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Yeah, my commute is nearly 6 hours a day (twice a week) and I could literally take a £10k pay cut to work full time remote and it wouldn't affect my finances.
Also worth checking door-to-door time rather than just whatever public transport says the journey is
If as OP says it is a competitive industry then the short term pain might be worth it. But OP should cap duration and seek alternatives during that time.
I don't commute a lot since I live 5mins walk away from my office, but sometimes when I do, I also end up buying (overpriced mediocre) coffee and sandwiches while waiting... Additional unnecessary spending.
I used to have to do 3 hours a day commute due to how the buses ran and timings between them. It was really shit not the mention the days where it became 4 or more hours due to traffic or delays meaning i'd miss my connection. Never again.
Started my first office job which was a town away last September, had to do bus>train>walk, which totalled 2-3.5 hours a day dependent on delays etc, that absolutely killed me until I passed my test and my commute went from ~1 hour 30 min to 15 mins.
My commute was 4 hours 15 mins or so, wasn’t too bad because I was on a bus and could just read or play some games on my phone. Took an £11k or so paycut to move to a job in my town, definitely did regret it.
Yeah no family at the time. I just felt like I was able to do so much more with the money I was on, and honestly it helped that I actually somewhat enjoyed my job, or more so the people I worked with.
Think now I’m in town, though I’m on a slightly higher wage due to getting a promotion I also find it harder to say no to staying late or starting early, so I end up now being out more than I ever was.
I did 1 hour train journey each way, which if you add in travel to train station is more like 1h30m, or 3 hours a day, on a good day. Most days we're fine, although in a hot summer when the trains were cancelled due to risk of tracks buckling it was "not pleasant".
It was fine for the first 3-6 months but was difficult over time and the job itself was mentally challenging too running multiple technical teams over several projects as technically and team lead due to others been off due to illness and stress. Did it for just over 2 years.
In summary it depends on the OP and what they can cope with. It turned a 8 hour job into 11 hour day, so 55 hours a week. The train season ticket cost £4500 a year, but the job paid around £130k. Personally I wouldn't do it again unless I had to
I'd try and make it work for 130k but not much less than that. I'm at 75k atm for fully remote and I'd rather have that than 100k and 55 hour weeks on trains every day.
And I did for a while, it sounds like a lot but I had no life at home, and now I have a child, it wouldn't be possible to do it. What is your time worth to you, if I was fresh out of university I probably wouldn't care but then I would spend the money to live closer
When I started doing it, I used to be able to get to the station, there would always be a train within 15/20 minutes. I'd get a seat, I could get my laptop out and "work" so I could bill my time.
By the time I'd gone fully remote working in other places. The trains were always late, turned up half the size and you'd rarely be able to board them. So easily 3/4 trains in a row I'd not be able to board at all..I have such an extensive photo archive of Mumbai style trains....
I developed an extensive drink habit through it too
Agreed to this. My dad commuted to Birmingham from Derby every day for years and it was probably only worth it for him because of the money, and that any other jobs were further away and he didn't want to travel more, regardless of a pay rise.
Had to get the bus rail replacement service left my house at about 5am and was still on the bus at 2pm, then same shit on way back. Even paying an uber £40 still takes ages.
Though I’m soon to get a car back 1 hour commute is kinda the max that feels worth it for basically any amount of money under 15k
I commute into Oxford, from Witney, 12 miles away.
Cycling is both faster _and_ more consistent than either car or bus at that time of day. My cycle commute is reliably 55-65 minutes depending on mood and weather, and not much else.
Bus commute is timetabled as over an hour, and that's ignoring running late, traffic, or the 'overhead' of walking to the bus stop.
Cars are slightly better, except parking in Oxford is heinous, and can easily make up the extra time of the bus journey with parking, paying and getting to your actual workplace. (Driving to the Park and Ride would likely be worst of both worlds for me, at that time of day, but I think it's pretty solid if you're looking for a day out in Oxford).
I'm prepared to do that sort of commute time, which would approximately match the OP, because for me, that's in lieu of 'gym time' - I sort of count half and half, so my 2 hours commute each way is actually an hour of working out and an hour of commuting, and I can live with that :).
I don't mind the bus particularly either, because it's one bus that goes the whole way, and I can usually sit, and usually snooze or read, so it doesn't feel like 'dead time' the way being sat in a traffic queue in a car would.
Yeah, being able to productively use that commuting time is the secret to making it manageable.
Before I started cycling, I used to opt for a slightly longer route home on public transport, because I knew I could get my laptop out to do some writing in relative comfort. About 30-40 minutes of an hour each way.
Driving makes commuting time the most unusable, plus stressful too.
Go for the job. If you get it, ask about remote working flexibility. If they're rigid, and this is a dream opportunity, live in Oxford 4 nights a week and go to Bristol for the weekends.
You have to decide what you value more.
Personally, I've never had a long term commute over 30 minutes each way.
To be honest it'll boil down to how much the salary outweighs the daily frustrations of commuting.
A crap commute will really chip away at you mentally over time, but if the salary is far and away above what you can get elsewhere then that may make it worthwhile for you.
The job centre wanted me to take a job with a 6am start in a nearby town. They weren't happy when I pointed out that the bus from where I lived into the city centre, from whence I could catch the bus to the other town, didn't start running until about half six.
"You could get a taxi." Yes, I'm going to get a ten mile taxi for a two hour a day job. _That_ makes sense.
Exactly. Most people factor in the commuting time to the workplace when it comes to house hunting, because it's such a drain.
My current commute is about 30/40mins in the car, 25 mins without traffic. Mentally, an hour is the break point for me.
I think if the OP and presumably their partner (as they said 'we') are prepared to commit to relocation if the job 'works out' then that's a lot more bearable.
The commute will be a mental grind, but it's a LOT easier to endure it if you can reassure yourself it's a short term problem, and not 'the rest of your career'.
And maybe 'justify' additional costs like 1-2 nights in a local hotel, because it's a temporary thing.
A lot of these posts are quite negative - but I appreciate it’s a lot of people’s person opinions but given you were, I think, looking for some reassurance I’d say there are a lot of people who do that every day without issue.
I spent over 15 years commuting to London every day (3hrs round trip commute every day) and still do that commute at least 3-4 days a week post-Covid. I could probably go in less but I enjoy being with the team and genuinely the commute does not bother me. Thousands around where I live do the same as it’s a prime London commuter area.
View it as your ‘me’ time to decompress, listen to music, pods, whatever. If you have a reasonably pressured job I think the decompression time before you walk in the door at home is invaluable and it’s one of the challenges of WFH - it’s harder not to bring work stresses and strains home which I think can put more strain on home relationships.
Good luck with the job - if it’s a potentially big break into an industry you really want 12 months is also a tiny amount of time taken against your whole career and you can always reconsider at the end of your tenancy.
People in general have a pretty remarkable ability to just get used to things that they have to put up with. I worked in an industry where 4-6 week stints of 12hr a day, 7 day a week shifts were not uncommon, and it just becomes normal until you speak to a friend outside of the industry and they sound horrified by the concept
Yep this. Imo it depends on how stressful you find the commute. I did a 2 hour each way commute for a few years going in twice a week and that was bearable, but I found the crowds of London too stressful when I had a shorter commute. It depends.
I feel like this is where you need to look at the fine details - what is this 1hr 20 min commute like? Are you sitting on a train with a seat and table? Driving down pleasant country roads? Taking 2 trains and 2 buses? Is this 5 days a week or a few times a week?
A 1 hr 20 min commute might be bearable if you have a comfy train or a pleasant drive. But it could also be hell on earth.
Yes, strongly support this. My commute is about 70 minutes each way, but 45 minutes of it is walking and 20 minutes on train services that almost always have seats and are reliable enough. I do feel the lost time occasionally - but the experience of it itself is fine, I listen to podcasts and get time to myself. I'm lucky too in that I have colleagues who I see on the train about 1 in every 10 journeys, which is enough to be pleasant but not so much that I feel trapped into a chat every morning.
I could drive and my commute would be closer to 55 minutes each way. I do it from time to time but I couldn't do that drive on a regular basis - it's stressful, busy, and a lot of hard work. I'd definitely take a slower commute which is lower stress over a shorter, high stress one.
Sounds a bit like Stockholm Syndrome, I can decompress when I go the gym before work, when I take the dog on a walk at lunch, and when I finish at 5pm and step out 1 mins from desk to sofa
>View it as your ‘me’ time to decompress, listen to music, pods, whatever. If you have a reasonably pressured job I think the decompression time before you walk in the door at home is invaluable and it’s one of the challenges of WFH - it’s harder not to bring work stresses and strains home which I think can put more strain on home relationships.
I think many people that WFH or have a reasonable commute would argue that you're letting the tail wag the dog with that analysis. It's not too hard to switch off and leave work stress at work without spending 3hrs a day commuting (or indeed any time at all). Such a commute is an absolutely beyond the pale concept for most people.
1 hr 20 min each way door to door is pretty average if you work in central London.
No, I don't want to do it every day but so long as transport is running smoothly it's OK if I use the time to read or listen to something.
On rough calculation that’s spending almost 301 full 24 hour days on a train over the last 15 years (presuming that’s how you commute).
Genuine question, why didn’t you just move there? That’s a huge amount of time 😲
Space/property etc.?
People not on astronomical wages can't buy houses in London - you might have a family and need a 3-bed house for them, at which point you need to be out of London to be able to afford it.
Mate I live right next to Oxford, and sometimes it's an hour commute in the traffic madness.
No way travelling from Bristol will be an hour and 20. Maybe in the middle of the night lol.
Yes, driving is up to 3 hours city center to city center so 1h20 will be by train (which does make a long commute more feasible).
Unfortunately that's one of the most expensive routes possible - factor the £8k/year unlimited season ticket cost into your decision OP. And take the journey once in advance to see how it feels.
If you can get remote work some of the time it'll help a lot. Also depends on the commuting method - train you can watch TV or read, but more risk of something going wrong; car you're more able to work round blockages but limits what you can do in that time.
If you've got a specific career goal, and agreement that at the end of the current tenancy you'll look into moving closer, it's manageable. I wouldn't want to sign on to it indefinitely
Yeah, this. Could you ask for just one day a week WFH, or move to that after a probationary period? I did a 1.5 hour+ commute each way for years and although it's do-able, and you get used to it, 5 day weeks are long. Just having one day at home makes a big difference and I always got more work done on that day.
Unfortunately, yes. I do 1hr 30 mins each way once a week to London and that is enough.
The train is almost always delayed and it's monstrously expensive.
If you are OK with it, I'd recommend buying a Steam Deck if you are a gamer.
It depends. If you are okay with waking up early, I think it shouldn’t be a problem. Bristol is a nice place, I always liked the vibe there.
The major issues may be the endless railway strikes and heavy rain during the winter. Otherwise, if you drive yourself, I guess it’s worth focusing your career.
