Should i accept the position

blacksmith105

Just been offered a new job having been out of work for 12 months plus , salary is way below what i was on before .. yes its an increase on social welfare but the job will mean shift work with 6am start at the airport and a long commute about 50 miles each way , also it states in the contract minimum of 44 hours per week and expected to work Monday-Sunday two days off of course .
I have been told that there will be opportunities within the company .
Salary is 25 k before tax plus bonus scheme , dont get me wrong i am delighted to land a job last but worried about the impact it will have on my family and my health due to long commute , also the cost of travel, i was thinking of renting a room in a house close to the airport for a few months maybe not sure if cheaper than travel up and down every day
I know i will get a lot of replies from people saying that i should be grateful but i spent 10 years of my life commuting and it was exhausting
Also i will have to use public transport at first as my wife has the car for her job so will have to save like mad to afford to buy another car .
just not sure if the shifts and long commute is really worth it , should i hold out to see if i can get a job closer to home or non shift ...
also there is no shift allowance of payments for overtime etc

drunkmonkey

12mts on the scratcher your getting close to unemployable, take the job it'll give you an excellent chance at getting another job. Stay unemployed and you could be like that for a long time.
Commute sounds a little long but 50 miles isn't a huge distance in a car, get a cheap car to get you started, have a look in bangereconomicd thread in motoring.

P_1

The saying 'its easier to find a job when you already have one' comes to mind.

I'd say take it but keep your eyes open to whatever other jobs might be available.

Delancey

OP - will it actually be possible to use public transport to get there for 0600 starts ?

Teyla Emmagan

Firstly congrats OP, fair play to you. Well done.

If I were you I wouldn't hold out for another job (not if you've spent a whole year looking for this one). Take it, especially if there are opportunities within the company. Even a few months in a new role will make you a more attractive prospect to other potential employers.

50 miles isn't the best, but on the plus side, there will be no traffic at 6am. And hopefully you'd be coming home at a decent hour as well. You may very well be able to get a cheap room for a couple of nights a week out in that direction. At least it would give you a few decent nights sleep in the week.

In any case it is better to have choices than to have none!

blacksmith105

Thanks for the advice

As I said I am delighted to get a job at last even in this climate , my biggest hangup is the long travel to work and trying to balance work and home life , i dont really have man y options and getting worried i may never get a job

Mrs OBumble

Would you consider moving closer to the job?

50 miles each day is a mad amount of travel, especially if you're on shifts.

MysticalSoul

Hi OP,

I was offered a new job after been made redundant, and the only concern I had was the early start due to the commute. As I don't drive it entails getting a train and bus to the new job, and takes me an-hour-and-a-half in total commute each way. It is not impossible, and you do adapt. I was only relieved to have found a new job so quickly - was made redundant in November, and started new job in December.

blacksmith105

thanks guys

my main concern is being able to function on early shift and my ability to get there and still have a family life , its a 0600 start on the early shift which means not getting home until mid afternoon
also the overall cost of getting to and from workplace will shave 3-4 k a year off my salary , ok i am on 10k a year on sw so its a big step up but i am just having nightmare of spending my whole life commuting and being exhausted

anyone else out there who is on early shift and has a long commute would love to hear from you

Elessar

Hi blacksmith105,

I work in the airport too - is it the DAA you'll be working for? If so they're a thankless company who will work you to the bone for as little as possible.

I work shift as well, earliest starts are 4am. We work 50 hours a week shift and get paid 26k, no shift allowance either, no bank holiday pay, no overtime, unpaid breaks, terrible contracts, we can't even choose our own annual leave, it's worked into the roster.

Working shift is tough make no mistake. I'm lucky in that I live 10 mins from the airport but I work with people who commute from the country and I honestly don't know how they do it. You have no social life. If you have a family it's extremely difficult. I'm a young single guy but even for me it's tough. We've lost quite a few people simply because the hours are atrocious and the pay is worse. I would earn more doing admin work in an office 9-5.

However, it's a job. Take it just to have a job. I don't think you'll like it (the hours, the pay), I don't know anyone who does. But it will help you get another job. Don't believe the hype about "other opportunities" - there aren't any and when there are they are few and far between.

