1 hour commute or 1.5 hour commute for more money

sarahwynn

Sorry in advance for the long post!

Im 26 & I’ve recently come back off a 12 month sabbatical and I’ve started applying for jobs again (I’m a dental practitioner).
All my previous jobs have been fairly close to home between a 5 minute walk and 20 minute drive.

Unfortunately there are no jobs this close to home & moving out is not on the cards for me.
My two main work options are both a significant drive away, we don’t have great public transport links, so that’s also not an option as it would take 3x longer.

Job 1: A 45 min- 1hr drive on A & B roads only, very likely to have a lot of traffic & known for being a poor drive. This job has a lower rate of pay but still very good generally. It is also split between two separate sites. 9-5 Monday-Friday. No extra benefits with pay.

Job 2: 1.5 hour journey by car, less likely to be affected by traffic as mostly on the M6. Travel could be very bad in the winter. 

This job pays £5.50 more/hr, also has the added benefit of extras to be earned with private work (could be more than £100+ extra a week with this benefit, on the odd occasion). Mon 9:30-5 Tue/wed/thurs 9-5 & fri 9-3, so slightly less hours but the increase in pay still outweighs this. 
I would have to pay for parking in town as well, not sure how much.

Generally I prefer the sound of the job further away but everyone I speak to basically says don’t do it, the drive will be killer.

I think it’s worth mentioning that I really enjoy driving in general, so the thought of it seems quite nice to me, having time for a coffee and unwind in the morning. I know leaving work will not be the same wanting to get home. 
Long distance jobs are also very common where I live due to it being rural, so I do know people who have done similar commutes.

I’m just looking for some opinions really, hopefully to help me come to a decision.

born_again

Are these drives each way or in total?
What sort of miles each way? As you have to factor in the wear & tear on your car.

While you may enjoy driving. If it is 1 to 1.5 each way, then you will soon get fed up of doing it day in day out. Especially if you are getting stuck in traffic. 

Previously in office was 30 mins to work for me, but 1 to 2 hours on the way home due to traffic. That is sub 20 miles as well. Got to the point where I would work a couple of hours overtime, just so I could leave work later & have a faster less stressful trip home..

Not good for home work life balance.

MattMattMattUK

sarahwynn said:

Sorry in advance for the long post!

Im 26 & I’ve recently come back off a 12 month sabbatical and I’ve started applying for jobs again (I’m a dental practitioner).
All my previous jobs have been fairly close to home between a 5 minute walk and 20 minute drive.

Unfortunately there are no jobs this close to home & moving out is not on the cards for me.
My two main work options are both a significant drive away, we don’t have great public transport links, so that’s also not an option as it would take 3x longer.

Job 1: A 45 min- 1hr drive on A & B roads only, very likely to have a lot of traffic & known for being a poor drive. This job has a lower rate of pay but still very good generally. It is also split between two separate sites. 9-5 Monday-Friday. No extra benefits with pay.

Job 2: 1.5 hour journey by car, less likely to be affected by traffic as mostly on the M6. Travel could be very bad in the winter. 

This job pays £5.50 more/hr, also has the added benefit of extras to be earned with private work (could be more than £100+ extra a week with this benefit, on the odd occasion). Mon 9:30-5 Tue/wed/thurs 9-5 & fri 9-3, so slightly less hours but the increase in pay still outweighs this. 
I would have to pay for parking in town as well, not sure how much.

Generally I prefer the sound of the job further away but everyone I speak to basically says don’t do it, the drive will be killer.

I think it’s worth mentioning that I really enjoy driving in general, so the thought of it seems quite nice to me, having time for a coffee and unwind in the morning. I know leaving work will not be the same wanting to get home. 
Long distance jobs are also very common where I live due to it being rural, so I do know people who have done similar commutes.

I’m just looking for some opinions really, hopefully to help me come to a decision.

One thing that might help you is to calculate your hourly rate net of commuting costs and time. 

Job 1:
Hours - 37.5hrs work + 7.5hrs commute = 45 hours
Income - £40,000 - (30 miles each way @ £0.45 per mile x 5 days = £1,404) = £38,596
Effective hourly rate £16.49

Job 2:
Hours - 37.5hrs work + 15hrs commute = 52.5 hours
Income - £50,725 - (60 miles each way @ £0.45 per mile x 5 days = £2,808) = £47,917
Effective hourly rate £17.55

*I am using the 45p per mile rate as a ballpark to cover all running costs, not just fuel.
**Numbers will vary depending on the income.

You can then work out if you are willing to give up 7.5 hours a week for another £1.06 per hour / £39.67 per week pre-tax and how the net adjusted income impacts your life plans.

Also, it is one thing enjoying driving, it is another to enjoy driving the same route, twice a day, five days a week, in all weathers, so worth factoring that in. 

cmthephoenix

Can you travel or part travel by public transport to the job further away to make it less of a strain? Only you can know how the journey will affect you given the differences in them but yes it's a real thing. Always priorities your quality of life, you never know whesomething unexpected may take it away.

sarahwynn

born_again said:

Are these drives each way or in total?
What sort of miles each way? As you have to factor in the wear & tear on your car.

While you may enjoy driving. If it is 1 to 1.5 each way, then you will soon get fed up of doing it day in day out. Especially if you are getting stuck in traffic. 

Previously in office was 30 mins to work for me, but 1 to 2 hours on the way home due to traffic. That is sub 20 miles as well. Got to the point where I would work a couple of hours overtime, just so I could leave work later & have a faster less stressful trip home..

Not good for home work life balance.

It’s each way, so either 2hrs or 3hrs drive for each job.
It’s around a 52 mile journey there and back.