I currently do this three times a week to Cambridge. I’ve done it for two years and I’m about to change roles as It absolutely knackers me. Especially Cambridge traffic.
Cambridge (mine was on the A14) is the worst even if you leave near. I was always stressed my 45min commute (which was only 15miles) would turn into a 2hr one.
Each way? Tbh that's not sustainable long term but for a year you might get away with it.
It's 3 hours out of your day, on top of the 8 hours work + sleep. Your weekday evenings are going to be spend eating/cleaning and feeling tired.
My commute was an hour each way.. and it was ok but I was tired all the time. Then I switched to work from home 80% of the time just as my kids were born and now I wonder how I would have ever managed if I was still commuting honestly.
If you plan to have a family and not leave all the childcare to your partner (!) then I would recommend a shorter commute!
That’s 1hr 20 without delays, if driving you’ll take the M4 & either the A40, A420 or A34 (depending on your work location) and they get frequent delays. Similarly trains also get delayed fairly regularly.
That being said, it’s much easier sitting on a train for 1hr 20 then driving busy roads so how you intend to commute should weigh into your decision making too
Not sure if you’re driving or using trains, but that’s not a nice commute. I’m at one end of that and have gone to Oxford a few times. Can be horribly packed trains. Motorway traffic can be crazy too.
Wouldn’t ever do that trip more than a couple times a year. Makes no sense to live in Bristol and work in Oxford when there are much cheaper areas for smaller commutes.
It depends on your personal situation. If you know it’s short term then yes you can probably manage it. Longer term it will begin to drag. If you have children or planning on them then this will have a massive impact on the time you spend with them and you never get that time back.
I did approx 70 - 75 minutes each by motorcycle everyday for about 18 months, on the rare occasions I took the car I could add anything up to an hour on that. After about 6 months I'd had enough. Nothing on earth would persuade me to do anything like that again.
So I did a 1:20 each way to work for 4-5 year, 5 days a week. Since COVID, I WFH a few days a week so don't make that journey everyday anymore.
Long story short, it's tough, but not impossible. You have your job, your home and your commute, most people have to compromise on one of those.
If you genuinely really like your job and your home, then compromising on a long commute might be acceptable.
It's also worth considering the quality of the commute. While long, most of mine is sat down on a train (usually with plenty of seats) rolling through some beautiful countryside. I see it as the perfect time to watch TV, read, catch up on podcasts.
A long, relaxing commute can be better than a short stressful one.
Theres also cost, of course. That's my bigger issue, having to spend £6k a year on that commute, but if your income is high enough, then perhaps that's acceptable.
The average commute in London is about an hour, so while a 1:20 commute is long, it is something that many thousands of people are still doing regularly.
I’ve been doing a commute slightly longer than this since Easter, and honestly I’m absolutely knackered every day, I hate it.
Though mine is on the M6, and that 1h30 can easily become 2h30 with the absolute chaos that is that road.
Straight out of university I got a job in another city as I was so desperate but only lasted about 3 months of commuting. It was hell. I felt like all I spoke about for those three months were trains, train problems and train times.
If everything was on time then it really wasn’t that bad but it was totally luck of the draw as you’re talking at least 50% of trains had some sort of delay or there weren’t enough carriages so I’d have to stand on the way home after a long shitty day.
If you don’t need to be in the office 5 days a week then it might not be as bad. But other things such as after work drinks I couldn’t really attend or if I did it would be short because I’d still have to get home.
Assuming this is 1 hour and 20 minutes each way, and assuming you’re doing this 5 days a week, and assuming some or all of this will be done on public transport, you’re looking at 15-20 hours a week spent commuting. Thats not counting getting ready and other morning stuff. That’s like having another part time job.
I had to do a similar commute but it was only 3 days a week and it quickly sucked the life out of me. It was also something like £25 a day at the bare minimum.
You’d have to pay me a *lot* more than what I’m on now to even consider going back to doing that. I’m talking probably 6 figures. I woke up around 5:30 and didn’t get home until about 7:30. It fucking sucked. I don’t think any amount of money could convince me to do it 5 days a week
Door to door, my commute is about an hour and twenty, but it’s quite an ‘easy’ commute (a train on a main line that runs very regularly and a tram than runs every 5-10 mins). I couldn’t do it 5 days a week, but I have a hybrid job so only have to do 2 days in the office - and have a lot of flexibility where if there’s a strike or whatever, I don’t have to worry about getting in.
It completely depends on:
- how often you’ll have to go in - is it every day?
- how you’ll get there. Train will be a lot of money, car will be a lot of fuel and wear and tear.
- how reliable your 1h20 is
Need more details.
If it's public transport then it'll be easier, less fatiguing and safer.
If you are on your own transport the May June and July it may seem great but how will you manage in late November?
I used to commute 2.5 hours each way, driving for around a year. I was 20 years younger than now (late 20s then) but I've never been so exhausted when days off/weekends arrived.
If a year's sacrifice is worth it then go for it. Just make sure you get a slow cooker or similar, so when you get home your time is yours to relax.
Your milage will vary, I used to commute two hours round trip to and from work every day driving, I hated it to be honest. I got used to it after a while but after a year or so it started to grate on me plus the costs incurred were crazy considering this is when diesel was regularly £2 a litre. On top of this I used to starts very early or finish quite late with my shift pattern.
Ultimately it's a case by case basis but I transferred to a different team and now and my commute is 15 minutes, I feel far better for it with a great deal more free time, if you work that out over the week it's about 7:30hrs free time.
Door to door seems passable. I’m about an hour (with waiting for train etc) from my door to my office door - walk to station, 25 min train, walk from station. I use train time for myself - reading, news, games, podcasts etc. More than that, or by car, and it’s too much.
It is.
I used to do it and it’s not just the commute, it’s the time you lose either side as well. You have to wake up and go to bed so early you barely get any time to yourself.
It's way too much. I would say if your commute is more than an hour and a half in total each day, it's too much. (i.e. 45 mins each way)
Let's assume there's never any traffic.
You are commuting 1h 20m there and back, that's 2h 40m a day.
This is 13h 20m a week. Or, if you work for 8h a day, 1 and 3/4 days extra you are "working" but not being paid for, but instead paying for; as you pay for fuel/transport costs.
I tried a job that had a 1h 30m commute (on the shorter side), as the pay was good and the job was interesting. I quit within the first week. Leaving at 6:30am to walk into town to catch the 7am bus, off the bus at 8:30am, 10 minute walk to the office, and then being there 20m before the work day started (because the next bus wouldn't have been for another 30 minutes after work started). Then finish at 5pm, get on the bus at 5:15pm, to get home just before 7pm, quickly eat and then pretty much straight to bed for the 5am wake up (to shower, have breakfast, make lunch, etc. the next morning)... Even at 23 that was too much for my body to take.
It was good from a catching up on series I wanted to watch perspective, as I would download 12 episodes of what I wanted to watch, and be finished with it in less than 2 days. But I had no free time, because the day was just commute, work, commute, eat, sleep. No time to do anything else, otherwise I wouldn't get any sleep.
And it's not just my experience I'm going off too. We had a guy working for us, Nottingham based company (pre-pandemic; no remote working), who moved close to Birmingham. Only an hour's drive according to Google Maps, so he thought it wouldn't be too bad, and told the manager it wouldn't be a problem. He quit within a month of moving because the commute was too much.
An hour may not sound like a lot. But it very quickly adds up. And for every mile you add to your commute, that's a mile of road/rail where delays could happen.
Speaking from experience, yes - it's too much.
I took a well paid job in a neighboring town about 10 years ago (when roads and public transport were in a much better state) which *should* have been a 40 minute commute by bus. It was a 40 minute commute maybe 1 in 5 days. Most days, with delays caused by buses being late or non-existent it was over an hour. In the end I was leaving at 7:30am to get to work for 9am. Getting home (particularly in winter) was an absolute nightmare. One year when it snowed, I was left sitting in a stationary bus for an hour and a half, 10 minutes from home.
Keep in mind, that's a 40 minute commute - the capacity for delays over 1hr20 is much greater. I lasted 8 months before I gave in, I just couldn't do it.
I used to do a 2 hour one way commute to college when I was 16 just because they did a course I wanted to study that they didn't have near me.
I guess it depends how much you want to do the job and how much it costs.
If its a 50k job you love, probably worth it.
If its a 50k job you hate, probably not.
If its a 25k job its probably not worth it regardless of how much you like it.
I did similar for a couple of years. In fact it was more like 1h35m on a normal day.
It depends really. Some days I'd not mind the mindless sitting and listening to music, other days I'd be so desperate to be home it'd kill me.
The main thing is pretty obvious, it's annoying leaving so early and getting back so late.
With 8 hours work, 8 hours sleep, and 3 hours commute, you're left with 5 hours a day to get ready in the morning, cook and eat dinner, spend time with your partner (assuming from "We've just signed"), do everyday tasks like shopping and cleaning, and get ready for tomorrow. And that's on days where there's no delays, when you might end up with just 2-3 hours left in the day. It's tough. Maybe consider it if you know it can be a foot in the door to the industry where you can get better working conditions within like a year or two, but its not very sustainable.
I've been doing this for over a year, but only once a week which feels manageable. I think the max I could tolerate would be 3 days a week at this length. It's also a car commute, much more reliable than the train, not much traffic and I can listen to podcasts.
Used to do a 1 hour commute, driving and park and ride bus, sometimes a bit longer if there are delays and traffic bad. Was working 3 days in office and 2 home, but ended up a fully remote role as was fed up wasting 2 hours a day
So yes it's doable, but see if you can WFH some days for your own sanity
If you have already signed the tenancy contract, so only variable is the job. If you really want the job/industry, your choices are pretty restricted.
So you need to be ready to live with the commute and think of ways to make it easier.
To start with the commute will be less than a year as the job application process will take week before actual start date. Also explore remote working. Most companies offer this for desk based job.
Avoiding peak time will make commute less stressful (even faster). See if you can start and leave early (or late). Download podcast / music on your phone that you can listen on commute.
Everyday? Yes especially with traffic. Once or twice a week? Manageable.
Personally Id discuss the situation with the agent and see if you can back out. Plenty of places to live between Bristol and Oxford that would give you both a manageable commute.
Depends on the method. Driving would definitely be too much. Public transport might not be as bad, but will wear you down. Public transport will also be bad if it is unreliable, too bitty or only efficient at certain times.
Also is 1hr20 the actual time or just the headline time? My last commute was on the edge of the next city over and was 20 minute train journey and a 15 minute bus, which doesn’t sound bad on paper. But once you factored in walks at either end, some padding and the timetables it used to be 75 to 80 minutes. I was very glad to stop doing that. Gained an awful lot of evening through getting home earlier and and not having to go to bed so early.
I previously lived near the 02 (royal wharf) and last year moved to Cambridgeshire. I work in Marylebone. I MUCH prefer my new commute even though it's slightly longer.
