Commuting to London

[Copster]

Hi Guys,

I have an interview in London tomorrow....

However I live in Bristol and have no intention of relocating. I am on the verge of pulling out because after consideration I don't think I can handle the commute.

I would be intending to stay up twice a week and commute by train/tube the rest of the time (2 hrs ish each way)

Has anyone else had experience of this or similar times/distances - how did/do you find it?

Thanks

[john_p]

Where is the London job ? Near Paddington, or t'other side?

[Copster]

Moorgate so less than 30 minutes by Tube....?

[okgo]

Some people travel for half that time to get into london daily and they live in the zones, so I don't think 2 hours is too bad, LOTS of people will travel for that time to get into town daily.

Why did you apply etc if you were not willing for the commute?

[Copster]

I applied because I have recently been made redundant so obviously need to find something new - but nothing is coming up locally...

However I have had a good pay off (enough to last at least 6 months) so aren't desperate...

Also I have a young family - 3 kids under 6 so that has to be taken into consideration. I basically wouldn't see them in the week at all as I wouldn't be home before they go to bed and would be out before they get up. But then they do need a roof over their heads....

I am torn to be honest between going for it and seeing what happens to letting it go and waiting for something more local

Thanks for the advice

[john_p]

A Bristol Temple Meads - London Travelcard season ticket is £956/month
e: depending on your stay-over plans it might be better to get a £636/month Paddington only ticket and do the rest on Oyster, it's about £4/day)

Forget buying daily tickets as it seems the only *peak* tickets on that route are >£150 return no matter how far in advance you buy them

It's 1h44 train time and Paddington-Moorgate will be another 20/30 mins on a packed and crowded tube

Is moving up London way totally out of the question? I think you'd quickly resent that commute unless it was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime job or a contract etc.

Edited by john_p on Sunday 6th March 20:11

[okgo]

£1000 per month?!!!!!!

Fark!

As suggested I'd move a bit closer, maybe somewhere in the middle if the job and your industry is London centric. You could halve that time and travel cost and not actually have to move THAT close to London at all.

[Allanv]

I commuted to Watford from Bristol for a while when the company I was contracted to got taken over by Mothercare.

But I started out at 6am and was in the office at 8am, then left at 15:30 to get home by 17:30.

If you are able to pick your travel hours then go for it, but as others have said why did you consider the role if the commute was an issue.

[Podie]

Depends on how much you enjoy being redundant. I commute daily to London from Northamptonshire.

I leave the house at 6, drive to the station (4 miles), get the 6.18 train, change at the main station to get to Euston. At Euston I have the choice of tube or walk. I walk (takes as long as the tube, but is less congested and cheaper) to e West End. My season ticket costs £4,136 a year. Door to door it's 2 hours. At the end of the day, I head home. If I'm home for 8, it's a result.

4 hours a day commuting. Some spent working (1 hour each way) and either a cheeky snooze or listen to music or catch up on admin.

Be under no illusion, it's bloody hard work, but better than not working. Thankfully, I like my job and the people with whom I work. A hugely understanding miss us helps.

[Copster]

Thanks for the advice chaps.

I hate being redundant never happened to me before in my working life of 17 years.

I'm in IT (Ecommerce platform support/management) so its not London centric but it seems all the suitable roles are that way at the moment.

[SWH]

Work out whether the job is worth the commute - If it is, the commute will become a necessary time sucker/annoyance/whatever you make it.

I do Eastbourne to Canary Wharf three times a week, by car: leave home at 5am, back by 8pm(ish); work from home the other two.

[dcb]

Copster said:

However I live in Bristol and have no intention of relocating. I am on the verge of pulling out because after consideration I don't think I can handle the commute.

I would be intending to stay up twice a week and commute by train/tube the rest of the time (2 hrs ish each way)

Has anyone else had experience of this or similar times/distances - how did/do you find it?

You don't tell us if this is permie or contract.

For a contract, I'd do it, but it would be the outer
limits of what I know I am comfortable with.

For permie, the usual top limit for most folks is 90 minutes
door-to-door. Much more than that and it isn't really
a suitable work / life balance for long term.

A job a lot nearer home, even it pays quite a bit less,
sounds a much better option to me.

[Copster]

Its Permie - I agree if it was contract it wouldn't be as bad be - the travel costs wouldnt be such a problem for starters....

Thanks to this and other conversations I think I'm out.

Thanks for your advice guys very useful.

[Podie]

dcb said:

Copster said:

For permie, the usual top limit for most folks is 90 minutes
door-to-door. Much more than that and it isn't really
a suitable work / life balance for long term.

2 hours door to door. 5 years and counting.

[okgo]

It's all relative though.

My work is a 12 mile cycle away, and technically my time between leaving the house and starting work is 90 mins. Obviously I shower there and am sitting at my desk about 15 mins before official hours. But a colleague of mine lives 30 miles away and travels for the same time, does that mean my commute is in sustainable?

[bitwrx]

Mate of mine did bris-London for a while. Going up for the week and back on Fri. Packed it in after 3 months and moved the family to London.

Make of that what you will.

[Targarama]

If you need a job of course you should do it. While you find something else. You can always leave if you can't bear it.

However, is it really only 2 hours door to door? I live in South Bucks, and with 'only' a 35-ish minute fast train into Marylebone and a 25 minute tube ride to get to Moorgate I'd never be able really do the journey door-to-door in much less than 1hr 20mins. That is also not allowing for tube strikes, train problems etc. I'd have to be offered a LOT of money to work in the city every day now (or be out of work and needing something to do/earn a living).

[Podie]

bitwrx said:

Mate of mine did bris-London for a while. Going up for the week and back on Fri. Packed it in after 3 months and moved the family to London.

Make of that what you will.

... and a colleague of mine has done Bristol to London's West End for two years thus far....

[cailean]

IMO that has got to be a dream job. I commute from Crawley to London and manage to see my kids for a short while most mornings and evenings. I would HATE HATE not being able to see them during the week, especially as you will probably be exhausted on the weekends. I try everything to do work on the train and prefer to come home just in time to get the little ones in bed and then if required do more work at night. I don't have to do all my work behind my desk but you will find there are some people who think that if you are not sitting at your desk you are not working...

[pejay]

cailean said:

I commute from Crawley to London

Me too. *waves*

I don't mind too much in the mornings, sit on the train read the paper have a coffee etc. Normally feel quite relaxed by the time I get to Victoria ready for the tube hell!

What really irks is when things go wrong (couple of times a week). Delayed trains, shortened trains, cancelled trains, held tubes, no seats etc etc. Especially when it's in the evening and all you want to do is get home.

On a good day I can be in the office in 1.5hrs, on a bad day a lot longer. Worst is when there's snow, took me 10hrs to get home once when we had snow!
The commute time is rarely what it says on paper especially if you've got to get the tube and the train.
Things go wrong... Lots.