Journey time and cost - should I say no

LegacyUser

Am I in the wrong head space or should I expect this. I recently got a job and start in may.its civil service job (2year wait). Problem is I got a phone call to accept the job as i beleived its in the city centre the department. Recieved contract by post all stating city centre but went I rang the department I was informed the job insist there but outside. This will add a further 40min travel time to an 1hour journey. So I would be commuting 4hours daily at a cost of €15 daily.

May question is - should I just say no - if this happens I'm off the panel (I've been unemployed over 2years

Do people usually do this communte 4hours
pay will only be €400 minus deductions about €350 orginal travel cost would see it at €290/300 which I didn't mind but now it's gonna be €270 is that worth it

I'm afraid because I orginaly said yes the PAS have removed me from my second region

kirving

It's certainly a long commute, but if you've been unemployed for 2 years, then you really should take it and maybe look at your options for a transfer once there.

Are you taking public transport?

o1s1n

20 hours commuting a week will be a serious hit to your quality of life.

I did three hours a day while in college for 4 years and it used to kill me - and that was where start times were flexible and Id occasionally work from home. The maximum I'll ever do now is 2 a day, and that's pushing it.

On the flip side, its a good starting opportunity after being out of work for 2 years.

Difficult decision, is there any way you can move closer?

uck51js9zml2yt

On the plus side , its more than social welfare and it gets your prsi contributions started again for future benefit payments.

What else would you be doing with those few hours travelling?

Take the job,2 years is a long time!

Markcheese

Without wanting to know where you live, where are you going from and to ? Maybe someone on here can suggest a different way to get there.. .how fixed is current accomadation ?

Wanderer78

Personally wouldn't do it myself. It would have serious negative effects on my physical and mental well being. Mate use to drive about 100k a year, similar commuting hours if not more to this situation. It caused physical health problems particularly with his back. Tough call op. Best of luck with it.

uck51js9zml2yt

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Personally wouldn't do it myself. It would have serious negative effects on my physical and mental well being. Mate use to drive about 100k a year, similar commuting hours if not more to this situation. It caused physical health problems particularly with his back. Tough call op. Best of luck with it.

Op is taking public transport. A lot less stressful than driving.

The alternative to not taking it is possibly another 2 years not working which for most of us is soul destroying.

Teyla Emmagan

It depends on whether or not you are driving. If it's public transport you could do it but it would be too much to drive, IMO. Is there anyway they could be flexible with the location? Is there anyway you could move closer to work? Could you even try it for 6 months and get it on your CV? Hard to justify turning down a civil service job when you have been unemployed 2 years.

Any idea on flexi-time? I used to commute to Dublin for college and notice people getting the early bus was almost all on the 5 home so getting in early gave them some flexibility and cut down the overall length of their day.

drunkmonkey

If you haven't kids or a loving squeeze could be time to pack your bags and move closer to the job.
2yrs unemployed you have to take it as your close to being unemployable.

Wanderer78

Rocco Big Tenant wrote:

Op is taking public transport. A lot less stressful than driving.

Rocco Big Tenant wrote:

The alternative to not taking it is possibly another 2 years not working which for most of us is soul destroying.

Public transport can actully be very stressful. 4 hour bus journeys ain't much fun. Can cause back problems as it did for me. True though, long-term unemployment ain't much fun. Tough call op.

cruizer101

OP when you say it adds 40min to your travel time do you mean you have to change transport, bus to train etc or would you be staying on the same mode of transport for the whole journey, are you guaranteed a seat.

You need to consider more than just the overall journey time, if it was 2hrs seated on a train each way I would say yes take it. If you have to make multiple connections I'd be more inclined not to.

Overall my gut would be to take it, can you move closer, can you look at flexi time which may reduce journey time. Remember it is far easier to get a job from having a job than from unemployed. Also once you get in you may find there is better chance of getting transfer.
All that said I can completely understand you not wanting to take it.

LegacyUser

thanks for the replys

its two modes of transport both buses or it can be three and walking 15mins
i cant move as own my home etc

i really want this job as i didnt mind the pay (orginal €300 incl expenses) but i think travel will kill me and cause health problems and all for €270

i check the place nobody moves from that department/rarely.

Bandana boy

Two years out of work in a boom , you need to get a job on your CV

Take it , Many things can happen to make it easier , location might move , your location might move , and Getting a different job is always easier when you have a job.

