@naila I would do that no question, but I agree that I don’t know if that’s something the employer will honor forever. It may not stay just one day a week.
@naila Once a week, for that amount of money? Absolutely! Enjoy some silence, an audiobook, catch up on podcasts, etc. I had a commute for a while (pre-baby) that was a little over an hour and it was really nice to have that time to decompress.
@naila This is actually exactly the type of position I’m looking for so it sounds perfect to me. You and your husband can hire extra help once a week since he’s nervous. You should also specify in your contract that you come in once a week so they don’t insist on more in office time later on.
@naila I have a 2 year old and a 10 month old. I commute 1:15 1x a week and I love it. I can catch up on podcasts and get a coffee and just enjoy my drive without worrying about someone freaking out. Those might for dinner we keep it super simple. I’ve turned it into my veg time. If it was more often per week I would not be doing it though
@naila It depends what your current salary is and where 40% takes you. t my current base salary, I will totally do this for 40% increase.
However, I will get it in writing that the job is 1x week in person only. Do not take any verbal agreement or kind words. They will be worth nothing in 6 months.
If the increase is subsequent, you can consider using uber some weeks to avoid the driving. I know sometimes we just want to sit back and relax
@naila I did this commute for about six months before I had kids and resigned because of it. Would you have to work a full eight hours on top of the commute? I had to leave insanely early in the morning to get to work and got so exhausted I once drove through a red light and stopped on green. If you're able to have hobbies outside of kids right now, you wouldn't have any time for them on your commuting day.
@naila I would say do it for a short while, and find something closer with your new base rate.
I have some experience with this kind of commute. My husband and I moved to Washington from Oregon. I had been at my job for 8 years at this point and my boss didn’t want me to go. He offered to bump me from 18/ an hour to 28. I couldn’t really turn that down. So we agreed on 4 days a week remote and to come into the office one day a week. My commute was also 1.5-2 hours. What I decided to do was go down the night before and stay the night with friends and usually grab dinner with someone before heading back up to WA. It worked for a while.
With your kiddos, that is not an option for you. It sounds really tough. Sometimes, due to the meetings lined up, I was able to work twice a week in office and then skip the next week. That was a nice break from the commute.
@naila I do it. I drive 20 min then ride the train for about 50, and treat the train like extra work or relaxation time. I have 2.5 year old twins. It’s working great - we both WFH and commute into the city once or twice per week on different days. I just wish we lived nearer the train station to cut out the drive.
@naila I've said point blank if my company wants me in office I will not be leaving my home before 7:30 am and I will be leaving the office at 4pm. The one and only time I've had to go to the office it was 8am-5pm plus team dinner, I saw my youngest for 5 min that morning, and my eldest for 5 in the morning and 5 before bed. I made the exception because my manager was flying in and I hadn't met him the whole 3.5 years I've been in the role. He is well aware that I am not going to miss out on family time for work.
@naila What will the childcare situation be? If you’ve got family or a nanny watching your kids, I wouldn’t see it as an issue, especially if your husband works nearby. But assuming you will use a daycare center or in home provider, I wouldn’t risk being that far away from daycare in the event that I had to pick up baby unexpectedly. I turned down some opportunities with my employer but in a different office because it was much further away from home than my current office. I go in 3 days a week. While my husband is about 20 min from daycare, if he was unavailable and I had to be the one to get her, I don’t want to be 50 miles away. My current commute is half that. Even if it’s just one day a week, it’s not a risk I’d take.