A lot of people have said I will get sick of it but I don’t really have an option of not driving. It’s either 1hr drive or 1.5hr drive and the job an extra 30 mins away is a better job.

I do also understand that point of view and it seems to be the general opinion, but I’m planning on getting a working holiday visa in the near future. This means it’s not going to be a super long term job, which I think may help with just getting through it for a while.

Thanks so much for your comment!!

sarahwynn

MattMattMattUK said:

sarahwynn said:

Sorry in advance for the long post!

Im 26 & I’ve recently come back off a 12 month sabbatical and I’ve started applying for jobs again (I’m a dental practitioner).
All my previous jobs have been fairly close to home between a 5 minute walk and 20 minute drive.

Unfortunately there are no jobs this close to home & moving out is not on the cards for me.
My two main work options are both a significant drive away, we don’t have great public transport links, so that’s also not an option as it would take 3x longer.

Job 1: A 45 min- 1hr drive on A & B roads only, very likely to have a lot of traffic & known for being a poor drive. This job has a lower rate of pay but still very good generally. It is also split between two separate sites. 9-5 Monday-Friday. No extra benefits with pay.

Job 2: 1.5 hour journey by car, less likely to be affected by traffic as mostly on the M6. Travel could be very bad in the winter. 

This job pays £5.50 more/hr, also has the added benefit of extras to be earned with private work (could be more than £100+ extra a week with this benefit, on the odd occasion). Mon 9:30-5 Tue/wed/thurs 9-5 & fri 9-3, so slightly less hours but the increase in pay still outweighs this. 
I would have to pay for parking in town as well, not sure how much.

Generally I prefer the sound of the job further away but everyone I speak to basically says don’t do it, the drive will be killer.

I think it’s worth mentioning that I really enjoy driving in general, so the thought of it seems quite nice to me, having time for a coffee and unwind in the morning. I know leaving work will not be the same wanting to get home. 
Long distance jobs are also very common where I live due to it being rural, so I do know people who have done similar commutes.

I’m just looking for some opinions really, hopefully to help me come to a decision.

One thing that might help you is to calculate your hourly rate net of commuting costs and time. 

Job 1:
Hours - 37.5hrs work + 7.5hrs commute = 45 hours
Income - £40,000 - (30 miles each way @ £0.45 per mile x 5 days = £1,404) = £38,596
Effective hourly rate £16.49

Job 2:
Hours - 37.5hrs work + 15hrs commute = 52.5 hours
Income - £50,725 - (60 miles each way @ £0.45 per mile x 5 days = £2,808) = £47,917
Effective hourly rate £17.55

*I am using the 45p per mile rate as a ballpark to cover all running costs, not just fuel.
**Numbers will vary depending on the income.

You can then work out if you are willing to give up 7.5 hours a week for another £1.06 per hour / £39.67 per week pre-tax and how the net adjusted income impacts your life plans.

Also, it is one thing enjoying driving, it is another to enjoy driving the same route, twice a day, five days a week, in all weathers, so worth factoring that in. 

That’s a great help, thanks for the calculations.
I will definitely be doing some more maths once I receive a contract from both jobs and I can weigh both of the jobs up side by side with costs and earnings etc. 

Yes, a lot of people agree with that, it’s the accumulating factor of the driving which is the worst part… I just won’t know until I give it a go I suppose! 

Thanks again!!

elsien

Have you checked the commute times at rush hour? 

My 35 mile drive can take 50 minutes to an hour if I go in late, but the drive home if I hit traffic can take 1.5 -2 hours. Sitting in traffic, getting frustrated. 

I like driving, but not in motorway traffic that’s crawling along stopping and starting. 

sarahwynn

cmthephoenix said:

Can you travel or part travel by public transport to the job further away to make it less of a strain? Only you can know how the journey will affect you given the differences in them but yes it's a real thing. Always priorities your quality of life, you never know whesomething unexpected may take it away.

Unfortunately not, it would make the journey much worse as to even get halfway it would mean 3 trains.

I am very aware I just have to make a choice. 

I’m not planning on being in this job for a significant period of time, probably just around 8 months or so. Im wanting to get a working holiday visa next year & I think knowing that I have this in a pretty short period of time makes me think I could cope with the driving for a while to make some extra cash.

Thanks for your help!!

sarahwynn

elsien said:

Have you checked the commute times at rush hour? 

My 35 mile drive can take 50 minutes to an hour if I go in late, but the drive home if I hit traffic can take 1.5 -2 hours. Sitting in traffic, getting frustrated. 

I like driving, but not in motorway traffic that’s crawling along stopping and starting. 

Yes, I’ve drove the route a few times. 

It’s the very north of Cumbria I’m driving to and from and in all honesty it’s not an often busy road compared to most of the country.
I know there will absolutely be times that the drive will be almost two hours with bad weather etc but it’s something I’d have to deal with, which I understand.

I won’t truly know what it will be like until I try but understand how other people see the situation is helping me make a more informed condition.

Thank you!

TELLIT01

I had a number of jobs where I had a drive of 30 to 40 minutes each way and even on that comparatively short journey it got wearing after a while.  I had to drive as public transport simply wasn't an option due to location.  I certainly wouldn't want 1.5 hours each way, which could easily become 2 hours or more if there is a problem on the motorway.

SensibleSarah

Everyone has a different tolerance for this kind of thing but having had some long driving commutes in my time, I've come to realise that I value my free time more than the extra money. An 8-hour working day + commute easily turns into a 10-12 hour day when the traffic is bad (more often than not in my experience, but this will depend on area) and 9 months of that was more than enough for me in one job. It took its toll mentally and physically. 

That said, you have an end-date in mind for your particular role, so it could be worth the short term pain for the extra money for your circumstances. Only you can really answer that and you probably won't know until you try.