All new entrants to the airport (not just the DAA) are on new contracts which are awful and akin to slave labour. They certainly don't pay a fair days wage for a fair days work. But that's the recession for you. Employers can bend you over backwards. When I was training I was working beside people doing the exact same job but earning 2-3 times what I am. It's sickening, but a job is a job right now and employers know it.

wmpdd3

44 hrs per week and a 1.5 hr commute per day will affect your family. You'll be up at 4:30, leave at 5:15.

Work till 3pm, home at 3:45pm.

Bed at 9:00pm.

No booze during the week as you'll have to be bright eyes and bushy tailed to drive for 45 mins in the morning.

You'll probably be off Sunday and Tuesday, the odd week you'll get 2 days off together but that's worse as you will have to work 5/6 days after that.

If the work is very physical you'll really feel it.

There's no doubt that will be tough but see it as a tempory arrangement until you find something else. It would be fine if you were doing 3 x 12 hr shifts.

blacksmith105

Hi elessar

No its not the DAA , Its a mangers position for a car rental company based at the airport rostered on 6am-11pm with breaks
Would love the work but just worried about getting there and back as i live 50 miles from the airport , i have a sister in bray and can stay with her some nights but what an impact on family life .. just worried thats all

ukoda

blacksmith105 wrote: »

Hi elessar

No its not the DAA , Its a mangers position for a car rental company based at the airport rostered on 6am-11pm with breaks
Would love the work but just worried about getting there and back as i live 50 miles from the airport , i have a sister in bray and can stay with her some nights but what an impact on family life .. just worried thats all

On seeing this i cant help but wonder what other opportunities could they offer you? If its already a Managers position where would be the step up? or are they offering opportunities in another location? or better hours/pay?

slavetothegrind

it's 50 kilometres from enfield, and at that hour about 40 minutes drive.
can you ride a motorcycle?
would be cheap transport
the commute is not an issue really if you have your own transport.
getting to bray would be worse than going home!!!!

the airport citylink goes thru enfield from galway direct to airport and runs 24hrs

take the job and see how you go, well done getting it!

good luck

blacksmith105

actually was considering taking motorbike lessons and opting to get a bike once i feel confident enough

blacksmith105

blacksmith105 wrote: »

Just been offered a new job having been out of work for 12 months plus..........................
Salary is 25 k before tax plus bonus scheme ........ .....................impact it will have on my family and my health due to long commute...................................... should i hold out to see if i can get a job closer to home or non shift ...
also there is no shift allowance of payments for overtime etc

Well done on the offer anyway

Unless you have an existing medical condition it should have f all impact on your health, just eat well and get to bed at an appropriate time.

Realisitically is holding out for another job an option? Or likely to happen??

Stheno

I've commuted from Portlaoise to Blanch and the city centre in the past, up to 2.5 hours each way and I did it for seven years.

You do get used to it and the hours you have mean little traffic tbh, I'd say go for it.

the_syco

slavetothegrind wrote: »

the airport citylink goes thru enfield from galway direct to airport and runs 24hrs

The Airport Citylink levaes at 4:40am and gets to the airport at 5:45am.

It depends on where you live now, and if you have a full drivers license. If you have one, get a small 1L car, and driving get you in there quick enough.

blacksmith105

just completed the first week and finding it really hard to get use to it , i am staying with a friend in dublin and back home at the weekends for at least the next two weeks while i am training
finding it hard to get up at 6 am and i have to work a 10 hour day , finding it hard to stay awake and in bed by 930 pm every night exhausted .

I will give this a go and see how it works out , might be able to find some other people in the airport who live close and can share a lift etc

misspiggy40

Good for you Blacksmith. Keep your eyes open for something better but meanwhile well done for getting up and at it!;)

burrentech

blacksmith105 wrote: »

thanks guys

my main concern is being able to function on early shift and my ability to get there and still have a family life , its a 0600 start on the early shift which means not getting home until mid afternoon
also the overall cost of getting to and from workplace will shave 3-4 k a year off my salary , ok i am on 10k a year on sw so its a big step up but i am just having nightmare of spending my whole life commuting and being exhausted

anyone else out there who is on early shift and has a long commute would love to hear from you

Its probably a long shot, but talk with the Social and see if there are grants available for the likes of yourself, long term unemployed, and now found a job. It might make up some of the money you'll spend on traveling at least for a bit.