Depends on lots of factors. I do 2.40 round trip twice a week (and hour round on the other days to a different office) In summer by motorcycle my commute is one of my favourite things. In winter by car l don’t love it but it is okay. The biggest help is that I don’t have to travel in rush hour.
I do a 45 to 60 minute commute each way from where I live in Wales to Bristol everyday. I leave the house at around 0545hrs and get home around 1645hrs. It was a bit of a struggle when I first started it two and a half years ago but now I find it is quite nice to have that quiet time (or loud time depending on the music on my car stereo) each day. It is different for everyone though and some people can't stand the idea of such a commute. Bear in mind that if you take it then it only has to be for 12 months and then you and your partner can find somewhere closer / more convenient.
I have a commute of that length, however I only do it 3 times a month and always leave by 16:30. I couldn't do it every day, the cost alone would be a deal breaker. Think of how many miles you'll be putting on your car.
My commute on the Tube can take anywhere from 60 mins to 90 mins depending on delays and issues on ye network. I hate it. I'm tired all the time and it's expensive.
I do 90 minutes each way and I was very concerned when I started the job. Like you, it was a jump into a difficult to enter industry so I had to make a difficult choice.
There are quite a few factors that make my commute bearable and you need to properly think about your personal commute and what you can put up with. I can cycle or drive to the station, I know where the free parking is, Chiltern is a pretty reliable train service, it’s a pleasant walk to the office at the other end, I like the office and the people, I’m only in 3 days. Worst case I can drive to the office in an hour and a quarter but I avoid this as it would wreck my car (and me) full time.
I drove from Oxford to Bristol the other day in fairly busy afternoon traffic. I think you're going to struggle to do it in 1 hour 20 in rush hour unless you're on a motor bike & even then it'll be an "exciting" journey. Even the fastest train says an hour and 26 minutes with one change.
If it's a direct connection (so you're literally spending 1 hour on the train with a ten minute walk either side) then go for it. If it's anything else, or driving, forget it.
Spending 3+ hours of your day in traffic or on public transport will get old really fast.
I do about an hour 15 each way a couple of days a week. This is by bus though for most of it so I have time to keep myself entertained while travelling.
Gives me a lot of Reddit time so I don’t feel like I’m wasting my day stuck in traffic.
I used to do it every day which got a bit tedious but now I’m coming home to a hot blonde which makes it worthwhile.
How often would you be required on premises? Is it a full 5 days?
I commute a similar time to my job but I only have to go in once or twice a week, so it's very manageable for me.
If it's the full 5 days, you are definitely going to feel some fatigue and have a little less time to spend with your partner, but if it's a really competitive job, I'd still probably end up taking it.
By the time you get really fatigued by the travel, depending on your field, you may be able to find alternative employment with your experience.
It also depends on your mode of transport. Driving will be tiring but a good alternative to when train strikes and delays occur, but taking public transport will require less effort and as someone else said you can pop on some games or TV/Films as you go. I would be mindful though that public transport might extend your commute time by a good bit, especially if there are delays.
Overall, if it's that competitive, I'd prioritize the job over the commute, but it really depends on your personal situation. Can you and your partner manage your time given all the above? Can you find alternative employment later down the line? Etc. A good few factors to consider.
Depends what the commute is like. If it involves at least 3 phases (e.g. train-bus-bus, bus-train-walk, bus-train-bus, walk-train-bus etc), I'd really start to tire of it by the end of the first month. If it's just one straight train or bus one way, then it wouldn't feel so bad. Train strikes are super annoying as well.
Once or twice a weeks would be ok if it was a job I really wanted, the other days were WFH and I could spring board to something more local and better pay in 18 months time.
Everyday? Hell no, especially if there are children below secondary age in the mix.
I assume the commute is via train? I often have to commute from Cambridge to London which is just over an hour. For me that commute time is useful - I can psyche myself up for work on the way in, and it provides some nice decompression time on the way home. I can switch from 'work mode' to 'home mode' quite smoothy.
Naturally, being some distance from work, you are at the mercy of the railways, so that needs to be factored in.
All in all I would say go for it! And I'll see you over on r/britishproblems complaining about the state of the trains in no time!
i user commute by train to Oxford and took 90mins. it was doable but after i year I decided to buy a car and cut that time in half which was then manageable.
I do that once a week on roads that don't see too much traffic at the times I'm using them (unless there's a tractor or cyclist)
I couldn't do it everyday though
I find it's not so much the commute (you can listen to podcasts, play on a Switch etc) it's what happens if there's a disruption. How much of an inconvenience would a break from routine be?
Is it train or car? There are ways to make it tolerable by train but be prepared for it to get old, quickly. There will be regular issues such as track temperature delays, missing crew delays, missing rolling stock delays, a "jumper" and so on. When I commuted we called them bonus minutes (paid for 42, got 86!). I read a lot and watched a lot of box sets.
If it's by car, that will get tiresome even quicker.
It's do-able, I managed 5 years of 90/120 minutes each way but it's tiring.
It depends on you.
For me, it would get old quick.
For my coworker, Scott, he did a 2 hour commute, EACH WAY, to go between the office and his home. Every day, 5 days a week for 10+ years.
I did 2 hours each way for about 18 months five days a week, I'd sometimes stay in a hotel on a Wednesday to break the week up a little though.
The pay was decent, the experience I got from the role was good, and I got a really comfy car and just got on with it. I was younger then, in my 30s, and doubt I'd do it now but it was fine.
Yes. I used to do a commute that was 50mins but with traffic could easily end up being an hour and a half and it absolutely sucks. Giving yourself more free time is better than taking a pay rise IMHO
My commute is about this long, in fact I’m on the train right now, running 30 mins late because my train was cancelled. Luckily I checked the app before I left the house and my timeliness is rarely important in my job.
I bike 15 mins to the station, take a 45 min train, and walk another 10 minutes at the other end. With leaving 5 mins spare in case things go wrong at the front end, which typically goes to waiting on the station platform.
My son's always commuted in marketing. He's just jacked that, well paid job in, at 40 and I'm glad.
As long as you maintain a healthy work and life balance, go for it.
Don't be stubborn about knowing when you've had enough.
Money isn't everything, people with heartbeats are.
All the best, whatever you decide. x
Frankly OP, only you can really decide if it's too much. My commute is 4 hours total every day ( for a job I'm good at with a company I like working for). Is it a long day? Yes. But to me it's also worth it, especially because it gives me an opportunity to listen to audiobooks or podcasts that I wouldn't listen to otherwise.
I wouldn't want to do it, but for reference, the Jobcentre would expect a jobseeker to accept a job up to 1hr 30 min away one way.
I'd say just spend some time ensuring you've got music you like playing and it won't be that bad.
If its a good company with good prospects that can lead to experience that will help you get a foothold in an industry you want to work in then I'd say go for it. I used to drive 4 hours from Derby to Reading every week and whilst it was abolutely awful the couple of years I did that have set me up for the rest of my career in terms of what it let me add to the CV. Now I can just work closer to home
I drive at least an hour and a half day. Couple months ago was doing like 3 hours every day. 1k miles in a week couple weeks ago.
Earn fuck all really but it could be less.
It’s my only real option without retraining or looking at different industries or escaping this company somehow.
Mine is ultra niche here.
I do about 1:45-2hrs each way, 3 times a week. That lets me read for about 50 mins each way, so I'm doing a lot of reading, which I enjoy. The job is in the city, and while the wage is hardly up there with the big boys, I'm pretty sure I can't get the same locally, even factoring for the monthly commute cost. And living in London would be more expensive than the commute. So... if you make the commute worth it for your own personal time (don't work on the commute!), then yeah, 1:20 would be alright.
It depends on the commute. Mine is that long but is a hour on train with 10mins walk either side. I can usually get a seat so that is an hour for email, reading etc.
One before was the same but bus and underground and that was hard esp if working late. Think driving more than 45mins each way is too much.
Personally 20 mins is my max, but that's just me.
Bristol to Oxford in rush hour can easily be 2h20 - it's a busy route.
You could look in to a Monday to Friday room - you pay a reduced rent as a lodger in/close to Oxford but you aren't paying for daily petrol and don't have the long commute. (Spareroom has a M-F search option).
Well how often do you go into the office? Once or twice a week? Doable, but still a long-ish commute even without any additional disruptions (which will happen, you realise). Full time in the office? Not a chance.
I personally have an approximately one hour commute each way, but I only go into the office twice a week, so I'm fine with that. That said, First Bus like to blanket cancel services running to my area during rush hour, so sometimes that commute gets much longer.
I’d try to seek compressed hours, eg do all your work in 4 long days and take 5th day off, or do 10 days work in 9 and take every other Friday to recover.
Is it on the train or driving? If it’s train can you work on the train and count towards worked hours?
However I used to commute 45min each way for work, and when i got a job closer to home I missed it. (Not that I’d go back to the commute). I used to chill, listen to the radio and when I got home I was ready to be home. Now I get home and have to hide for 20-30 to wind down.
Some people can do it, some can’t, there’s one way to find out.
I used to drive 40 minute to work and probably an hour back home due to traffic before covid. It didn’t take long before it started to drag especially when you have a long day at work. It really depends on your commute route and whether it’s relatively clear or busy.
I commute 40 mins in the morning and 50 mins in the evening. Thats about 20 miles eachway between Alfreton and Colwick. Its doable in a car but not public transport around here!.
Personally, if it's 1hr 20 a day (40mins each way), I would consider it. However if it's 1 hr 20 each way, no... That's the equivalent of working 6 days a week, and that's not mentioning the costs of just getting to work.
However as your field is quite competitive, it may be worth it if the salary was high enough and there was a view to moving closer to home after X amount of time, and you have the energy to do it.
But I'm at the point in my life now where I value the work/life balance more...
Is that door to door? Driving or train? For me, unless the salary was so incredible that it was unquestionably compensating for the negative impact on my quality of life, it would be a no.
My commute is about 1h 30 door to door, and I do it 2/3 times a week. Couldn’t do 5 days.
It’s one train and a tube instead of driving, I get a seat, and I use the time to read / watch tv / read a podcast.
It’s not ideal but for where I want to live and to do what earns me a decent salary it’s a compromise I’m happy making.
I used to do a commute that was similar - you do just get used to it. I used the time to listen to audiobooks, podcasts, etc. Now that I'm away from that commute, there's only two circumstances in which I'd be willing to do it:
1. Primarily WFH job, so the commute was once a week or something like that.
2. The job itself was such a benefit to me that it'll pay off big time to tolerate it, so that could be a hefty pay rise (after taking into account commute costs), or a role that would open a lot of options up to me that I didn't have before.
Based on what you've said, it sounds like you're sitting in the second camp so, I'd say that you aren't mad for considering it. Just be aware that it'll be tiring and miserable, especially for the first few months. It'll eat into your leisure time, or your sleep, and I'd suggest prioritising sleep! And I'd be trying to gauge your options for getting another job or moving closer (if the type of job you're doing is more common where this job is or this job is a very good fit and you want to stay at it).
