So, I'm at the end of my tether with my current job, and it now seems to be showing (to the extent I've been told to pull my socks up by my immediate management).

I'm trying to find another job but, as with the remainder of lawyers in my specialism (corporate) there are no jobs around.

But, I've got an interview for a job that suits my skillset perfectly. Trouble is, if I get it, it's 80 miles away in Birmingham (I live in Manchester).

If it was just me, I'd move, but I have to think of Mrs North and her career.

So, I can:

1. Not go ahead on the basis of the upheaval being too much like hard work;

2. Go for it, and if i get it, commute 160 miles a day on the M6;

3. Move out of our (recently refurbished) house and buy somewhere between Manchester and Birmingham, incurring all the costs of moving house; or

4. Move to the W. Mids and kill Mrs North's career dead.

Thoughts?

Career change?

Career change?

In time, I think, yes. This would be a subtle transition away from what i currentlyu do, to something a little different (still legal-based).

commute 160 miles a day on the M6

😯 that sounds like hell to me!

Any work form home options?

how much is a train season ticket? it's about the same time on the train as in the car and gives you a couple of hours each day to read / get some work done. I commuted wigan to crewe for 3 years and the train was great

that sounds like hell to me!

My thoughts.

how much is a train season ticket? it's about the same time on the train as in the car and gives you a couple of hours each day to read / get some work done.

Don't know. Haven't altogether considered that option.

The trouble is, I loathe the current job so much, I'm happy to consider pretty much any option….

Try and steer clear of the M6. It's not nice.

I live in the east mids (near Grantham) and have just moved work to Bristol. A round trip of 320 miles. Unfortunately, I didn't have much choice, I was made redundant and an old contact offered me this within 2 days of finishing.

I drive down on a monday morning and rent a room in a house for three nights a week – heading home on Thursday night. I then work at home on a Friday.

It's not ideal, and I miss my wife and kids like you wouldn't believe.

national rail website comes up with this (all manchester stations to all brum stations)

7 Days 1 Month 3 Months 6 Months 12 Months
£103.70 £398.30 £1,194.70 £2,389.30 £4,148.00

what would your petrol cost?

Option 5 – rent a cheap flat/houseshare in/near brum and go back at weekends?
There is no way I would drive that distance daily, Manc to Brum must be one of the worst commutes in the land, plus it will cost you a bomb.

Nightmare situation.

The prospect of such a long commute (by car) would surely negate any benefit you feel in improving your work life within a short space of time.

Would a combination of rail and shirk-from-home be feasible? I work in the same industry as you and all our people can be fully mobile, although its less technology and more politics/culture that's the barrier.

As a side note, I've noticed a slight pickup in staff turnover in the past couple of months (maybe not in corporate just yet) – perhaps a sign that things are improving?

Best of luck.

I'm loath to rent somewhere and spend too much time away from home, for various reasons (including Mrs North and I trying for kids, and the fact it didn't do my parents any good when my father did it for several years and is doing it again).

Part of me is thinking a move further south would be desirable in any event – Mrs North would like to get out of Manchester at some point, though it's a shame, as we're enjoying living where we do (sod's law).

Train from Crewe to Wolverhampton is 30 mins, and Crewe is around 30 miles away from where I currently am (and much closer to Knutsford or somewhere similar).

I know this is somewhat arse about face, but it is a key consideration. I couldn't take the job and assume that Mrs North can do what she does anywhere else (except maybe Cambridge), but equally it gets me out of the position I am in (which is not doing my mental helth any good), and also is a nice transition in my career.

2tyred – just seen your post.

I think you're probably right that this would be too much. It certainly isn't commutable by bike, which is what I do now..!

Working from hom has been mentioned as party of a transitionary period, but the expectation seems to be that long term I would be based in the office.

The role is interesting, and not altogether legal. It also represents a great first move in-house (for non-lawyers: working for a business which isn't a law firm is referred to us as "in-house").

You'll be so wiped out from commuting 37600 miles a year, that any time you're at home will be wasted time anyway.

If you're successful in trying for kids, you're not going to be wanting to spend 20 hours a week commuting anyway.

A job you hate plus a short commute must be better than a marginally better job with a commute you hate that wipes you out for all of your non-work time?