I have done similar commutes and they get old fast but a year will be no problem to you.
Once you have a bit of money you can look at getting a Car or Motor bike which will shorten the commute times , you can look at splitting the times up with hitting a gym etc.

stoplooklisten

have you factored time sitting in traffic getting to the centre?

Do people do this length of commute? yes

LegacyUser

didnt factor in traffic. its public transport i'll be relying on 2 buses.

Mrs OBumble

drunkmonkey wrote: »

If you haven't kids or a loving squeeze could be time to pack your bags and move closer to the job.
2yrs unemployed you have to take it as your close to being unemployable.

Even if you have kids, you should move to take up the job. The only reason not to would be if your partner has a well-paying job and it's not possible to move somewhere that makes the commute reasonable for both of you.

Markcheese

I remember doing a mad long commute in sydney (2 hours each way) bus and 2 trains plus a long walk... one of the lads started using a bicycle for part of the trip... cut his commute time by half.. and bikes are cheap (relatively )just get a good lock

Yamanoto

worrieabloutnothin wrote: »

i cant move as own my home etc

Presumably then, there's an option to rent your own home out and pick up a place closer to work for the duration of your contract?

zoobizoo

You haven't worked for two years... and you now have a job offer.

If you take the job, a possible future employer will see:
-job history
-dedication
-Initiative
-A willingness to make sacrifices for gain

While the commute sounds horrendous, what would you be doing with your time otherwise?

You hear of people commuting to London Monday to Friday for work, others doing a two hour commute in order to provide for their family.

Take the job. Suck it up for six months. Apply for other jobs when you are there.

Use the time you are on the bus to study and upskill.

Mrs OBumble

Do you have another job offer on the table? Have you had any others in the last two years?

_Kaiser_

You have to go where the work is OP. When I first started, I commuted about 2 hours a day (driving) and it was bearable as it was mostly motorway and I could start/finish later.
Like you I'd been out of work for a year, but unlike you it was a role that was about 2 steps back than my previous job but I did it as a way to get back into the workforce (plus being unemployed is usually a very stressful unhappy time - it was for me anyway). A year later they made me permanent and offered me a transfer so I was able to afford to move closer to the new office - 10 minutes away in fact.

(of course these days I'm commuting again, but that's more because I don't see the value in paying stupid rents in Dublin JUST to be close to work when I still have the flexible hours and work from home once a week)

My point is that sometimes you need to look at the longer term picture and put up with the inconvenience/hassle in the short term to get what you want in the end

ongarboy

Agreed about the long term picture also. Can you at least try it for 6 months and look for other closer opportunities to your home in the meantime? It's always easier to get a job when you're already in a job. Also, it will be a very respectable and understandable response in interviews for future roles as to why you left your current role - the manic commute and quality of life impact.

Alternatively, can you take out a loan (credit union etc) for a second hand car that would surely slash the commute time to a more manageable time? If this new role is not in Dublin city centre, I imagine you may be going against traffic during rush hour which is a bonus?

I'd seriously not decline the job offer if you've been unemployed for such a long stint already as significant gaps are always potential red flags for recruiters.

VincePP

In a way I'd be saying refuse the job because last year I paid over €30k in tax and this pays towards civil service salaries and your attitude is exactly what is not needed inthe civil service and possibly explains why you've been out of work.

But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt as unemplyment can have very negative affects on people without them realising it.


If you work hard and show you are able for the job and show potential, you can move within the civil service. If you display a negative attitude, you'll plod along like some of the deadwood that are there.

So its entirely up to you - take the hassle of a long commute and use the commute for reading / studying and aim for better things withing 12-24 months, or remain unemployed. Furthermore, you are entering summer, so the commute won't feel as bad and when there let them know that you woudl love a move to the other office and would be willing to accept a temporary maternity leave position if it became available.


On the transport cost - get a taxsaver commuter ticket organised. This will be deducted from your gross salary and you'll save tax and prsi. Just ask the HR person you are delaing with to organise it.

TheDoc

VincePP wrote: »

In a way I'd be saying refuse the job because last year I paid over €30k in tax and this pays towards civil service salaries and your attitude is exactly what is not needed inthe civil service and possibly explains why you've been out of work.

As someone from the private sector, I'll defend the OP by saying I wouldn't consider for a second, a job offer that has a four hour commute.

