Commute - West to Midlands

The Gar · 21-09-2014 1:33am #1

I wonder if anybody could help me, I have a good job that I like in the midlands at the moment but I come from a farming background in the west of Ireland and I have a wife and three kids. As I am going to inherit the farm and I would like my kids to grow up in the country we are considering moving home. I would also like to stay in my job but the commute would be 1 hour 50 both ways. Is anybody doing thus commute and is it possible.

may06 · 21-09-2014 7:27pm

The Gar wrote: »

I wonder if anybody could help me, I have a good job that I like in the midlands at the moment but I come from a farming background in the west of Ireland and I have a wife and three kids. As I am going to inherit the farm and I would like my kids to grow up in the country we are considering moving home. I would also like to stay in my job but the commute would be 1 hour 50 both ways. Is anybody doing thus commute and is it possible.

What method of commuting are you referring to? Car/bus/train? I commute daily - 4 hours/day (2 hrs morning, 2 hours evening...) its possible to do, not easy though either..really depends on the method of transport you choose.

The Gar · 21-09-2014 9:04pm

may06 wrote: »

What method of commuting are you referring to? Car/bus/train? I commute daily - 4 hours/day (2 hrs morning, 2 hours evening...) its possible to do, not easy though either..really depends on the method of transport you choose.

It's is by car I am afraid but it is motorway for 80% of the journey. I think if was public transport I would be a good bit more confident. Is it by car you do your commute?

Emme · 22-09-2014 10:44pm

The Gar wrote: »

I wonder if anybody could help me, I have a good job that I like in the midlands at the moment but I come from a farming background in the west of Ireland and I have a wife and three kids. As I am going to inherit the farm and I would like my kids to grow up in the country we are considering moving home. I would also like to stay in my job but the commute would be 1 hour 50 both ways. Is anybody doing thus commute and is it possible.

That's a long commute if you plan to farm as well as keep your job. Will your partner also commute or will she run the farm? If you both work and farm part-time you won't see much of your children.

Maybe you could travel by train some of the way but long commutes are not easy. I would not recommend long commutes to anyone.

BenEadir · 22-09-2014 10:53pm

may06 wrote: »

I commute daily - 4 hours/day (2 hrs morning, 2 hours evening...) its possible to do, not easy though

Seriously, how can you possibly spend 4 hours a day just getting to and from your job and then be productive a full working day? I can only imagine it is possible if you are on a train and therefore able sleep for a large portion of each journey.

Is it something like - leave home at 6:30, arrive at work at 8:30, work until 5:30, get home at 7:30?

Fair play to you if you do something like that. It must be a great job to make the hassle and commuting cost worthwhile or are jobs your field just not possible closer to home?

Grandeeod · 22-09-2014 11:00pm

This is a Celtic Tiger reboot thread.

BenEadir · 23-09-2014 9:41am

The Gar wrote: »

It's is by car I am afraid but it is motorway for 80% of the journey. I think if was public transport I would be a good bit more confident. Is it by car you do your commute?

I'd be seriously concerned about driving 2 hours each way to and from work. You're bound to be tired and all it takes is one lapse of concentration and you're in serious trouble. I have a brother in law who used to work long hours and he fell asleep driving home one night, he was 5 minutes from home and ended up veering across the road and smashing into a wall. He nearly lost his leg and badly damaged his back. He is lucky to be alive but has never made a full recovery, still has a serious limp, constant back pain and basically a very restricted life in terms of physical movement etc. Thankfully he didn't injure anyone else.

It can happen so easily. I honestly can't imagine doing that kind of driving every single day. It's a recipe for an accident in my opinion. You only get one life and your kids/wife would prefer to have you in one piece than trying to do too much and end up with nothing.

I'm sorry if I'm painting a dark picture for you but I saw the impact driving when tired had on my brother in law and I wouldn't like to see it happen to someone else, especially when you are clearly concerned about it yourself.

may06 · 23-09-2014 9:46am

The Gar wrote: »

It's is by car I am afraid but it is motorway for 80% of the journey. I think if was public transport I would be a good bit more confident. Is it by car you do your commute?

No, train

may06 · 23-09-2014 9:48am

BenEadir wrote: »

Seriously, how can you possibly spend 4 hours a day just getting to and from your job and then be productive a full working day? I can only imagine it is possible if you are on a train and therefore able sleep for a large portion of each journey.

