Travelling to work

Tintin8

Hi guys,

I have just been offered my DREAM job in cork city.
The problem is I live in Kildare with my fiancé . We have mortgage.
She has great job in Dublin so moving to cork is not really a option.

I'd have to drive down and back 6 times a month and stay over night once maybe twice a week because of shift work.

I have a job in Kildare but it's not my dream job.

Would I be stupid to take the job all things considered???
Please help;)

Thanks

sashafierce

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Tintin8

sashafierce wrote: »

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Well my girlfriend could probably get a job in cork but she's unsure about it. She'd rather not go to cork.

Do u think the commuting and staying over would be worth it?

I just don't know if we'd move down but u never now ?

My heads completely wrecked over it.

Part of me thinks I wouldn't mind travelling but on the other hand ?

Cedrus

I can't make sense of your shift pattern and obviously don't know what sort of money you'd be on, but if it really is your dream job then go for it.

You'll need to look at the cost of travelling (fuel, wear on your car and time) and accommodation but there are loads of people doing it all the time and they manage it, in some industries it's the norm. Long term, working away from home can be a strain on a relationship but you may get a chance to relocate back or if it's as good as you hope, and steady your girlfriend might chose to move down in time. Things like doctors and dentists can be major hassle because you can ONLY see them e.g. at the first appointment on only one particular day in the fortnight, or last on another.

Get it or forget it, don't regret it.

sashafierce

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Cedrus

sashafierce wrote: »

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AND that'll be in the dark wet depths of winter too, not just on long summer evenings and bright mornings.

Tintin8

Thanks lads. I've to decide by tomorrow.

The reason I have to travel up and down 6 times is just with the shifts and it's a night and day each week.

I'm thinkin of taking job and moving halfway down so we both have good job and we both have 1hr or so drive to work.

So tough to decide tho

Jimmy Bottlehead

Take the job.

Life's too short to remain in a handy, but ultimately unfulfilling job.

Best of luck and let us know what happens!

Mellio

Shift work is your dream job, to me that would be a nightmare on top of travelling at whatever time of day or night you finish.

I would stick with convenience, everything is about having a better quality of life and doing that kind of trip week in week out you will get tired of after a month or two and if you dont like then you will have to try and find a job nearer to home again.

Good luck with whatever decision you make!

LegacyUser

I got what I once considered my 'dream' job, but unfortunately the boss turned out to be a nightmare. This on top of the fact that my commute time more than doubled and l was often working irregular hours seriously took the shine off my 'dream'. In traffic my drive home could take up to two hours, 1.5 on a good day.
I ended up burned out and cranky very quickly.

After 8 months of it, I was worn out and ended up getting really run down and shortly after got a bad flu which because I was so run down took a bad hold of me and I was off work for three weeks. During that time off I re-evaluated. I applied for a different job closer to home. The pay was a bit less, but when you factored in travelling costs not by much. It wasn't as senior but it was 20 mins from home. I am now in this job 2.5 years. It's not going to set the world on fire, but I enjoy it, my workmates are great and I am home from work in jig time. If I am needed to do a few extra hours its not a big deal because I know I will still be home at a reasonable hour.

for me, quality of life and the whole work life balance is really important. I only really understood how important when I changed to a job close to home. Excessive travelling and shift work can leave many people really run down and can seriously affect your health. Add stress on top of that and when you are at home your personal relationships might suffer. My husband commented that he had forgotten what colour my eyes are, because he seldom saw them open! all I ever did was sleep and work. At weekends you feel like you should be making the most of them with your OH cos you hardly spent proper time together all week, but you are so wrecked all you want to do is flake out and do nothing.

If you really want this job, go for it, but be mindful of the fact that excessive travelling and time away from home can really test you. And when you feel like that normal work stresses seem so much worse. Only you know your personality and how you will cope with the travelling, so only you can decide if you can stick it. It may well be something you can manage in the short term but long term it can really take its toll.

Then again, an old boss of mine transferred to Dublin from the UK. His family remained in the UK and he would travel home each friday and back Sunday night. Seemed to work for him and his family, so everyone is different. I know lots of people work away during the week and home at the weekends - this might be a better option than up and down without routine, throwing shifts into the equasion will either help or make it worse depending on the shifts.

Best of luck with your decision and I hope it works out for you whatever you decide.

bbam

Think long and hard before you do this.
Your life will be in ribbons in no time. Travel and staying away from home constantly.
If you are settled and getting married I'd be focusing on your life rather than some job on the other side of the country. And it could turn out to be crap when your in it, sometimes our ideas on our dream job don't live up in reality.

It's back to the old motto "work to live not live to work". Your job should only be a means to support your chosen lifestyle rather than sacrificing your quality of life for a job you think you'd love but ultimately may turn out to be no better then your current job.