The_Honeybadger

Nice one OP, I spent a few years doing mental hours with long commute, I never really got used to it I have to say, although the fact that I was miserable in the job and had an absolute w**ker of a boss made it alot worse. Although I was on a terrific contract with great perks i left for another job, that was a different time though and if it was now I'd have stuck it out. You were right to take the job although it will be tough anything is better than the dole, hopefully it will lead somewhere better. Best of luck with it.

dan_d

Op, I worked for the last 5 years in a site job. At my desk at 7.30 am, walking out of the office between 6 and 6.30pm. Commute in the morning was anything up to an hour - commute home was at least an hour, could be longer due to traffic. Left the house at 6.50am, walked back in 7pm, was in bed at 10pm every night exhausted. Did nothing between Monday and Friday but work, and spent Fri night collapsed on the couch!!!

Your last post is describing my life for 5 years, and the life of my OH and another good friend working in the same industry right now. It's tough, but you just do it. A close relative is also working in Lidl - shift hours, supposedly 10, but almost always 12 hours shifts. He just does it.

I'm not saying love your job because you have one. I'm not a fan of that attitude. But after 12 months on the dole (and I'm not far off that myself), give it time to get used to it and keep an eye out for something else. Chalk it up to experience and an income, it looks a hell of a lot better than being on SW.

Best of luck and fair play to you for taking it. Seriously give it a couple of months for you to settle. You get into the swing of it, your life will start to sort itself out with it and it will get a bit easier. And who knows, you might only be there a couple of months before something else comes up.

superelliptic

Fair play man, hope it works out for you! About the transport side of things -I know 25k doesnt leave you alot to play with, but I just had a look on autotrader.ie (any make/model, max price €999), and there a several small cars with small engines that you can pick up for around the 1000 quid mark. (Theres a Dawoo Matiz in there with a 0.8cc. Dont know what the tax would be, but it would be pritty small) Might make it easier on you if you can come and go when you want instead of relying on others.



http://www.autotrader.ie/search/results?channel=CARS&make=&model=&year_min=0&year_max=2011&min_price=0&max_price=999&body=#nParam=200591&sortby=p_VehiclePriceEUR|0&channel=CARS&currency=EUROS&searchResultsView=THUMBNAIL&maxrows=30&page=50

Best of luck!

blacksmith105

week two

Still feeling exhausted and getting periods of fatigue during the day , i think its just my body trying to readjust to early starts , long commute and long hours
plan is to work during the week and stay in dublin 2 nights per week and rest will commute about 1 hours drive each way

Job is grand but lots of driving in the job and u have to grab lunch on the go real hectic stuff ..... but the day goes quickly
Yeah will chalk this one up to experience but i wish i could find something closer to home

mr_edge_to_you

you're not on your own. i'm a qualified accountant and have been made redundant. i have done over 20 interviews in the last 6 weeks and i have been offered a job in an industry where i have almost 5 years experience and i will have to take a 25% pay cut. i have no doubt i will have to work harder in my new job than my last.

but the 25% paycut is better than social welfare! it seems to take eternity for companies who are recruiting to come back about interviews/offers.

the priority is to keep working!

LoanShark

OP,
Well Done on getting a job in this climate..

I get up for work a 5.30 each day drive an hour and twenty minutes to work, SO I know how you feel.. I have to do a 12 hour shift...You get use'd to the routine.. As for feeling fatigued and tired try to take some vitamin suppliments that has Guarana maybe something like Pharmaton..

paulac

Hi Blacksmith,

Congratulations on the job and hope you're managing the commmute! There was serious hesitancy in your posts concerning the impact this job would have on your family life- has it had as much of an impact as you thought?

sunflower27

drunkmonkey wrote: »

12mts on the scratcher your getting close to unemployable, take the job it'll give you an excellent chance at getting another job. Stay unemployed and you could be like that for a long time.
Commute sounds a little long but 50 miles isn't a huge distance in a car, get a cheap car to get you started, have a look in bangereconomicd thread in motoring.