Is it something like - leave home at 6:30, arrive at work at 8:30, work until 5:30, get home at 7:30?

Fair play to you if you do something like that. It must be a great job to make the hassle and commuting cost worthwhile or are jobs your field just not possible closer to home?

Sleep on train. Leave home before 6am, in office by 8am, leave before 4pm, home at 6pm. Good job,secure future, good income, good prospects and certainly not one that could be found nearer home.

BenEadir · 23-09-2014 10:36am

may06 wrote: »

Sleep on train. Leave home before 6am, in office by 8am, leave before 4pm, home at 6pm. Good job,secure future, good income, good prospects and certainly not one that could be found nearer home.

12 hour day including commute for a good job and comfortable travel (love travelling by train and used to commute myself a bit when I lived in London years ago) so it sounds like you've struck a god balance that works for you.

You must be a civil servant or working for a semi state type organisation!!

may06 · 23-09-2014 10:38am

BenEadir wrote: »

12 hour day including commute for a good job and comfortable travel (love travelling by train and used to commute myself a bit when I lived in London years ago) so it sounds like you've struck a god balance that works for you.

You must be a civil servant or working for a semi state type organisation!!

Eh no

I'm not.. Why would you assume that

BenEadir · 23-09-2014 10:46am

may06 wrote: »

Eh no I'm not.. Why would you assume that

Because you said

may06 wrote: »

Good job,secure future, good income

and you seem to have black and white start/finish times which suit your schedule.

It's just a guess based on my own working experience. I've never had a role which ticked all those boxes

I'm just jealous

may06 · 23-09-2014 10:52am

BenEadir wrote: »

Because you said and you seem to have black and white start/finish times which suit your schedule.

It's just a guess based on my own working experience. I've never had a role which ticked all those boxes I'm just jealous

No, i never said I have"black/white" working hours, quite the opposite.

FYI - my standard working hours are 7.25 hours, in the office I generally fulfill 7.30 hrs, at my desk, as required. Any ad-hoc work i need to do (overtime) and for which there is a lot, I work on the train, in between sleeping. My working week generally amounts to 40 hours or bit more the odd time.
I think you'll also find the vast majority of commuters who also commute long journeys daily also find themselves in the same situation and are not necessarily those in the public/civil service sector.

BenEadir · 23-09-2014 12:24pm

may06 wrote: »

No, i never said I have"black/white" working hours, not sure what you mean by that, maybe you have such in your work environment or your experience

Bad choice of words on my part. Should have said "regular".

may06 wrote: »

Any ad-hoc work i need to do (overtime) and for which there is a lot, I work on the train, in between sleeping.

I can certainly see the benefit of using the train time for that which is a bonus for both you and your employer.

Sounds like you and your employer have a mutually beneficial arrangement which is great. Long may it last.

I work for myself so have no regular hours, no tracking of time worked and hence no over time. Sometimes the grass looks greener on the other side where the attributes you enjoy (good income, good job, regular/agreed hours, secure future etc) seem very appealing to me but then there are times where I think I'm so used to being my own boss that I'd probably last a week before I was fired and there are other times when I'm standing on the side of a pitch on a Tuesday afternoon watching my son or daughter playing a school match and I'm glad I have the flexibility to more or less do my work where and when I want.

Horses for courses I guess.

Emme · 23-09-2014 5:27pm

may06 wrote: »

Sleep on train. Leave home before 6am, in office by 8am, leave before 4pm, home at 6pm. Good job,secure future, good income, good prospects and certainly not one that could be found nearer home.

What train do you travel on? I travel on the Waterford train which is always packed if not overcrowded. It's impossible to sleep on it.

It's so bad that passengers some Athy passengers drive 30 minutes to the next stop in Kildare and get on there rather than braving the Waterford cattle train.

BenEadir · 23-09-2014 7:15pm

Emme wrote: »

What train do you travel on? I travel on the Waterford train which is always packed if not overcrowded. It's impossible to sleep on it

Brown noise is your friend my friend, brown noise!! I use it when working at home if one of the kids have their friends round. They can knock the place and I'm still able to concentrate

If you're on an Android phone, try this and give it a chance https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.synopsia.noisemachine. Push the top slider all the way to the right.

Emme · 23-09-2014 10:24pm

BenEadir wrote: »

Brown noise is your friend my friend, brown noise!! I use it when working at home if one of the kids have their friends round. They can knock the place and I'm still able to concentrate If you're on an Android phone, try this and give it a chance https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.synopsia.noisemachine. Push the top slider all the way to the right.