Mike – nice calcs.

You make some good points.

Still, I've not even had the first interview, so all this might well be academic anyway.

No prospect of being seconded to a client anywhere? Good way to try being 'in-house', for all intents and purposes would get you out of where you are now for a while, give you time to consider things a bit more.

I'd wait until you are offered the job first. Maybe a three day week is possible in the office and the rest at home. A daily train commute from Crewe to Brum is doable without it being a complete PITA. A lot of people commute 2 hours each way in London.

2tyred – was supposed to be going to Saudi Arabia for a short secondment, but it didn't happen.

I have tried to find something, but none of our clients want to know right now.

Roter Stern – you are quite right. I'd rather be presented by a real dilemma, as opposed to a theoretical one..! (Trouble is, the rec cons is a friend of mine – I used to work with her – and she's been pretty up-front about needing to get this out of the way before going forward.)

Move halfway – some nice places to the west of the M6 between Manc and Brum. I've just had a similar move and drive from Halifax to Cheshire daily – 120mile round trip but the job is worth it. Looking at those train tickets, they seem pretty expensive. I put £50 a week dizzle in the car and it just does my 600 miles a week. Tough choice – train with a load of other people vs car with heated seats and my ipod plugged into the stereo.

My dad did 40 miles each way by car for 20 years. After starting to use a motorbike instead, he used the train/Metro in the winter and said he wished he'd done that from the beginning.

A couple of years ago, he was transferred to the local office and said it was like having a part-time job.

You'd need to allow 2 hours each way, the M6 is terrible at the moment and you'd have to pass several black spots like the M6/5 junction then tackle the A38M into Birmingham each day

Even if you moved half way you'd be looking at a 1-2 hour drive if you factor in the likelihood of hitting traffic

Ive had a similar choice recently though not quite as many miles and on a slightly better roads. Ive done the journey a couple of times now and hasnt taken more than an hour or just over but thats about the max I would do. I can start early and should be home the same time as the mrs who despite a much shorter commute has difficult roads. But on the other hand my pterol is going to be paid for etc so no real cost to me other than the time and I can work from home a couple of days a week. Wouldnt want to do it every day for 52 weeks a year I dont think

MTFU and do the job they are paying you for, grass is always greener etc.

Work isn't supposed to be fun and can't be that bad if you are on here

That's a madness commute. I'm doing 3 days a week in Surrey at the moment (live nr Edinburgh) and that's killing me. Fortunately it's only for a month or so.

Tijuana Taxi – Member
MTFU and do the job they are paying you for, grass is always greener etc.

Work isn't supposed to be fun and can't be that bad if you are on here

I would imagine the less happy people are with their jobs, the more time they spend skiving on here. (NB This is my lunchtime guilty pleasure at the moment).

Work isn't supposed to be fun and can't be that bad if you are on here

I have edited my last response.

I'm not sure I came on here to gripe about my job (about which you know nothing other than my above info), rather to seek views on commuting times.

Given the last decade has had a 5 mile each way commute in a city, this is a rather different proposition.

Oh, and it's a job I want, rather than the current one, which isn't what I want. No, work doesn't need to be fun, but it does need to be engaging and demanding in the right ways. Also, my job isn't just a job, it's a career into which I have invested a lot of time and money. I need to make the right career choices, considerign all factors both long and short term.

Work isn't supposed to be fun and can't be that bad if you are on here

😆

You still havent said why you cant use the train ?

don't even think about driving. i'm half way between brum and manc and would take the train to either every time. M6/M5 junction is beyond hell. like an uber hell with bells and whistles.

you might hate your job now but you'd hate that commute more.

I do approx 50 each way by motorcycle currently in approx 1 hour.
I'd prefer to do it by car but very heavy traffic for half the journey prevents that.

It's not fantastic but gives me minimum 1 hour extra per day & lets me see my kids both morning & evening.

40k miles a year costs quite a bit to do. That's 4k just in fuel costs (assuming it doesn't go up, and you have a diesel doing 46ish mpg), plus several hundred for servicing at least (you'll be in a few times a year), a couple of sets of tyres, more expensive insurance, and even if you do it cheaply with 3-6 year old cars that can still be a couple of grand depreciation per year on top. Can spend £7k doing that easily – and of course that's after tax, so you'd need more like £10k on your salary to cover it.

