Should I take a 10K drop to work closer to home?

[Unwell Cat]

Currently I work in London (18month fixed term contract) which is basically a 2hr (ish) door to door trip each way every day by train. It's not to bad, I tend to get a seat 75% of the time and there is one change each way.

Get up 05:45
Catch train 06:30
Arrive London 08:40

Leave London 17:15
Catch train 17:25
Arrive home 19:00

I've been offered a job which is closer and it's permanent. It's still an hour on the train but nowhere near London so it's a much better journey.

Get up 07:20
Catch train 08:05
Arrive Brighton 09:10

Leave Brighton 18:00
Catch train 18:23
Arrive home 19:15

The Benefits are roughly the same except for my current job having a better pension contribution and 5 days more holiday a year. The main crux is the job I've been offered is 10K less than the job I'm currently doing, in real terms when you take into account reduced travel costs etc it works out about £250 less (take home).

Would you take the offered job or stick with the current job in London?

[Baseley09]

Personally i'd favour the more human living time over the money.

[toythatkills]

Which job would you like more?

Based solely on the information given, I'd stay where you were. I wouldn't pay £10k a year for an extra hour in bed!

[MattyD]

Personally i'd favour the more human living time over the money.

Or as I always like to say, "You can't buy back time." Nobody sits on their death bed and wishes they spent more time commuting. I should add that I also hate big cities so would be all over that offer. Assuming you can afford a 10K wage drop of course.

[noobish hat]

That time asleep is wasted too! You'd be paying 10k a year to have an hour taken out of your life everyday. An extra hour commuting is worse than having that hour to yourself to do whatever you want to do, but it's better than being unconscious, and in the end, if you had that hour free, you'd just use it to sleep, and you won't be looking back on that time and thinking it was well spent. You've got a DS right? You can play games on the train, you can read, you can write.


Having said all that, I'd blow my brains out the back of my head before I worked in London. I also just realised I'm basing my (very long) experience of commuting on journeys through idyllic Welsh and Yorkshire countryside. Probably not the same thing when you're travelling through the smog.

[Neon Ignition]

Depends on what you do & how the new place vs old place seems in terms of security mainly as it's precarious times to be changing jobs. The new job might be permanent but if the company goes bust in 4 months...

[saif]

If your London commute is 75% seated, I would prefer that. Agree with noobish, you can use the time effectively.
5 days holiday is a full week, right? Not too shabby mate.

[Pavey]

Stay where you are and get a motorbike. **** that train lark. On the rare occasion i do get the train in (snow etc..), by the end of the day i'm absolutely shattered. Can't be good for you.

Also, 10g's is a nice sweetener, stay, stay, stay.

[Unwell Cat]

Just to add the current job is working for the government so is pretty stable. The new job is working for a company which has been around for about 12 years and again are pretty stable. Both jobs are IT Management but obviously in drastically different business sectors.

To be honest and I'm not sure why I find the train journey to London incredibly tiring, maybe it's the fact the train is packed to bursting point.

[JB@XL]

You dont say how long you have left on the 18 month contract so either stay till the contract finishes and use the extra 10k a year to allow you to take a lower paid but closer job in the future.

Or use the extra dosh to move an hour closer to London.

[Grapple Convoy]

I found commuting by train absolutely knackering too. My personal hypothesis that the stuffy conditions of the crowded train carriages does the damage. No idea if that's actually the case, however.

[Unwell Cat]

I'm only about 2 months into the 18 month contract and I had applied for the other job before I took the one in London but they were taking their time making their minds up.

As to moving close, not a chance in the current market.

[Unwell Cat]

I found commuting by train absolutely knackering too. My personal hypothesis that the stuffy conditions of the crowded train carriages does the damage. No idea if that's actually the case, however.

That's kind of my theory.

Oh, I forgot to add the job that pays less have offered me share options as a sweetner. Don't know much about share options to be honest. The company have told me they hold the shares until they are sold at which point I get X numbers of shares valued at X amount of money. If I leave etc then I forfeit the shares.

Plus the extra hour in the morning I get to spend with my 3yr old son. With the job in London I only see my son maybe once a week if I'm lucky most weeks I don't see him until Saturday morning.

[JB@XL]

I dont think i could endure 2 hours crowded travel before or after a shift.

I am lucky as i can drive to my work in 5 minutes which means more time at home with my little girl..oh and the wife......maybe 2 hours travel wouldn't be that bad.

[Mr Ono]

This is my story:-

I worked 4 years at a company 7-10 mins away from my house by car. I had a parking space and pretty decent flexible hours. Was able to take my kids to school each morning because it was close by and still get in for work 30 mins before everyone else. Left at 6pm each day and get home with plenty of time to spend with family and even indulge in cooking for them (one of my hobbies).

Then I got seduced by a move back into the City. It was with a large investment bank and my pay (after bonuses) shoot up by about £50k in my first year. Is an hour commute each way but also leave office at about 7pm - frequently 10pm. Really only see my kids at weekends and have absolutely no time for hobbies - like games (even though I can afford a raft of consoles and gadgets).

Over 2 years now at the bank and for the first year it was exciting and very hard work. But, since early last year I have been looking to get out - and my old boss is a mate. Am waiting for the right position to open at my old company - and if it does - will be back there like a shot.

Moral? There is more to life than money. Spend your time on what you get pleasure from.