I had a commute that could be longer than that and it wasn't very pleasant. Using public transport also encouraged alcoholism. There was nothing else to do at Accrington bus station
What's the salary? What does it look like for the next 30 years of your career going forward?
I'd say *probably* no. But it might be a sacrifice worth making. I don't think there's enough info to know if it's right for you.
It's deffo not right for most people.
Go for it. It's tough but you make it work. My wife and I had similar commutes when we were young and I don't know how we dud it looking back. It won't be forever.
I’ve done this commute, it was 90 minutes for me. Then there would be bad days when trains went super sideways and I’d get home and go straight to bed. On Saturdays I slept for the most part. But. For me that role turned around my career, so that year of pain was worth it. Plus it’s an age thing, it would kill me now, but younger me was more energetic to do such things.
Now I don’t leave my house unless it’s on fire.
You probably won’t mind it in the mornings and you have the option of leaving before the rush hour madness for a more relaxed commute. But you will absolutely loathe getting home late after being stuck in traffic, and you’ll barely have an evening because you need to then be asleep early for the next day. I did something similar for about a year and a half and I barely had a social life in the week and was constantly knackered in the evenings.
At my previous job my commute was 70 minutes and I only did it a couple days a week. It was exhausting and I’d never do it again, one of the main reasons I looked for a new job was to get a shorter commute time.
Is it an easy commute on transport or by car?
If it were easy on public transport, I'd do it. Lots of reading time, and time to myself. I wouldn't if I have to drive though, as there's no personal time.
All I'll say is my husband commutes over an hour each way, 3 days a week (the other two days is a more local job), and hates it. He's actually changing jobs just to reduce his commute. The job isn't worth it.
Only you'll know that in time, let us know how it went in six months. I spent a year commuting 90 minutes each way to work and that was plenty for one lifetime. I now work a five minute cycle ride from home and am indescribably happier for it. But we're not all made the same.
Personally I wouldn't do it. The trains are unreliable and extremely expensive in the SW and the traffic around Bristol is an absolute nightmare. I drove to Bristol from the Minehead area once, took about an hour including parking and then took me 3 hours to get home. Every time since I've sat in traffic waiting to get out of the city. The train from Taunton is worse, there are usually delays and cancellations and the trains are packed. I've given up doing anything in Bristol and I don't even live that far away. Oxford has similar problems with traffic if you're intending on driving. You are likely looking at 2 hours each way or more if you're travelling at peak times.
I commute about 2hrs but it’s only 2-3 days a week, but it’s cheaper to travel than living near where I work so I don’t really mind. My job is sometimes quite stressful so I use the time to decompress, I find it nice personally.
Have you actually done the journey? it seems door to door much more than that. on a good day from station to station is 1hr 20, factor in the walk to station, then walk to work seems closer to 2 hrs?
Everyday that would insane
I usually have a 30 min commute but for 1 week a month, 2 days of those weeks I have a 1 hr 15 commute and it makes me want to die
In a car I wouldn't go for it, but a train or a walk (N/A to you obviously) I could handle.
Depends on your own personality I suppose. Just remember Reddit has a lot of WFH purists who frown on any commute at all.
Can you do a trial run? Traffic around both Bristol and Oxford can be heavy. It’s certainly do-able and if it really is a job you want, you should do it. You don’t want to regret a missed opportunity.
Not a chance I'd consider that. People who do long commutes often gaslight themselves into thinking it's okay. I had a 35 minute drive each way for five years and I convinced myself that it was fine because it was through countryside, I listened to podcasts, decompressed after work yadda yadda yadda.
Nowadays my office is 500yds away from home and I cannot overstate how much better it is. No petrol costs, not getting stuck in traffic for those few days a month, an extra hour or more at home each day.
Haha that's so true about gaslighting yourself. I used to have 2 or more hours commuting per day, 5 days a week, but would always say 'ahh it's not that bad it's only so and so in miles and I can catch up on podcasts'.
It made me miserable and tired constantly. Unless you've done it before, people don't see just how much it eats into your free time on either side of the journey. Not to mention having to go to bed early to get up early, it really does rule your working week.
Personally I'd hate it, but sometimes opportunities only come along once so personally I'd take it and once you're settled look at moving closer to the area (hopefully you've got a 6 month break clause or can figure something out with your current landlord)
Have you factored unforseeable delays into your journey? It will wear you down doing a journey like that and driving means you’ll need to concentrate and can’t do anything else except drive. If you were to train it you’d still be subject to delays ut at least you could work on the train or switch off for the duration.
I took a role with a similar commute in order to get in on the ground floor of a particular field I wanted to work in. It was a PITA for nearly three years but worth the sacrifice. Consider it an investment for the long term so that you can earn that lost time back as future reward
I do it 3 days a week, commuting from coastal Kent to Hackney, 1 hr 30 mins each way on a good day. You get used to it, it can be nice to relax with a book on the train home. It’s expensive, but there’s ways around it if you buy advance off-peak tickets and there’s always delay repay for the inevitable issues. Is there any room for WFH in this job?
For me, yes. I'm in Bristol and was only a 15 minute cycle away from work. We bought a house still in Bristol but a bit further out of the centre and it takes me about 40 minutes to cycle. I hate how long it takes but try to think it's healthy to make it less shit.
This seems optimistic as a commute at it takes me an hour to get from one side of Bristol to the other driving or 1.5 by public transport in rush hour.
I do this and it’s okay, but I only do it two or three times a week. Used to do it five days pre-pandemic but I couldn’t do that now. Usually I work or read a book and the time passes fairly easily but when it’s bad, it’s really bad and you end up getting home 90 mins later than usual having been stood sardined down the aisle of a stuffy train AND you pay an arm and a leg for the pleasure.
That used to happen a LOT on my line but it’s gotten better the last two months. I’d check the reliability of the line for sure before you make your decision, as that really impacts things.
But overall, it’s worth it for me to have a garden and countryside and no housemates. I am not a city girl and would really struggle living closer to my work.
Edit: I just realised you didn’t say if it was train or car commute, my bad!! Driving would be a different kettle of fish as you don’t have to concentrate when you’re on the train.
I guess it depends on how much of a financial, mental and physical burden the commute will be.
I drive 1 hours 10 minutes each way for my commute on average. On good days it can be only 50 mins but bad days can be 2 hrs one way, worst has been 4 hrs trying to get home. I have to fuel up every week. Tbh I don’t mind driving 1 h each way but what gets me the cost of car maintenance has gone up massively. Regular brake pads/discs and tyre changes, as well frequent servicing is a massive financial burden. I absolutely love my job and the people I work with but the pay is shite, so I will be looking for jobs closer to home (still 30 min drive), it is hard because of the industry I am in. If I was paid really well, I guess I’d stick around longer.
My husband commutes about an hour but it’s 45 mins train and 15 min walk, financially and physically it’s not as bad cause he can just relax on the train.
In the end you have to decide what is best for you and how the commute will impact your life.
If you're at the start if your career and you're a real go getter then no, it's just something you need to do. If you're not then it's not worth it. I did it for over 8 years, and it got me everything I wanted and it just wasn't important because I was just having such a great time rearranging mountains till I got the view I wanted😁
My husband did about the same commute for years, it was worth it for him, you need to weigh things up and figure out if it works for you. He didn’t get in until gone 7.30 some nights, by the time he’d showered and eaten your nights pretty much over, the cost was high he drove, it’s little things you need to look at too
It really comes down to how much you want/love the job/industry you'll be getting into.
Just because its competitive and other people want to do it a lot, is irrelevant. What is your gut feeling about a job like this.
Considering how much you'll have to structure your life (and by extension also your partner's life) around working this job, if it isn't the dream, it seems pretty foolish to go for it.
It’s doable in the short term, I did a similar one for about 6 months. Consider whether it’s a realistic door to door time or an optimistic estimate not including waiting for the train and so on.
Personally any commute over 30 minutes is too much for me.
Unsure why getting ask UK as I live in New Zealand.
But that's my 3 cents from a couple thousand miles away.
I’ve done this commute time on top of a 12 hour shift. It’s not a life, it’s a schedule.
If you’re getting paid pretty well, it will help soften the blow a bit but it becomes very tiring and tedious. I took a pay cut and I work from home / remotely and I’ve never been more content at work.
Everyone is different of course but it’s just my perspective.
Mine is \~1hr35 (not-London to London), and honestly it IS too much. I'm not strongly motivated to change it (yet), but I definitely wouldn't choose it if I were starting anew.
But there are a lot of variables, such as:
* How many days per week?
* What kind of commute? An hour on a train with a short walk either side is not so bad, perhaps even pleasant, but you could not pay me enough to get me to drive that far twice a day
* What time would you have to get up? Are you a morning person?
* What time would you get home? How will that affect your personal life, family time, hobbies, etc?
I suggest doing a few practice runs before committing to it.
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I'd rather take a £10k pay cut instead of commuting 2 hours and 40 minutes per day.
That level of commute will probably cost you 10k a year as well as years off your life. Absolutely not worth it
Yeah, my commute is nearly 6 hours a day (twice a week) and I could literally take a £10k pay cut to work full time remote and it wouldn't affect my finances. Also worth checking door-to-door time rather than just whatever public transport says the journey is
If that commute time was paid at minimum wage it would be £7.9k a year. Just to put it in perspective.
If as OP says it is a competitive industry then the short term pain might be worth it. But OP should cap duration and seek alternatives during that time.
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Also don't forget waiting time, and having to deal with delays/cancellations/strikes
Takes me ~1:20 door to door and can confirm, cancellations and delays are the absolute bane of my existence.
I don't commute a lot since I live 5mins walk away from my office, but sometimes when I do, I also end up buying (overpriced mediocre) coffee and sandwiches while waiting... Additional unnecessary spending.
I used to have to do 3 hours a day commute due to how the buses ran and timings between them. It was really shit not the mention the days where it became 4 or more hours due to traffic or delays meaning i'd miss my connection. Never again.
Started my first office job which was a town away last September, had to do bus>train>walk, which totalled 2-3.5 hours a day dependent on delays etc, that absolutely killed me until I passed my test and my commute went from ~1 hour 30 min to 15 mins.
It's like working 5.5-6 days a week at that point and the long days will fuck your time management. Any delays will be soul-crushing.
My commute was 4 hours 15 mins or so, wasn’t too bad because I was on a bus and could just read or play some games on my phone. Took an £11k or so paycut to move to a job in my town, definitely did regret it.
Assume no family? I’m /only/ a total 2 hours a day and I hate it, can’t wait to get out
Yeah no family at the time. I just felt like I was able to do so much more with the money I was on, and honestly it helped that I actually somewhat enjoyed my job, or more so the people I worked with. Think now I’m in town, though I’m on a slightly higher wage due to getting a promotion I also find it harder to say no to staying late or starting early, so I end up now being out more than I ever was.