I don't think it's relevant in regards public or private.

And granted I didn't receive any social welfare during this period, I was out of work for a six month period, when availability in my sector was low. But I didn't just jump on any dicking job offer that came my way.

Get the impression sometimes people frown upon others who actually rate and value themselves, and don't see employment as some bestowed gift.

OP have you spoken to the co-ordinators for the role you received an offer for? You were informed the position was in the city centre, you have a contract advising it is in the city centre, and additional telephone communication has advised it is not.

Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. You've been given misinformation on a drastic level, and you shouldn't be penalised for it. You've accepted the position on the basis of the location you were advised. Their problem they messed up, and you shouldn't be penalised for it. Especially in these roles were people are made wait for years for positions or openings.

Tina82

hi ... i was in a similiar position got offered job in civil service...commuting over 2 hrs a day...i'm carpooling so that helps alot. have to do 2 years before considered for transfer. have seen quite a few people transfered since i started. 1 year down and no regrets in taking the job.

Mrs OBumble

TheDoc wrote: »

As someone from the private sector, I'll defend the OP by saying I wouldn't consider for a second, a job offer that has a four hour commute.

I don't think it's relevant in regards public or private.

And granted I didn't receive any social welfare during this period, I was out of work for a six month period, when availability in my sector was low. But I didn't just jump on any dicking job offer that came my way.

Get the impression sometimes people frown upon others who actually rate and value themselves, and don't see employment as some bestowed gift.

The public vs private bit is irrelevant (expect that we would rather not see someone with the OPs attitude in public-sector jobs).

After two years of unemployment (whether scratching or not), the OP is virtually unemployable, in either sector, unless s/he can prove that they've put the time to good use (getting a degree, raising a kid, whatever).

Without some extenuating circumstances, the OP should be falling over themself to take this job.

Ursus Horribilis

So what are your alternatives if you don't take this job? You've already been out of work for two years and there doesn't appear to be any other job offers on the horizon. Other people have used the word unemployable and I have to say I agree with them. It's possible that the only thing that's saving you are the slow-moving wheels of civil service recruitment. You were either still working or not long out of work when you went onto that panel - would you get anywhere near it now that you've got 2 years of the dole under your belt?

In short, I think you should take the job and start working on ways to improve your lot. There's nothing to stop you trying to transfer elsewhere or look for another job once you've been in this one for a while. The pay and the commute may suck but this job is going to give you options you don't have if you stay as you are.

kirving

The bicycle part is a good idea.

I'll take a guess here and say that your commute would mean you have to get a bus to Dublin city centre and another one out again?

In rush hour, I can cycle into the city centre in 25 mins when a bis takes over an hour. Certainly work considering.

cerastes

If it was me, Id go for it and see how it works out, that said, I took a job well below the level of what I was doing before, in some ways I dont mind, but the pay is comensurate with the role.
I dislike the idea that soimeone is unemployable because they are out of work for 2 years (I was unemployed for longer, not for the want of trying to get a job), but I didn't simply forget everything I learned and knew from before that. While I was unemployed, I still had to get up and do family stuff, and when I got a job, I had to get up earlier for work, overall I consider that what I come out with might not even break even to what I had before (and that was zero entitlement due to being married).
OP Id take the job, as the idea does exist out there that being out of work for some time renders you incapable of working again in the eyes of employers/recruiters, but no idea why?

Rocco Big Tenant wrote: »

On the plus side , its more than social welfare and it gets your prsi contributions started again for future benefit payments.
What else would you be doing with those few hours travelling?
Take the job,2 years is a long time!

I agree, but I thought when unemployed, if in receipt of benefit, that contributions were made?
maybe the OPs circumstances are different to mine, I wasn't in receipt of benefit, so I know contributions weren't made, so taking a job was essential for me regardless of the level, fortunately for me the commute is not long.

Yamanoto wrote: »

Presumably then, there's an option to rent your own home out and pick up a place closer to work for the duration of your contract?

Renting out your home brings a host of other problems, I wouldnt even consider getting into. Even if it was possible for their partner to move and children to be moved schools? there are other options than doing what you're saying as its not straight forward and brings its own additional costs also.

whomitconcerns

Op this is not a work problem. You have had no job for 2 years, time to end the benefits, take the job, and do the commute, lots of us have to do long commutes. Sorry if it sounds harsh....but it is what it is