Thanks. Sadly the Waterford train has an ambient brown smell which no brown noise will cover up. It is too crowded on that train to sit comfortably enough to sleep.

The Gar · 23-09-2014 10:27pm

Cheers guys for the good and honest response, I suppose I am trying to get the best of everything and I have doubts about tiredness and having a car accident some winters night. As I said I like my job and it is quiet a good job so that is why I would be keen to keep it. I think I might have to make a decision either way. I think if I could do it by train / bus I would not even be thinking about it.

lazeedaisy · 23-09-2014 10:32pm

I did that type of journey for 6 years, never bothered me, was never really tired doing it,

I did it for my job, end of, no moaning, it's other people who used to freak about it.

When you have to do it, you will, costs a lot on upkeep of the car, I had it serviced every ten k,

Your evenings go too quick,

I changed my hours in work, and was at my desk by 7am, thank god for bus lanes, left at 3pm, is was great in the summer, when I gt the train, it added 2 hours on to my trip, never got me in to work before 8.30,

It's ok if you don't think about it or feel sorry for yourself,

I have since given it up, for a local job, but I loved my job so much that not even the commute would bother me

may06 · 23-09-2014 10:37pm

Emme wrote: »

What train do you travel on? I travel on the Waterford train which is always packed if not overcrowded. It's impossible to sleep on it.

It's so bad that passengers some Athy passengers drive 30 minutes to the next stop in Kildare and get on there rather than braving the Waterford cattle train.

Longford/Sligo trains

may06 · 23-09-2014 10:38pm

The Gar wrote: »

Cheers guys for the good and honest response, I suppose I am trying to get the best of everything and I have doubts about tiredness and having a car accident some winters night. As I said I like my job and it is quiet a good job so that is why I would be keen to keep it. I think I might have to make a decision either way. I think if I could do it by train / bus I would not even be thinking about it.

Is there any part of the journey you could do by train/bus...private bus even?

LynnGrace · 23-09-2014 10:40pm

The Gar wrote: »

Cheers guys for the good and honest response, I suppose I am trying to get the best of everything and I have doubts about tiredness and having a car accident some winters night. As I said I like my job and it is quiet a good job so that is why I would be keen to keep it. I think I might have to make a decision either way. I think if I could do it by train / bus I would not even be thinking about it.

Would it be an option to stay overnight, even once a week, to take a break from the journey?
I've worked with people who did long commutes, morning and evening, but mostly by train/ bus, so at least they were able to sit back and relax, for the few hours.

The Gar · 23-09-2014 11:13pm

lazeedaisy wrote: »

I did that type of journey for 6 years, never bothered me, was never really tired doing it,

I did it for my job, end of, no moaning, it's other people who used to freak about it.

When you have to do it, you will, costs a lot on upkeep of the car, I had it serviced every ten k,

Your evenings go too quick,

I changed my hours in work, and was at my desk by 7am, thank god for bus lanes, left at 3pm, is was great in the summer, when I gt the train, it added 2 hours on to my trip, never got me in to work before 8.30,

It's ok if you don't think about it or feel sorry for yourself,

I have since given it up, for a local job, but I loved my job so much that not even the commute would bother me

I think I could do it but my wife would freak, I have three kiddies and it is getting them the lifestyle I had growing up is a major factor also being near parents is important. There is a farm to consider as we'll but I am not sure I can find enough hours in the day. With me family comes first every time.

The Gar · 23-09-2014 11:15pm

LynnGrace wrote: »

Would it be an option to stay overnight, even once a week, to take a break from the journey?
I've worked with people who did long commutes, morning and evening, but mostly by train/ bus, so at least they were able to sit back and relax, for the few hours.

I could do that but to be honest I think I would get very pissed off very quickly being away 2-3 nights a week.

The Gar · 23-09-2014 11:17pm

may06 wrote: »

Is there any part of the journey you could do by train/bus...private bus even?

I am afraid not as I have already checked this out. It would take to long with stopovers etc etc.

markpb · 23-09-2014 11:33pm

The Gar wrote: »

I think I could do it but my wife would freak, I have three kiddies and it is getting them the lifestyle I had growing up is a major factor also being near parents is important. There is a farm to consider as we'll but I am not sure I can find enough hours in the day. With me family comes first every time.