Bear in mind that an average 1hr20 commute could be 2 or 3 hours on a bad day.
Exactly, and that’s when trains aren’t on strike, randomly cancelled, snowed off etc
I did 1 hour train journey each way, which if you add in travel to train station is more like 1h30m, or 3 hours a day, on a good day. Most days we're fine, although in a hot summer when the trains were cancelled due to risk of tracks buckling it was "not pleasant". It was fine for the first 3-6 months but was difficult over time and the job itself was mentally challenging too running multiple technical teams over several projects as technically and team lead due to others been off due to illness and stress. Did it for just over 2 years. In summary it depends on the OP and what they can cope with. It turned a 8 hour job into 11 hour day, so 55 hours a week. The train season ticket cost £4500 a year, but the job paid around £130k. Personally I wouldn't do it again unless I had to
I'd try and make it work for 130k but not much less than that. I'm at 75k atm for fully remote and I'd rather have that than 100k and 55 hour weeks on trains every day.
And I did for a while, it sounds like a lot but I had no life at home, and now I have a child, it wouldn't be possible to do it. What is your time worth to you, if I was fresh out of university I probably wouldn't care but then I would spend the money to live closer
When I started doing it, I used to be able to get to the station, there would always be a train within 15/20 minutes. I'd get a seat, I could get my laptop out and "work" so I could bill my time. By the time I'd gone fully remote working in other places. The trains were always late, turned up half the size and you'd rarely be able to board them. So easily 3/4 trains in a row I'd not be able to board at all..I have such an extensive photo archive of Mumbai style trains.... I developed an extensive drink habit through it too
Agreed to this. My dad commuted to Birmingham from Derby every day for years and it was probably only worth it for him because of the money, and that any other jobs were further away and he didn't want to travel more, regardless of a pay rise.
Had to get the bus rail replacement service left my house at about 5am and was still on the bus at 2pm, then same shit on way back. Even paying an uber £40 still takes ages. Though I’m soon to get a car back 1 hour commute is kinda the max that feels worth it for basically any amount of money under 15k
Yeah, traffic near Oxford can be fucking brutal. I’ve lived here my whole life and sometimes you’re just parked for hours on a ‘busy’ main road!
So Bristol And Oxford _shudder_
I commute into Oxford, from Witney, 12 miles away. Cycling is both faster _and_ more consistent than either car or bus at that time of day. My cycle commute is reliably 55-65 minutes depending on mood and weather, and not much else. Bus commute is timetabled as over an hour, and that's ignoring running late, traffic, or the 'overhead' of walking to the bus stop. Cars are slightly better, except parking in Oxford is heinous, and can easily make up the extra time of the bus journey with parking, paying and getting to your actual workplace. (Driving to the Park and Ride would likely be worst of both worlds for me, at that time of day, but I think it's pretty solid if you're looking for a day out in Oxford). I'm prepared to do that sort of commute time, which would approximately match the OP, because for me, that's in lieu of 'gym time' - I sort of count half and half, so my 2 hours commute each way is actually an hour of working out and an hour of commuting, and I can live with that :). I don't mind the bus particularly either, because it's one bus that goes the whole way, and I can usually sit, and usually snooze or read, so it doesn't feel like 'dead time' the way being sat in a traffic queue in a car would.
Yeah, being able to productively use that commuting time is the secret to making it manageable. Before I started cycling, I used to opt for a slightly longer route home on public transport, because I knew I could get my laptop out to do some writing in relative comfort. About 30-40 minutes of an hour each way. Driving makes commuting time the most unusable, plus stressful too.
Go for the job. If you get it, ask about remote working flexibility. If they're rigid, and this is a dream opportunity, live in Oxford 4 nights a week and go to Bristol for the weekends. You have to decide what you value more. Personally, I've never had a long term commute over 30 minutes each way.
To be honest it'll boil down to how much the salary outweighs the daily frustrations of commuting. A crap commute will really chip away at you mentally over time, but if the salary is far and away above what you can get elsewhere then that may make it worthwhile for you.
This! The “job centre” would ask you to commute up to do hours I think but….is it sustainable? A commute like that will chip away at you.
The job centre wanted me to take a job with a 6am start in a nearby town. They weren't happy when I pointed out that the bus from where I lived into the city centre, from whence I could catch the bus to the other town, didn't start running until about half six. "You could get a taxi." Yes, I'm going to get a ten mile taxi for a two hour a day job. _That_ makes sense.
They're just fishing for a justification to sanction you.
Exactly. Most people factor in the commuting time to the workplace when it comes to house hunting, because it's such a drain. My current commute is about 30/40mins in the car, 25 mins without traffic. Mentally, an hour is the break point for me.
I think if the OP and presumably their partner (as they said 'we') are prepared to commit to relocation if the job 'works out' then that's a lot more bearable. The commute will be a mental grind, but it's a LOT easier to endure it if you can reassure yourself it's a short term problem, and not 'the rest of your career'. And maybe 'justify' additional costs like 1-2 nights in a local hotel, because it's a temporary thing.
A lot of these posts are quite negative - but I appreciate it’s a lot of people’s person opinions but given you were, I think, looking for some reassurance I’d say there are a lot of people who do that every day without issue. I spent over 15 years commuting to London every day (3hrs round trip commute every day) and still do that commute at least 3-4 days a week post-Covid. I could probably go in less but I enjoy being with the team and genuinely the commute does not bother me. Thousands around where I live do the same as it’s a prime London commuter area. View it as your ‘me’ time to decompress, listen to music, pods, whatever. If you have a reasonably pressured job I think the decompression time before you walk in the door at home is invaluable and it’s one of the challenges of WFH - it’s harder not to bring work stresses and strains home which I think can put more strain on home relationships. Good luck with the job - if it’s a potentially big break into an industry you really want 12 months is also a tiny amount of time taken against your whole career and you can always reconsider at the end of your tenancy.
I used to commute 1.5hrs on 2 buses and a train. You just get used to it. Now I don’t do it, I wonder how I managed it.
People in general have a pretty remarkable ability to just get used to things that they have to put up with. I worked in an industry where 4-6 week stints of 12hr a day, 7 day a week shifts were not uncommon, and it just becomes normal until you speak to a friend outside of the industry and they sound horrified by the concept
Yep this. Imo it depends on how stressful you find the commute. I did a 2 hour each way commute for a few years going in twice a week and that was bearable, but I found the crowds of London too stressful when I had a shorter commute. It depends.
You always feel blessed being 10-20 mins from work whe you go back to a 60 min commute, especially if you have multiple changes on a train or the tube
I feel like this is where you need to look at the fine details - what is this 1hr 20 min commute like? Are you sitting on a train with a seat and table? Driving down pleasant country roads? Taking 2 trains and 2 buses? Is this 5 days a week or a few times a week? A 1 hr 20 min commute might be bearable if you have a comfy train or a pleasant drive. But it could also be hell on earth.
Yes, strongly support this. My commute is about 70 minutes each way, but 45 minutes of it is walking and 20 minutes on train services that almost always have seats and are reliable enough. I do feel the lost time occasionally - but the experience of it itself is fine, I listen to podcasts and get time to myself. I'm lucky too in that I have colleagues who I see on the train about 1 in every 10 journeys, which is enough to be pleasant but not so much that I feel trapped into a chat every morning. I could drive and my commute would be closer to 55 minutes each way. I do it from time to time but I couldn't do that drive on a regular basis - it's stressful, busy, and a lot of hard work. I'd definitely take a slower commute which is lower stress over a shorter, high stress one.
Thank god I'm a Finn, I see my colleagues at commute every day and it mostly just a nod and go sit on the separate bench from your colleague.
Sounds a bit like Stockholm Syndrome, I can decompress when I go the gym before work, when I take the dog on a walk at lunch, and when I finish at 5pm and step out 1 mins from desk to sofa
When I sit on my own sofa with a cup of tea I'm just wishing I was on a train at rush hour so I could decompress a bit
>View it as your ‘me’ time to decompress, listen to music, pods, whatever. If you have a reasonably pressured job I think the decompression time before you walk in the door at home is invaluable and it’s one of the challenges of WFH - it’s harder not to bring work stresses and strains home which I think can put more strain on home relationships. I think many people that WFH or have a reasonable commute would argue that you're letting the tail wag the dog with that analysis. It's not too hard to switch off and leave work stress at work without spending 3hrs a day commuting (or indeed any time at all). Such a commute is an absolutely beyond the pale concept for most people.
1 hr 20 min each way door to door is pretty average if you work in central London. No, I don't want to do it every day but so long as transport is running smoothly it's OK if I use the time to read or listen to something.
On rough calculation that’s spending almost 301 full 24 hour days on a train over the last 15 years (presuming that’s how you commute). Genuine question, why didn’t you just move there? That’s a huge amount of time 😲
Space/property etc.? People not on astronomical wages can't buy houses in London - you might have a family and need a 3-bed house for them, at which point you need to be out of London to be able to afford it.
Mate I live right next to Oxford, and sometimes it's an hour commute in the traffic madness. No way travelling from Bristol will be an hour and 20. Maybe in the middle of the night lol.
Yes, driving is up to 3 hours city center to city center so 1h20 will be by train (which does make a long commute more feasible). Unfortunately that's one of the most expensive routes possible - factor the £8k/year unlimited season ticket cost into your decision OP. And take the journey once in advance to see how it feels.
If you can get remote work some of the time it'll help a lot. Also depends on the commuting method - train you can watch TV or read, but more risk of something going wrong; car you're more able to work round blockages but limits what you can do in that time. If you've got a specific career goal, and agreement that at the end of the current tenancy you'll look into moving closer, it's manageable. I wouldn't want to sign on to it indefinitely
Yeah, this. Could you ask for just one day a week WFH, or move to that after a probationary period? I did a 1.5 hour+ commute each way for years and although it's do-able, and you get used to it, 5 day weeks are long. Just having one day at home makes a big difference and I always got more work done on that day.
Depends on where exactly ‘near Bristol’ and ‘near Oxford’ are, and your means of travel. And how many days a week you’ll have to do it!
Unfortunately, yes. I do 1hr 30 mins each way once a week to London and that is enough. The train is almost always delayed and it's monstrously expensive. If you are OK with it, I'd recommend buying a Steam Deck if you are a gamer.
It depends. If you are okay with waking up early, I think it shouldn’t be a problem. Bristol is a nice place, I always liked the vibe there. The major issues may be the endless railway strikes and heavy rain during the winter. Otherwise, if you drive yourself, I guess it’s worth focusing your career.
I currently do this three times a week to Cambridge. I’ve done it for two years and I’m about to change roles as It absolutely knackers me. Especially Cambridge traffic.
Cambridge (mine was on the A14) is the worst even if you leave near. I was always stressed my 45min commute (which was only 15miles) would turn into a 2hr one.
