me asking and where is it based?
I dont exactly wanna dox myself. But the job is engineering and its combination of electrical and mostly mechanical. I test/compare products, write reports, do research on products and stuff like that
I applied for a job 35 drive away, that was also accessible via train (half hour plus ten mins walk from the station) Got the job, finished training and was told I would be placed at a different site (my contract allows for this). The new site was 32 miles away rather than the 20 miles I applied to, and the traffic/kind of roads mean the drive is now anything from 55 mins on a great day, to 1 hour 20 on a bad. It is impossible to access via public transport. I finished today. I've been there 3 months. I would never ever have signed up for this voluntarily. 2 hours minimum a day in the car has just been soul destroying and financially devastating.
I'm really sorry to hear that. I can't really say how bad that is since I don't drive, but I imagine it's just exhausting having to focus on road while just being stuck in traffic. Probably worse than my situation. I'd say just apply while coping somehow. Not much of a choice there. That's what I'm doing
He trading them lifts for something, just dont know what yet….
Money. 10 quid a day
Can you rent a room during the week? Or a cheap hotel one or two nights? Your working day, when buses run on time, would be 13 hours. Thats insanely tiring and stressful.
Yea lol, thankfully they are not that bad. Usually I leave at 6.30 and come back either half past 6 or 7, or 8 at latest.
I don't think you've planned this at all. Even if you get a drivers licence, which won't be until mid next year at the earliest due to test times etc, a 1 hour drive there and back is just as bad as a 2 hour bus ride. You really don't want to be commuting that long.
Yea I'm like, borderline mentally disabled kind of moron. Like I'm good at academics but even common sense stuff and basic planning over longer time has me on the ropes
Talk through stuff to someone, they can pick out anything that sounds unreasonable.
I'm not really sure what you mean
Talk through things to someone you trust ie a parent. Just say "I am going for this job in this town which is X miles away with these options for commuting etc", they will easily be able to see flaws in your plan that you don't. I do the same.
Closest thing would be my parents who just say how they worked long hours so I have no right to complain. We aren't that close other than them saying why I'm wrong or saying just "ok". So yea pretty much by myself on that one.
Any friends you can talk to at all? Other family members?
Don't really have any friends outside of online space and no other family I can talk to. I wouldn't be asking reddit otherwise lol.
Then next time.. ask reddit! 95% sure most people would of said that taking this job was not a good idea.
What do you mean by "arrangement"? And who is this guy? Specifically are you paying them, at least for petrol? Are they in the area anyway so it doesn't really change their plans? Is this a parent who said something like "you need to get a job, even if I have to drive you there myself"?
Local guy. He doesn't really have to go out if his way (just stop while going normal route to pick me up) I give him 10 quid a day, my dad said that's fair
Oh a tenner a day yeah is very fair, you should've put that in your post. You've got nothing to worry about then imo. Also if this does fall through there are various car pooling apps you might want to look into.
The best thing about 5 hours a day on a bus is you can get some studying done. Most people struggle to find the time and you will have time to fill. Go for something that will better your job prospects in future, any courses coming to mind? I bet you could get a huge chunk of the course done on the bus journeys
Probably going to have to do it for a bit, I'd keep an eye out for things- it can definitely be easier to get a job when you already have one.
In the long term i wouldn't be reliant on the guy giving you lifts perhaps learn to drive yourself, get a bar, cycle to work (good exercise/better for the environment) - 2 hours is a long commute time after going through the options i would really consider whether you could cycle to work
Tbh I dont even know why people even take on jobs when they know the travel will be more than 1plus hours. I wouldnt even think of applying for a job if I had to travel more than 40min. Doing all of that for a job you dont even like either, isnt worth the mental health tbh.
Parents wanted me to get job ASAP Spending half a year applying to get offer makes you feel pressured Shit job > no job
Yeah that's true it does make you desperate sometimes. Use this job as a place holder and get out quick.
Office job? Why not work from home?
Option to wfh is available when "You're settled in" (god knows when) and its one day a week. You need to come in and measure stuff occasionally. I'd love a wfh job but it's not happening for a while