At 6 months unemplyed now myself I find your comment a tad ridiculous. So I suppose anyone out of work a year now may as well just pack in even trying by your logic :rolleyes:

Hope the job is going well OP

mickman

blacksmith105 wrote: »

week two

Still feeling exhausted and getting periods of fatigue during the day , i think its just my body trying to readjust to early starts , long commute and long hours
plan is to work during the week and stay in dublin 2 nights per week and rest will commute about 1 hours drive each way

Job is grand but lots of driving in the job and u have to grab lunch on the go real hectic stuff ..... but the day goes quickly
Yeah will chalk this one up to experience but i wish i could find something closer to home

you need to start eating very very healthy to have the energy for this kind of lifestyle. snack on nuts during the day, they will give you energy. no foods that make you sluggish

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Bens

Just throwing this one out there.
Since you are already commuting to Dublin airport and staying over a few nights, would you not think about London, if your job isnt paying you enough.
I know several people who took jobs in London and other UK cities.
They fly over Monday morning. Stay somewhere nice and cheap, like travelodge etc for about £25 a night or even get digs for less.
Then fly back on Friday evening.
Much better money and sure you are staying over anyway.
Sometimes they will even pay your accommodation for you too.

blacksmith105

starting to get use to the hours and commute , still feel knackered some evenings , i worked out that taking into account that i will have to pay extra pay because i was on social welfare i will be 185 euro a week better off for working an average of 50-60 hours . less 60 euro per week for petrol etc
I am not complaining but i can see how some people would not get out of bed for that and stay on sw
anyway the tax office told me that come 1st jan 2012 will be 40 quid a week better off . they are taking about 37 euro a week off me for being on social welfare now that i have a job ... does not seem fair

PrzemoF

"i will have to pay extra pay because i was on social welfare" - there is an extra tax/levy, because you were on social welfare?? :eek: Can you give us some details?

_Kaiser_

I was out of work for almost exactly a year myself and landed the job I'm in now almost by accident - I'd actually applied for another role, got to the final 2 but lost out then, but they called me back a month later for this one.

The downside is its a step back career-wise and the money is less than my last role. Plus it means a 200km each day and €500 a month in diesel and tolls.

On the plus side it's a good company and they've been very flexible. As it's a contract role I was hesitant to consider moving closer until I saw how it panned out, but they changed my start time so I don't have to be in till 10am.
OK it means finishing an hour later but I'm missing most of the traffic both ways and most of the 75 minute commute is motorway so not too bad.

While it's not what I want to do and it's not really getting me ahead financially (once I pay my existing debts, commutig costs, and the ever inventive ways the government is finding to squeeze what's left out of me), but most importantly it's keeping me SANE and I am managing (just about) to get by and have a little bit left for a night out each month.

Plus I'm still looking for other/better jobs every day and I'm seriously considering the UK at this stage (anyone have any tips/job site links etc?) as I'm not convinced this country is going to recover and I have a fundamental issue with paying money in taxes only to see it go straight out to service the gambling debts of the elite (who have long since moved their money elsewhere of course!)

In the end though - for me anyway - it's better than the alternative!!

blacksmith105

Yeah .. i called the tax office today to be told that my social welfare would be taxable backdated since jan and thus will have to pay an extra 38 euro per week:eek:

is this the norm as i thought social welfare was not a taxable payment . i was on illness benefit but now fit and healthy thank god and back to work but after tax there is not much difference between sw and my take home pay:mad:

thesimpsons

blacksmith105 wrote: »

week two

Still feeling exhausted and getting periods of fatigue during the day , i think its just my body trying to readjust to early starts , long commute and long hours
plan is to work during the week and stay in dublin 2 nights per week and rest will commute about 1 hours drive each way

Job is grand but lots of driving in the job and u have to grab lunch on the go real hectic stuff ..... but the day goes quickly
Yeah will chalk this one up to experience but i wish i could find something closer to home

the fatigue will diminish as you get back into the mode of work and your body/mind gets used to the structure of a working day once again. 12 months of being out of a work structure just takes time to get used to. get your share of fresh air when you are off, good quality sleep, eat well, maybe take a multivitim for a while. Well done on getting job, its all experience and hopefully it'll get you onwards towards a nicer/better job. As its a car rental company, any chance they would assist you in getting a small car for yourself to ease the commute a bit.