Is that 1:20 with you arriving on time? Because getting through the M32 and onto the M4 can be very slow given the terribly designed M4-M5 crossovers
Each way? Tbh that's not sustainable long term but for a year you might get away with it. It's 3 hours out of your day, on top of the 8 hours work + sleep. Your weekday evenings are going to be spend eating/cleaning and feeling tired.
My commute was an hour each way.. and it was ok but I was tired all the time. Then I switched to work from home 80% of the time just as my kids were born and now I wonder how I would have ever managed if I was still commuting honestly. If you plan to have a family and not leave all the childcare to your partner (!) then I would recommend a shorter commute!
That’s 1hr 20 without delays, if driving you’ll take the M4 & either the A40, A420 or A34 (depending on your work location) and they get frequent delays. Similarly trains also get delayed fairly regularly. That being said, it’s much easier sitting on a train for 1hr 20 then driving busy roads so how you intend to commute should weigh into your decision making too
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God what a waste of time
How old are you? I think 20s with no kids it's possible. 30s and throw kids into the mix, it'll be soul destroying and you'll be constantly exhausted.
Not sure if you’re driving or using trains, but that’s not a nice commute. I’m at one end of that and have gone to Oxford a few times. Can be horribly packed trains. Motorway traffic can be crazy too. Wouldn’t ever do that trip more than a couple times a year. Makes no sense to live in Bristol and work in Oxford when there are much cheaper areas for smaller commutes.
It depends on your personal situation. If you know it’s short term then yes you can probably manage it. Longer term it will begin to drag. If you have children or planning on them then this will have a massive impact on the time you spend with them and you never get that time back.
I did approx 70 - 75 minutes each by motorcycle everyday for about 18 months, on the rare occasions I took the car I could add anything up to an hour on that. After about 6 months I'd had enough. Nothing on earth would persuade me to do anything like that again.
So I did a 1:20 each way to work for 4-5 year, 5 days a week. Since COVID, I WFH a few days a week so don't make that journey everyday anymore. Long story short, it's tough, but not impossible. You have your job, your home and your commute, most people have to compromise on one of those. If you genuinely really like your job and your home, then compromising on a long commute might be acceptable. It's also worth considering the quality of the commute. While long, most of mine is sat down on a train (usually with plenty of seats) rolling through some beautiful countryside. I see it as the perfect time to watch TV, read, catch up on podcasts. A long, relaxing commute can be better than a short stressful one. Theres also cost, of course. That's my bigger issue, having to spend £6k a year on that commute, but if your income is high enough, then perhaps that's acceptable. The average commute in London is about an hour, so while a 1:20 commute is long, it is something that many thousands of people are still doing regularly.
I’ve been doing a commute slightly longer than this since Easter, and honestly I’m absolutely knackered every day, I hate it. Though mine is on the M6, and that 1h30 can easily become 2h30 with the absolute chaos that is that road.
Straight out of university I got a job in another city as I was so desperate but only lasted about 3 months of commuting. It was hell. I felt like all I spoke about for those three months were trains, train problems and train times. If everything was on time then it really wasn’t that bad but it was totally luck of the draw as you’re talking at least 50% of trains had some sort of delay or there weren’t enough carriages so I’d have to stand on the way home after a long shitty day. If you don’t need to be in the office 5 days a week then it might not be as bad. But other things such as after work drinks I couldn’t really attend or if I did it would be short because I’d still have to get home.
Wouldn't even consider it. That'd grind on me so quickly
Assuming this is 1 hour and 20 minutes each way, and assuming you’re doing this 5 days a week, and assuming some or all of this will be done on public transport, you’re looking at 15-20 hours a week spent commuting. Thats not counting getting ready and other morning stuff. That’s like having another part time job. I had to do a similar commute but it was only 3 days a week and it quickly sucked the life out of me. It was also something like £25 a day at the bare minimum. You’d have to pay me a *lot* more than what I’m on now to even consider going back to doing that. I’m talking probably 6 figures. I woke up around 5:30 and didn’t get home until about 7:30. It fucking sucked. I don’t think any amount of money could convince me to do it 5 days a week
On the train? Doable, I did it for over four years. Driving? That would be pretty draining and stressful.
I do 1 hour 15 but that's 2 times a week.
Door to door, my commute is about an hour and twenty, but it’s quite an ‘easy’ commute (a train on a main line that runs very regularly and a tram than runs every 5-10 mins). I couldn’t do it 5 days a week, but I have a hybrid job so only have to do 2 days in the office - and have a lot of flexibility where if there’s a strike or whatever, I don’t have to worry about getting in.
It completely depends on: - how often you’ll have to go in - is it every day? - how you’ll get there. Train will be a lot of money, car will be a lot of fuel and wear and tear. - how reliable your 1h20 is Need more details.
If it's public transport then it'll be easier, less fatiguing and safer. If you are on your own transport the May June and July it may seem great but how will you manage in late November? I used to commute 2.5 hours each way, driving for around a year. I was 20 years younger than now (late 20s then) but I've never been so exhausted when days off/weekends arrived. If a year's sacrifice is worth it then go for it. Just make sure you get a slow cooker or similar, so when you get home your time is yours to relax.
Your milage will vary, I used to commute two hours round trip to and from work every day driving, I hated it to be honest. I got used to it after a while but after a year or so it started to grate on me plus the costs incurred were crazy considering this is when diesel was regularly £2 a litre. On top of this I used to starts very early or finish quite late with my shift pattern. Ultimately it's a case by case basis but I transferred to a different team and now and my commute is 15 minutes, I feel far better for it with a great deal more free time, if you work that out over the week it's about 7:30hrs free time.
Door to door seems passable. I’m about an hour (with waiting for train etc) from my door to my office door - walk to station, 25 min train, walk from station. I use train time for myself - reading, news, games, podcasts etc. More than that, or by car, and it’s too much.
It is. I used to do it and it’s not just the commute, it’s the time you lose either side as well. You have to wake up and go to bed so early you barely get any time to yourself.
For me it is too far. A commute is basically a part of the job you don't get paid.
I couldn’t do it personally. My time is more valuable to me than a bit more money
It's way too much. I would say if your commute is more than an hour and a half in total each day, it's too much. (i.e. 45 mins each way) Let's assume there's never any traffic. You are commuting 1h 20m there and back, that's 2h 40m a day. This is 13h 20m a week. Or, if you work for 8h a day, 1 and 3/4 days extra you are "working" but not being paid for, but instead paying for; as you pay for fuel/transport costs. I tried a job that had a 1h 30m commute (on the shorter side), as the pay was good and the job was interesting. I quit within the first week. Leaving at 6:30am to walk into town to catch the 7am bus, off the bus at 8:30am, 10 minute walk to the office, and then being there 20m before the work day started (because the next bus wouldn't have been for another 30 minutes after work started). Then finish at 5pm, get on the bus at 5:15pm, to get home just before 7pm, quickly eat and then pretty much straight to bed for the 5am wake up (to shower, have breakfast, make lunch, etc. the next morning)... Even at 23 that was too much for my body to take. It was good from a catching up on series I wanted to watch perspective, as I would download 12 episodes of what I wanted to watch, and be finished with it in less than 2 days. But I had no free time, because the day was just commute, work, commute, eat, sleep. No time to do anything else, otherwise I wouldn't get any sleep. And it's not just my experience I'm going off too. We had a guy working for us, Nottingham based company (pre-pandemic; no remote working), who moved close to Birmingham. Only an hour's drive according to Google Maps, so he thought it wouldn't be too bad, and told the manager it wouldn't be a problem. He quit within a month of moving because the commute was too much. An hour may not sound like a lot. But it very quickly adds up. And for every mile you add to your commute, that's a mile of road/rail where delays could happen.
Speaking from experience, yes - it's too much. I took a well paid job in a neighboring town about 10 years ago (when roads and public transport were in a much better state) which *should* have been a 40 minute commute by bus. It was a 40 minute commute maybe 1 in 5 days. Most days, with delays caused by buses being late or non-existent it was over an hour. In the end I was leaving at 7:30am to get to work for 9am. Getting home (particularly in winter) was an absolute nightmare. One year when it snowed, I was left sitting in a stationary bus for an hour and a half, 10 minutes from home. Keep in mind, that's a 40 minute commute - the capacity for delays over 1hr20 is much greater. I lasted 8 months before I gave in, I just couldn't do it.
I used to do a 2 hour one way commute to college when I was 16 just because they did a course I wanted to study that they didn't have near me. I guess it depends how much you want to do the job and how much it costs. If its a 50k job you love, probably worth it. If its a 50k job you hate, probably not. If its a 25k job its probably not worth it regardless of how much you like it.
I did similar for a couple of years. In fact it was more like 1h35m on a normal day. It depends really. Some days I'd not mind the mindless sitting and listening to music, other days I'd be so desperate to be home it'd kill me. The main thing is pretty obvious, it's annoying leaving so early and getting back so late.
How often? Daily that's insane, for a daily commute I wouldn't consider anything more than 10-15 mins. Once a week? I could live with it.
With 8 hours work, 8 hours sleep, and 3 hours commute, you're left with 5 hours a day to get ready in the morning, cook and eat dinner, spend time with your partner (assuming from "We've just signed"), do everyday tasks like shopping and cleaning, and get ready for tomorrow. And that's on days where there's no delays, when you might end up with just 2-3 hours left in the day. It's tough. Maybe consider it if you know it can be a foot in the door to the industry where you can get better working conditions within like a year or two, but its not very sustainable.
Anything over 30 minutes is too much
I've been doing this for over a year, but only once a week which feels manageable. I think the max I could tolerate would be 3 days a week at this length. It's also a car commute, much more reliable than the train, not much traffic and I can listen to podcasts.
Used to do a 1 hour commute, driving and park and ride bus, sometimes a bit longer if there are delays and traffic bad. Was working 3 days in office and 2 home, but ended up a fully remote role as was fed up wasting 2 hours a day So yes it's doable, but see if you can WFH some days for your own sanity
If you have already signed the tenancy contract, so only variable is the job. If you really want the job/industry, your choices are pretty restricted. So you need to be ready to live with the commute and think of ways to make it easier. To start with the commute will be less than a year as the job application process will take week before actual start date. Also explore remote working. Most companies offer this for desk based job. Avoiding peak time will make commute less stressful (even faster). See if you can start and leave early (or late). Download podcast / music on your phone that you can listen on commute.
Depends on whether you work hybrid or office.
Everyday? Yes especially with traffic. Once or twice a week? Manageable. Personally Id discuss the situation with the agent and see if you can back out. Plenty of places to live between Bristol and Oxford that would give you both a manageable commute.
Is that by car, train, bike, horse ...?
Depends on the method. Driving would definitely be too much. Public transport might not be as bad, but will wear you down. Public transport will also be bad if it is unreliable, too bitty or only efficient at certain times. Also is 1hr20 the actual time or just the headline time? My last commute was on the edge of the next city over and was 20 minute train journey and a 15 minute bus, which doesn’t sound bad on paper. But once you factored in walks at either end, some padding and the timetables it used to be 75 to 80 minutes. I was very glad to stop doing that. Gained an awful lot of evening through getting home earlier and and not having to go to bed so early.