And that's purely financial, not counting the 31 days a year (750 hours) of your time you'll spend in the car.

Fine short-term, but not a good prospect for longer than a couple of months.

Work to live, not the other way round. Most money for the shortest hours and enjoy your leisure time.
If you have kids spend time with them when they are little rather than moan you never saw them grow up

From what you say sounds like their are a good few people in your line of work with nothing, so pull your socks up before you join them

Hear too much about careers and i'm an unemployed whatever, when you are unemployed you are just that, on the dole.

One of our local gang changed jobs a couple of years ago from Southampton to London, a similar distance commute. we've only seen him a couple of times since.

You've go to decide how much those extra 20 hours a week commuting are worth to you.

Also, if you're trying for a family then Mrs North must be intending to at least interrupt her career.

If (hopefully 'when') you do succeed with starting a family I can't see your dearly beloved thanking you for being out of the house 13+ hours a day.

you will soon come to hate the commute of the new job and therefore the job too.

So, a few responses:

You still havent said why you cant use the train ?

Happy to if I can get the right journey combo (don't weant to have to drive into Manc to get the train out – I live near the end of the M56).

don't even think about driving. i'm half way between brum and manc and would take the train to either every time.

A common theme. I know the junciton well. Actually, job is in Kingswinford, so would be getting off M6 further north, but that in itself is probably an issue.

you might hate your job now but you'd hate that commute more

That's the fear.

And that's purely financial, not counting the 31 days a year (750 hours) of your time you'll spend in the car.

Thanks for the sums – TBH, we only own one car (Mrs North's), so another would probably have to be acquired.

Work to live, not the other way round. Most money for the shortest hours and enjoy your leisure time.

A nice aim. Not always possible as a private practice lawyer (I've posted up on here plenty of times after doing 24+ hour stints at work). In-house is designed to be more predictable, so a head in the right direction.

From what you say sounds like their are a good few people in your line of work with nothing, so pull your socks up before you join them

Oh, socks are being pulled up, believe me. I'm f***ed if I don't leave this place on my own terms.

Hear too much about careers

It's the burden of being clever and industrious enough to be a "high achiever" by society's workaholic standards.

If (hopefully 'when') you do succeed with starting a family I can't see your dearly beloved thanking you for being out of the house 13+ hours a day.

Thanks for the good wishes, although there's no guarantee in the current format that this wouldn't happen: unrtil the recession really bit this year, a normal working day for me was always 12+ hours, with half an hour each way for the ride in and out.

Also, if you're trying for a family then Mrs North must be intending to at least interrupt her career.

This is a fair point, and I suspect something she would like to do on the right terms, hence this being a difficult one.

Thanks, everyone, for all of your comments. Really thought provoking.

Cheers

Tom

i do 70 miles each way every day to get to uni and would not even consider doing it if i was on full time hours. you'd be too knackered when you were trying to drive home at night to do it safely.

Tom,
Sorry to hear you're fed up mate. No experience of a commute that length but it doesn't sound an easy option, even on the train. I can easily imagine that wiping out the benefits of a different job, although, as noted by another poster, a 2 hour commute isn't exactly uncommon in the London area.

To be honest it sounds like you need to ride bikes and drink beer. Give me a shout if you'd like to do either over the weekend!

Ed

Tijuana. Are you a Welfare Rights Officer for the Taliban?

To be honest it sounds like you need to ride bikes and drink beer. Give me a shout if you'd like to do either over the weekend!

I'm in Manchester on Wednesday. The trains aren't going to work for a post-course HTN preview ride, but they will for a post work drinkipoos.

miketually – Member

I'm in Manchester on Wednesday. The trains aren't going to work for a post-course HTN preview ride, but they will for a post work drinkipoos.

STW evening beers? Might be on for that, would hope to be over my cold by then 🙂

To be honest it sounds like you need to ride bikes and drink beer.

I'm going to do a bit of the chaingang tomorrow (legs sore from track last night) and then the new clubrun on Sunday. You got over your swine flu yet?

I'm in Manchester on Wednesday. The trains aren't going to work for a post-course HTN preview ride, but they will for a post work drinkipoos.

Yes! What time? Mail me.