If family is so important, why consider taking a job that means you'll be away from them for most of their waking hours? I appreciate you want a country life for them but they'd probably prefer a life with both parents instead.

The Gar · 23-09-2014 11:41pm

markpb wrote: »

If family is so important, why consider taking a job that means you'll be away from them for most of their waking hours? I appreciate you want a country life for them but they'd probably prefer a life with both parents instead.

I currently have this job and I live 10 min away so it's grand, it's when I move is the issue, that is the big question. I have had a talk with friends and family but they tend to give me the answers they think I want ( totally useless) I think I will have to move jobs. I was just looking to see if many did it and the pros and cons.

Emme · 24-09-2014 12:43am

The Gar wrote: »

I currently have this job and I live 10 min away so it's grand, it's when I move is the issue, that is the big question. I have had a talk with friends and family but they tend to give me the answers they think I want ( totally useless) I think I will have to move jobs. I was just looking to see if many did it and the pros and cons.

There's a huge difference between living 10 minutes away from your work and a 2 hour commute. I went from being a 20 minute cycle to work to living in the country and commuting 90 minutes to work in the mornings (door to door) and at least the same in the evenings. That's 2 hours and 10 minutes extra out of my working day and boy did I feel it!

I would advise you to move jobs to something near your parents if that's what you and all your family want. Otherwise you will have no time to farm if you keep your current job and commute 4 hours a day. You would be too tired anyway.

Is your wife happy with the idea of the move? How do the children feel? Have you checked out schools and sports clubs in the area? You may have happy memories of your childhood but the area could have changed dramatically then. Many small towns in Ireland have changed from places where you could leave the door open to drug-riddled unemployment blackspot no-go areas where you feel nervous walking down the street. Rural towns where children happily walked to school 30 years ago are now unsafe and clogged with traffic because it isn't safe to walk from one end of town to the other in broad daylight.

Even if you live in the countryside you will have to do your grocery shopping in the towns - how far is the nearest big town from your parents? Would your wife be happy to live near your parents? Who currently drives them to town, medical appointments etc.? If you are taking over the farm this may well be your responsibility in future and how does your wife feel about that? Would your wife be happy moving to a place where she may have to drive 30 minutes to the nearest Tesco or Dunnes?

The Gar · 24-09-2014 9:22am

Emme wrote: »

There's a huge difference between living 10 minutes away from your work and a 2 hour commute. I went from being a 20 minute cycle to work to living in the country and commuting 90 minutes to work in the mornings (door to door) and at least the same in the evenings. That's 2 hours and 10 minutes extra out of my working day and boy did I feel it!

I would advise you to move jobs to something near your parents if that's what you and all your family want. Otherwise you will have no time to farm if you keep your current job and commute 4 hours a day. You would be too tired anyway.

Is your wife happy with the idea of the move? How do the children feel? Have you checked out schools and sports clubs in the area? You may have happy memories of your childhood but the area could have changed dramatically then. Many small towns in Ireland have changed from places where you could leave the door open to drug-riddled unemployment blackspot no-go areas where you feel nervous walking down the street. Rural towns where children happily walked to school 30 years ago are now unsafe and clogged with traffic because it isn't safe to walk from one end of town to the other in broad daylight.

Even if you live in the countryside you will have to do your grocery shopping in the towns - how far is the nearest big town from your parents? Would your wife be happy to live near your parents? Who currently drives them to town, medical appointments etc.? If you are taking over the farm this may well be your responsibility in future and how does your wife feel about that? Would your wife be happy moving to a place where she may have to drive 30 minutes to the nearest Tesco or Dunnes?

My wife is happy with the move as she is a country girl also, she likes the idea. the school is a nice school and the community had not really changed since I was a kid as it is quiet rural, my kiddies are young so not settled where I live now. We have a few options when it comes to work as either myself or my wife could work full time with the other minding kiddies and doing a bit on the farm. We would be ok for shops, local shop 1/2 mile small town 3 miles, decent town 7 miles and county town 15 miles. Was your commute by car?

LynnGrace · 24-09-2014 9:23am

The Gar wrote: »

I could do that but to be honest I think I would get very pissed off very quickly being away 2-3 nights a week.

I had suggested one night a week just to get a bit of rest.

The Gar · 24-09-2014 8:11pm

LynnGrace wrote: »

I had suggested one night a week just to get a bit of rest.

It might be a runner. I will have to think about it.

Commute - West to Midlands

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