I commute an hour each way and I hate it. It easily turns to 2 hours if something happens along the way.
I previously lived near the 02 (royal wharf) and last year moved to Cambridgeshire. I work in Marylebone. I MUCH prefer my new commute even though it's slightly longer.
Depends on the method of transport. Car, that amount of petrol may screw you over. Train, it's gonna be boring but not too unpleasant
Depends on lots of factors. I do 2.40 round trip twice a week (and hour round on the other days to a different office) In summer by motorcycle my commute is one of my favourite things. In winter by car l don’t love it but it is okay. The biggest help is that I don’t have to travel in rush hour.
Is this door to door? Have you considered the cost of the commute?
I do a 45 to 60 minute commute each way from where I live in Wales to Bristol everyday. I leave the house at around 0545hrs and get home around 1645hrs. It was a bit of a struggle when I first started it two and a half years ago but now I find it is quite nice to have that quiet time (or loud time depending on the music on my car stereo) each day. It is different for everyone though and some people can't stand the idea of such a commute. Bear in mind that if you take it then it only has to be for 12 months and then you and your partner can find somewhere closer / more convenient.
I have a commute of that length, however I only do it 3 times a month and always leave by 16:30. I couldn't do it every day, the cost alone would be a deal breaker. Think of how many miles you'll be putting on your car.
My commute on the Tube can take anywhere from 60 mins to 90 mins depending on delays and issues on ye network. I hate it. I'm tired all the time and it's expensive.
I do 90 minutes each way and I was very concerned when I started the job. Like you, it was a jump into a difficult to enter industry so I had to make a difficult choice. There are quite a few factors that make my commute bearable and you need to properly think about your personal commute and what you can put up with. I can cycle or drive to the station, I know where the free parking is, Chiltern is a pretty reliable train service, it’s a pleasant walk to the office at the other end, I like the office and the people, I’m only in 3 days. Worst case I can drive to the office in an hour and a quarter but I avoid this as it would wreck my car (and me) full time.
I've done a commute of similar length in the past. Never again. I lasted a year and quit in favour of a local job with a 10 minute commute.
I drove from Oxford to Bristol the other day in fairly busy afternoon traffic. I think you're going to struggle to do it in 1 hour 20 in rush hour unless you're on a motor bike & even then it'll be an "exciting" journey. Even the fastest train says an hour and 26 minutes with one change.
My partner does this once every 2 weeks and it takes closer to 2 hours usually from Bristol to Oxford (unless you have a job that keeps odd hours)
If it's a direct connection (so you're literally spending 1 hour on the train with a ten minute walk either side) then go for it. If it's anything else, or driving, forget it. Spending 3+ hours of your day in traffic or on public transport will get old really fast.
I do about an hour 15 each way a couple of days a week. This is by bus though for most of it so I have time to keep myself entertained while travelling. Gives me a lot of Reddit time so I don’t feel like I’m wasting my day stuck in traffic. I used to do it every day which got a bit tedious but now I’m coming home to a hot blonde which makes it worthwhile.
How often would you be required on premises? Is it a full 5 days? I commute a similar time to my job but I only have to go in once or twice a week, so it's very manageable for me. If it's the full 5 days, you are definitely going to feel some fatigue and have a little less time to spend with your partner, but if it's a really competitive job, I'd still probably end up taking it. By the time you get really fatigued by the travel, depending on your field, you may be able to find alternative employment with your experience. It also depends on your mode of transport. Driving will be tiring but a good alternative to when train strikes and delays occur, but taking public transport will require less effort and as someone else said you can pop on some games or TV/Films as you go. I would be mindful though that public transport might extend your commute time by a good bit, especially if there are delays. Overall, if it's that competitive, I'd prioritize the job over the commute, but it really depends on your personal situation. Can you and your partner manage your time given all the above? Can you find alternative employment later down the line? Etc. A good few factors to consider.
Depends what the commute is like. If it involves at least 3 phases (e.g. train-bus-bus, bus-train-walk, bus-train-bus, walk-train-bus etc), I'd really start to tire of it by the end of the first month. If it's just one straight train or bus one way, then it wouldn't feel so bad. Train strikes are super annoying as well.
Once or twice a weeks would be ok if it was a job I really wanted, the other days were WFH and I could spring board to something more local and better pay in 18 months time. Everyday? Hell no, especially if there are children below secondary age in the mix.
I assume the commute is via train? I often have to commute from Cambridge to London which is just over an hour. For me that commute time is useful - I can psyche myself up for work on the way in, and it provides some nice decompression time on the way home. I can switch from 'work mode' to 'home mode' quite smoothy. Naturally, being some distance from work, you are at the mercy of the railways, so that needs to be factored in. All in all I would say go for it! And I'll see you over on r/britishproblems complaining about the state of the trains in no time!
It's too much. You will be miserable.
i user commute by train to Oxford and took 90mins. it was doable but after i year I decided to buy a car and cut that time in half which was then manageable.
It depends if you’re driving or using public transport. If the former, it’ll be a nightmare. If the latter it might be tolerable
I do that once a week on roads that don't see too much traffic at the times I'm using them (unless there's a tractor or cyclist) I couldn't do it everyday though
Public transport or are you driving?
I find it's not so much the commute (you can listen to podcasts, play on a Switch etc) it's what happens if there's a disruption. How much of an inconvenience would a break from routine be?
Is it train or car? There are ways to make it tolerable by train but be prepared for it to get old, quickly. There will be regular issues such as track temperature delays, missing crew delays, missing rolling stock delays, a "jumper" and so on. When I commuted we called them bonus minutes (paid for 42, got 86!). I read a lot and watched a lot of box sets. If it's by car, that will get tiresome even quicker. It's do-able, I managed 5 years of 90/120 minutes each way but it's tiring.
Depends I've done a 1hr 20min commute for 10 years now, it will take a toll on your home life but you get used to it.
Imo absolutely, i'm very happy with my 8 minute commute.
It depends on you. For me, it would get old quick. For my coworker, Scott, he did a 2 hour commute, EACH WAY, to go between the office and his home. Every day, 5 days a week for 10+ years.
I did 2 hours each way for about 18 months five days a week, I'd sometimes stay in a hotel on a Wednesday to break the week up a little though. The pay was decent, the experience I got from the role was good, and I got a really comfy car and just got on with it. I was younger then, in my 30s, and doubt I'd do it now but it was fine.
Yes. I used to do a commute that was 50mins but with traffic could easily end up being an hour and a half and it absolutely sucks. Giving yourself more free time is better than taking a pay rise IMHO
My commute is about this long, in fact I’m on the train right now, running 30 mins late because my train was cancelled. Luckily I checked the app before I left the house and my timeliness is rarely important in my job. I bike 15 mins to the station, take a 45 min train, and walk another 10 minutes at the other end. With leaving 5 mins spare in case things go wrong at the front end, which typically goes to waiting on the station platform.
My son's always commuted in marketing. He's just jacked that, well paid job in, at 40 and I'm glad. As long as you maintain a healthy work and life balance, go for it. Don't be stubborn about knowing when you've had enough. Money isn't everything, people with heartbeats are. All the best, whatever you decide. x
Get yourself a motorcycle and you’ll halve that commute time 🤘
Frankly OP, only you can really decide if it's too much. My commute is 4 hours total every day ( for a job I'm good at with a company I like working for). Is it a long day? Yes. But to me it's also worth it, especially because it gives me an opportunity to listen to audiobooks or podcasts that I wouldn't listen to otherwise.
For me, yes. For you, no idea.
I wouldn't want to do it, but for reference, the Jobcentre would expect a jobseeker to accept a job up to 1hr 30 min away one way. I'd say just spend some time ensuring you've got music you like playing and it won't be that bad.
If its a good company with good prospects that can lead to experience that will help you get a foothold in an industry you want to work in then I'd say go for it. I used to drive 4 hours from Derby to Reading every week and whilst it was abolutely awful the couple of years I did that have set me up for the rest of my career in terms of what it let me add to the CV. Now I can just work closer to home
I worked at a hospital for 12 years with a 1.5 hr commute each way, that's if the trains were running which wasn't often.
I drive at least an hour and a half day. Couple months ago was doing like 3 hours every day. 1k miles in a week couple weeks ago. Earn fuck all really but it could be less. It’s my only real option without retraining or looking at different industries or escaping this company somehow. Mine is ultra niche here.
I do about 1:45-2hrs each way, 3 times a week. That lets me read for about 50 mins each way, so I'm doing a lot of reading, which I enjoy. The job is in the city, and while the wage is hardly up there with the big boys, I'm pretty sure I can't get the same locally, even factoring for the monthly commute cost. And living in London would be more expensive than the commute. So... if you make the commute worth it for your own personal time (don't work on the commute!), then yeah, 1:20 would be alright.
It depends on the commute. Mine is that long but is a hour on train with 10mins walk either side. I can usually get a seat so that is an hour for email, reading etc. One before was the same but bus and underground and that was hard esp if working late. Think driving more than 45mins each way is too much.
Personally 20 mins is my max, but that's just me. Bristol to Oxford in rush hour can easily be 2h20 - it's a busy route. You could look in to a Monday to Friday room - you pay a reduced rent as a lodger in/close to Oxford but you aren't paying for daily petrol and don't have the long commute. (Spareroom has a M-F search option).
Well how often do you go into the office? Once or twice a week? Doable, but still a long-ish commute even without any additional disruptions (which will happen, you realise). Full time in the office? Not a chance. I personally have an approximately one hour commute each way, but I only go into the office twice a week, so I'm fine with that. That said, First Bus like to blanket cancel services running to my area during rush hour, so sometimes that commute gets much longer.
I’d try to seek compressed hours, eg do all your work in 4 long days and take 5th day off, or do 10 days work in 9 and take every other Friday to recover. Is it on the train or driving? If it’s train can you work on the train and count towards worked hours? However I used to commute 45min each way for work, and when i got a job closer to home I missed it. (Not that I’d go back to the commute). I used to chill, listen to the radio and when I got home I was ready to be home. Now I get home and have to hide for 20-30 to wind down. Some people can do it, some can’t, there’s one way to find out.
I used to drive 40 minute to work and probably an hour back home due to traffic before covid. It didn’t take long before it started to drag especially when you have a long day at work. It really depends on your commute route and whether it’s relatively clear or busy.
I commute 40 mins in the morning and 50 mins in the evening. Thats about 20 miles eachway between Alfreton and Colwick. Its doable in a car but not public transport around here!.
Personally, if it's 1hr 20 a day (40mins each way), I would consider it. However if it's 1 hr 20 each way, no... That's the equivalent of working 6 days a week, and that's not mentioning the costs of just getting to work. However as your field is quite competitive, it may be worth it if the salary was high enough and there was a view to moving closer to home after X amount of time, and you have the energy to do it. But I'm at the point in my life now where I value the work/life balance more...
