Potential travel costs for work

Abbafan1972

Hi there,

I am currently on a temporary contract for a large project working from home.

I don't have an official end date for my contract, but I got an email from my manager on Friday, sent to me and 3 other temps, saying that we had the option to apply for permanent position (she outlined what they were) and could we send her our CV if interested in applying, as what we are doing currently will be coming to an end. 

I knew this already, but working for them permanently would eventually mean travelling to Milton Keynes once the Covid situation starts to ease (whenever that will be!).

I live in Birmingham and don't drive, so I am aware it will involve train travel.  I am fine travelling into Birmingham city centre from my house and a monthly travelcard for this is approximately £60.  The buses are run by National Express West Midlands.   I am not very up on travelling by train and need to work out how much this will cost, don't want to end up spending a good proportion of my wages just travelling to actually get to work and need to see if it is worth my while.  

Train will be from Birmingham New Street to Milton Keynes Central.  Luckily the offices are only a short walk from the train station. 

Can someone please advise me on where/how to work out how much this will cost me?  I really don't know where to start!

I have no idea what salary would be involved at all.  I am currently on £9.50ph with the agency, doing 37.50 hours a week. 

Thanks in advance. 

josephine82

The national rail season ticket calculator will help you out here
https://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/seasonticket/search
 

Sncjw

Maybe go on national rail and work out the price for the train you would likely to get and any others around tjay time. Work out how many times you will travel. Then you can see how much it would cost a week.. Then times it by 4 to get rough monthly cost. The have a look at a rail card maybe or monthly passes or annual to see if there's a saving. Usually paying monthly will be cheaper than singles. 

68ComebackSpecial

Realistically the travel costs are going to be a large percentage of your gross pay unless you can negotiate a sizeable increase. Taking a fast/ direct train annual season ticket, plus your bus, equates to a third of your gross salary and take several hours each day. 

Savvy_Sue

I think I'd work out how much I'd need to make this worthwhile in the longer term, but if I wasn't likely to get that then I might apply anyway but keep looking around for work closer to home. Personally I'd hate travelling that kind of distance. 

Is learning to drive an option? Would that be any more viable? 

Gavin83

I did at one point consider moving to Milton Keynes and when looking at job opportunities I looked into commuting to Birmingham. The costs and the time involved meant it wasn't worth it for me so I ruled it out and I earn a fair bit more than you. I think it's too far and I wouldn't entertain it unless the salary was insane (and possibly not even then) but it is a personal decision and it's up to you to access whether it's viable.

isplumm

If it was me I'd apply for the role & if offered take it - you have no idea what the future holds in terms of travelling into office etc - much better to be working in these COVID times, than looking for a new job!

Sandtree

The question is going to be how often they expect you to come into the office; if its 3+ times a week then a season ticket is normally cheaper and a link has already been provided. I dont know about where you are but in london a travel card can be built into a season ticket and works out cheaper than buying it separately. 

If you are only going to be going in once or twice a week then season tickets will be more expensive than a daily ticket.

Abbafan1972

Thanks for your replies - I have replied to the email, expressed an interest and attached my CV.

I have asked if there is a requirement to be in the office 5 days a week

Yes, obviously single tickets would be better if I was just travelling for one day.  I wouldn't even entertain travelling to MK 5 days a week, that is a recipe for disaster, personally and health-wise.

With regards to learning to drive - I have had this conversation with myself so many times.  I took lessons when I was 19 and a test.  It nearly finished me off, I was that nervous and just couldn't cope with it.  Also, it's down to money.  Lessons aren't cheap and cost of a car, maintenance etc.  It's just money I don't have. At the age of 48, I just don't think I could do it. 

TBagpuss

If the role is one you are currently doing remotely then you may, if you get an interview, be able to discuss the possibility of working fully or partially remotely if you are taken on full time.
If the role would be remote initially due to Covid you could also reopen that discussion if/when lockdown ends and they stat talking about bringing people back into the office, at which time you will have (mot likely) several months of work under your belt and hopefully will have a proven track record of doing the job effectively on a remote basis. 
If at that point they are not willing to consider letting you work remotely you can start thinking about the cost and time of travelling, and whether it's workable, and into, you can look for a different job at that time.
Re: Driving - if you haven't tried at all in the last 30 years it may be worth looking into it - I think there are a lot more options now, including intensive courses and instructors who specialize in working with people who are nervous or have other issues. Obviously up to you, but being able to drive, even if you decide that owning a car isn't for you, may be worth thinking about. (A friend of mine learned, and passed their test, a couple of year ago only a couple of years younger than you. Then to start with they didn't own a car but did  rent them from time to time, and they now own a car and drive a lot, although I do appreciate that the cost of getting to that point can be a big barrier!)

Savvy_Sue

TBagpuss said:

Re: Driving - if you haven't tried at all in the last 30 years it may be worth looking into it - I think there are a lot more options now, including intensive courses and instructors who specialize in working with people who are nervous or have other issues. Obviously up to you, but being able to drive, even if you decide that owning a car isn't for you, may be worth thinking about. (A friend of mine learned, and passed their test, a couple of year ago only a couple of years younger than you. Then to start with they didn't own a car but did  rent them from time to time, and they now own a car and drive a lot, although I do appreciate that the cost of getting to that point can be a big barrier!)

I would second this: I had a friend whose mother learned to drive in her 60s, after her husband died. They were of the generation where the man usually drove, so the woman had no need to learn. 

If you do decide to go for it, you might find it easier to learn to drive an automatic. It's one less thing to think about! Some instructors specialise in this (I had a lesson with one who thought it was definitely the way forward!)

But up to you, just making a suggestion!