How much is a short commute worth?
Discussion
Hi PH,
I've got a bit of a problem at the moment. I'm currently a contractor, and like many others, I'll be finishing up my contract at the end of March.
I've been mostly contracting since 2012, with a short stint as a perm for a leadership role. I've done OK out of it, but I am in an engineering/technician role where the gap between perm and contract isn't anywhere near as big as the likes of IT.
Weighing up perm options. I can get quite good money with a 1hr each way commute. The problem is, I'm tired. I'm tired of commuting like this in the car, especially when Im required to work overtime. The money is nice, sure, but some of it negated by fuel costs and losing a large chunk of time every week!
There is one perm opportunity near me and it is quite possibly the worst money I've ever even considered for my role, but it's only 9 miles away. That's 20 mins on a good run, 30 on a bad one. It also includes private health care, which is nice, however the work not particularly challenging and unsure of progression opportunities beyond being a team leader.
I guess what I'm asking is, how much is a shorter commute with good hours worth to you?
If it helps, in monetary terms, 1hr each way commute jobs = 59 hours per week out of the house before any overtime (slightly longer working week plus the way breaks are structured means longer at work) and between £36-46,000 pa. Fuel costs around £300 pcm.
The close by job = 45 hours out of the house, £28,100pa. Overtime available at a reasonable rate. Fuel costs £100 a month worst case scenario, probably less.
I know this is a personal thing, but it would be good to hear other perspectives.
I've got a bit of a problem at the moment. I'm currently a contractor, and like many others, I'll be finishing up my contract at the end of March.
I've been mostly contracting since 2012, with a short stint as a perm for a leadership role. I've done OK out of it, but I am in an engineering/technician role where the gap between perm and contract isn't anywhere near as big as the likes of IT.
Weighing up perm options. I can get quite good money with a 1hr each way commute. The problem is, I'm tired. I'm tired of commuting like this in the car, especially when Im required to work overtime. The money is nice, sure, but some of it negated by fuel costs and losing a large chunk of time every week!
There is one perm opportunity near me and it is quite possibly the worst money I've ever even considered for my role, but it's only 9 miles away. That's 20 mins on a good run, 30 on a bad one. It also includes private health care, which is nice, however the work not particularly challenging and unsure of progression opportunities beyond being a team leader.
I guess what I'm asking is, how much is a shorter commute with good hours worth to you?
If it helps, in monetary terms, 1hr each way commute jobs = 59 hours per week out of the house before any overtime (slightly longer working week plus the way breaks are structured means longer at work) and between £36-46,000 pa. Fuel costs around £300 pcm.
The close by job = 45 hours out of the house, £28,100pa. Overtime available at a reasonable rate. Fuel costs £100 a month worst case scenario, probably less.
I know this is a personal thing, but it would be good to hear other perspectives.
Edited by CX53 on Saturday 8th February 23:21
Turn7 said:
If your lifestyle is built around the higher figure, you wont enjoy the min £10k drop Im sure.....
Fortunately I haven't got massive outgoings, but I'm not used to watching my money, currently if the washing machine breaks I just buy one, or if I want to go out for dinner I do it, but I'm willing to give some of this up if it means I actually get a bit of a life. I don't like to rely on overtime money either, but it's readily available for 50 hours per week at the closer job, which would mean out of house 55 hours, still less than the other one and with fuel costs the gap is bridged significantly.
CX53 said:
Turn7 said:
If your lifestyle is built around the higher figure, you wont enjoy the min £10k drop Im sure.....
Fortunately I haven't got massive outgoings, but I'm not used to watching my money, currently if the washing machine breaks I just buy one, or if I want to go out for dinner I do it, but I'm willing to give some of this up if it means I actually get a bit of a life. I don't like to rely on overtime money either, but it's readily available for 50 hours per week at the closer job, which would mean out of house 55 hours, still less than the other one and with fuel costs the gap is bridged significantly.
Pericoloso said:
Do you have a family ?
Extra time with them could be priceless.
I would very much like to start a family with my OH, and the extra time would be perfect, as I feel like I'm hardly home at the moment. The money situation could be pretty tight though if kids do come along, if what everyone says is true and they do cost a fortune! Extra time with them could be priceless.
Hi everyone, thank you all for taking the time to reply.
I've given this a lot of thought and continue to.
I went for the interview for the job close to home and money was discussed. They could tell this was a massive step down for me because of the company I am contracting at currently, and said they are concerned about it. I told them the minimum I'd be happy with and they seemed to agree, and said the money would rise a little if my performance was good by the end of the probation period.
The offer then came through from their HR by email and it was even less than we had discussed in interview, which was already low. Only a small amount less, but its almost the principal of it. At risk of cutting off my nose to spite my face, I'd rather drive an hour to get an extra 3.50 an hour out of pure principal and what I know I'm worth to an employer in my field.
Hopefully, a happy medium has come up, I have an interview next week for a role somewhere in between, commute and pay wise. 30 mins on a good run, 40 on a bad one, good company, but they want me in a more senior role, which is fine, I've done it before, but it was a lot of extra hassle for little reward. Hopefully the company are being honest when they say it's a 40 hour week with an early finish Friday, and that they pride themselves on succession planning and see me doing more there. Jam tomorrow and all that. But sounds quite good. I'll let you know how I get on.
I've given this a lot of thought and continue to.
I went for the interview for the job close to home and money was discussed. They could tell this was a massive step down for me because of the company I am contracting at currently, and said they are concerned about it. I told them the minimum I'd be happy with and they seemed to agree, and said the money would rise a little if my performance was good by the end of the probation period.
The offer then came through from their HR by email and it was even less than we had discussed in interview, which was already low. Only a small amount less, but its almost the principal of it. At risk of cutting off my nose to spite my face, I'd rather drive an hour to get an extra 3.50 an hour out of pure principal and what I know I'm worth to an employer in my field.
Hopefully, a happy medium has come up, I have an interview next week for a role somewhere in between, commute and pay wise. 30 mins on a good run, 40 on a bad one, good company, but they want me in a more senior role, which is fine, I've done it before, but it was a lot of extra hassle for little reward. Hopefully the company are being honest when they say it's a 40 hour week with an early finish Friday, and that they pride themselves on succession planning and see me doing more there. Jam tomorrow and all that. But sounds quite good. I'll let you know how I get on.
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