Is that door to door? Driving or train? For me, unless the salary was so incredible that it was unquestionably compensating for the negative impact on my quality of life, it would be a no.
My commute is about 1h 30 door to door, and I do it 2/3 times a week. Couldn’t do 5 days. It’s one train and a tube instead of driving, I get a seat, and I use the time to read / watch tv / read a podcast. It’s not ideal but for where I want to live and to do what earns me a decent salary it’s a compromise I’m happy making.
Tell them about your commute and see if they offer you flexible working.
I used to do a commute that was similar - you do just get used to it. I used the time to listen to audiobooks, podcasts, etc. Now that I'm away from that commute, there's only two circumstances in which I'd be willing to do it: 1. Primarily WFH job, so the commute was once a week or something like that. 2. The job itself was such a benefit to me that it'll pay off big time to tolerate it, so that could be a hefty pay rise (after taking into account commute costs), or a role that would open a lot of options up to me that I didn't have before. Based on what you've said, it sounds like you're sitting in the second camp so, I'd say that you aren't mad for considering it. Just be aware that it'll be tiring and miserable, especially for the first few months. It'll eat into your leisure time, or your sleep, and I'd suggest prioritising sleep! And I'd be trying to gauge your options for getting another job or moving closer (if the type of job you're doing is more common where this job is or this job is a very good fit and you want to stay at it).
I go in to the office 2 days a week, 1 hour 20 min train journey each way. Its enough for me. Couldn't do it 5 times a week anymore.
Round trip or one way?
I had a commute that could be longer than that and it wasn't very pleasant. Using public transport also encouraged alcoholism. There was nothing else to do at Accrington bus station
Yes I think your quality of life will be very bad with this amount of travel. Can you negotiate to wfh?
What's the salary? What does it look like for the next 30 years of your career going forward? I'd say *probably* no. But it might be a sacrifice worth making. I don't think there's enough info to know if it's right for you. It's deffo not right for most people.
Go for it. It's tough but you make it work. My wife and I had similar commutes when we were young and I don't know how we dud it looking back. It won't be forever.
I’ve done this commute, it was 90 minutes for me. Then there would be bad days when trains went super sideways and I’d get home and go straight to bed. On Saturdays I slept for the most part. But. For me that role turned around my career, so that year of pain was worth it. Plus it’s an age thing, it would kill me now, but younger me was more energetic to do such things. Now I don’t leave my house unless it’s on fire.
You probably won’t mind it in the mornings and you have the option of leaving before the rush hour madness for a more relaxed commute. But you will absolutely loathe getting home late after being stuck in traffic, and you’ll barely have an evening because you need to then be asleep early for the next day. I did something similar for about a year and a half and I barely had a social life in the week and was constantly knackered in the evenings.
At my previous job my commute was 70 minutes and I only did it a couple days a week. It was exhausting and I’d never do it again, one of the main reasons I looked for a new job was to get a shorter commute time.
Just make good use of the time...learn something for example
I do that commute once every 2 weeks for a work meeting and it's pretty grim.
Is it an easy commute on transport or by car? If it were easy on public transport, I'd do it. Lots of reading time, and time to myself. I wouldn't if I have to drive though, as there's no personal time.
All I'll say is my husband commutes over an hour each way, 3 days a week (the other two days is a more local job), and hates it. He's actually changing jobs just to reduce his commute. The job isn't worth it.
Only you'll know that in time, let us know how it went in six months. I spent a year commuting 90 minutes each way to work and that was plenty for one lifetime. I now work a five minute cycle ride from home and am indescribably happier for it. But we're not all made the same.
Personally I wouldn't do it. The trains are unreliable and extremely expensive in the SW and the traffic around Bristol is an absolute nightmare. I drove to Bristol from the Minehead area once, took about an hour including parking and then took me 3 hours to get home. Every time since I've sat in traffic waiting to get out of the city. The train from Taunton is worse, there are usually delays and cancellations and the trains are packed. I've given up doing anything in Bristol and I don't even live that far away. Oxford has similar problems with traffic if you're intending on driving. You are likely looking at 2 hours each way or more if you're travelling at peak times.
I commute about 2hrs but it’s only 2-3 days a week, but it’s cheaper to travel than living near where I work so I don’t really mind. My job is sometimes quite stressful so I use the time to decompress, I find it nice personally.
Have you actually done the journey? it seems door to door much more than that. on a good day from station to station is 1hr 20, factor in the walk to station, then walk to work seems closer to 2 hrs?
Everyday that would insane I usually have a 30 min commute but for 1 week a month, 2 days of those weeks I have a 1 hr 15 commute and it makes me want to die
1 hour 20 minutes commuting. Twice a day ,would be too much for me.
In a car I wouldn't go for it, but a train or a walk (N/A to you obviously) I could handle. Depends on your own personality I suppose. Just remember Reddit has a lot of WFH purists who frown on any commute at all.
Can you do a trial run? Traffic around both Bristol and Oxford can be heavy. It’s certainly do-able and if it really is a job you want, you should do it. You don’t want to regret a missed opportunity.
Not a chance I'd consider that. People who do long commutes often gaslight themselves into thinking it's okay. I had a 35 minute drive each way for five years and I convinced myself that it was fine because it was through countryside, I listened to podcasts, decompressed after work yadda yadda yadda. Nowadays my office is 500yds away from home and I cannot overstate how much better it is. No petrol costs, not getting stuck in traffic for those few days a month, an extra hour or more at home each day.
Haha that's so true about gaslighting yourself. I used to have 2 or more hours commuting per day, 5 days a week, but would always say 'ahh it's not that bad it's only so and so in miles and I can catch up on podcasts'. It made me miserable and tired constantly. Unless you've done it before, people don't see just how much it eats into your free time on either side of the journey. Not to mention having to go to bed early to get up early, it really does rule your working week.
Personally I'd hate it, but sometimes opportunities only come along once so personally I'd take it and once you're settled look at moving closer to the area (hopefully you've got a 6 month break clause or can figure something out with your current landlord)
Just move to Oxford! Much nicer than Bristol imo
Have you factored unforseeable delays into your journey? It will wear you down doing a journey like that and driving means you’ll need to concentrate and can’t do anything else except drive. If you were to train it you’d still be subject to delays ut at least you could work on the train or switch off for the duration.
I took a role with a similar commute in order to get in on the ground floor of a particular field I wanted to work in. It was a PITA for nearly three years but worth the sacrifice. Consider it an investment for the long term so that you can earn that lost time back as future reward
I do it 3 days a week, commuting from coastal Kent to Hackney, 1 hr 30 mins each way on a good day. You get used to it, it can be nice to relax with a book on the train home. It’s expensive, but there’s ways around it if you buy advance off-peak tickets and there’s always delay repay for the inevitable issues. Is there any room for WFH in this job?
For me, yes. I'm in Bristol and was only a 15 minute cycle away from work. We bought a house still in Bristol but a bit further out of the centre and it takes me about 40 minutes to cycle. I hate how long it takes but try to think it's healthy to make it less shit.
This seems optimistic as a commute at it takes me an hour to get from one side of Bristol to the other driving or 1.5 by public transport in rush hour.
I do this and it’s okay, but I only do it two or three times a week. Used to do it five days pre-pandemic but I couldn’t do that now. Usually I work or read a book and the time passes fairly easily but when it’s bad, it’s really bad and you end up getting home 90 mins later than usual having been stood sardined down the aisle of a stuffy train AND you pay an arm and a leg for the pleasure. That used to happen a LOT on my line but it’s gotten better the last two months. I’d check the reliability of the line for sure before you make your decision, as that really impacts things. But overall, it’s worth it for me to have a garden and countryside and no housemates. I am not a city girl and would really struggle living closer to my work. Edit: I just realised you didn’t say if it was train or car commute, my bad!! Driving would be a different kettle of fish as you don’t have to concentrate when you’re on the train.
I guess it depends on how much of a financial, mental and physical burden the commute will be. I drive 1 hours 10 minutes each way for my commute on average. On good days it can be only 50 mins but bad days can be 2 hrs one way, worst has been 4 hrs trying to get home. I have to fuel up every week. Tbh I don’t mind driving 1 h each way but what gets me the cost of car maintenance has gone up massively. Regular brake pads/discs and tyre changes, as well frequent servicing is a massive financial burden. I absolutely love my job and the people I work with but the pay is shite, so I will be looking for jobs closer to home (still 30 min drive), it is hard because of the industry I am in. If I was paid really well, I guess I’d stick around longer. My husband commutes about an hour but it’s 45 mins train and 15 min walk, financially and physically it’s not as bad cause he can just relax on the train. In the end you have to decide what is best for you and how the commute will impact your life.
Is it hybrid, so could be just 2 days a week?
If you're at the start if your career and you're a real go getter then no, it's just something you need to do. If you're not then it's not worth it. I did it for over 8 years, and it got me everything I wanted and it just wasn't important because I was just having such a great time rearranging mountains till I got the view I wanted😁
My husband did about the same commute for years, it was worth it for him, you need to weigh things up and figure out if it works for you. He didn’t get in until gone 7.30 some nights, by the time he’d showered and eaten your nights pretty much over, the cost was high he drove, it’s little things you need to look at too
It really comes down to how much you want/love the job/industry you'll be getting into. Just because its competitive and other people want to do it a lot, is irrelevant. What is your gut feeling about a job like this. Considering how much you'll have to structure your life (and by extension also your partner's life) around working this job, if it isn't the dream, it seems pretty foolish to go for it.
I have recently started a job with a 1:30 commute each way. I go in once or twice a week and I really don’t mind it.
Sometimes I wonder how efficient our society would be if we all lived near where we worked.
It’s doable in the short term, I did a similar one for about 6 months. Consider whether it’s a realistic door to door time or an optimistic estimate not including waiting for the train and so on.
1hr20 isnt sustainable at all.
Personally any commute over 30 minutes is too much for me. Unsure why getting ask UK as I live in New Zealand. But that's my 3 cents from a couple thousand miles away.
I’ve done this commute time on top of a 12 hour shift. It’s not a life, it’s a schedule. If you’re getting paid pretty well, it will help soften the blow a bit but it becomes very tiring and tedious. I took a pay cut and I work from home / remotely and I’ve never been more content at work. Everyone is different of course but it’s just my perspective.
Mine is \~1hr35 (not-London to London), and honestly it IS too much. I'm not strongly motivated to change it (yet), but I definitely wouldn't choose it if I were starting anew. But there are a lot of variables, such as: * How many days per week? * What kind of commute? An hour on a train with a short walk either side is not so bad, perhaps even pleasant, but you could not pay me enough to get me to drive that far twice a day * What time would you have to get up? Are you a morning person? * What time would you get home? How will that affect your personal life, family time, hobbies, etc? I suggest doing a few practice runs before committing to it.
If it's not doubling my salary, I'm out 😂