Hi,

Would you go for a promotion that pays a bit more, but all the extra pay would be sucked up in petrol costs to get there?

I’m a teacher, looking at second in department jobs. One has come up but its a 30 mile round trip vs current 4 mile (on bike) round trip. That will swallow all the pay rise in petrol money.

No realistic chance of promotion where I am now, and this is the closest 2nd in department job I’ve seen this year and I’m a bit fed up with the place I’m at now. The other place solves some of my gripes, but I’m sure it will bring up gripes of its own.

Any advice?

Cheers!

30 mile round should be doable on a bike. Why drive?

Have you got the job, or yet to apply?

It depends. How about effect on pension and future prospects? You may get a further promotion sooner so consider it an investment.

Of course as darrell says you could ride in. Kids do all the homework by email now don’t they!

As Blackhound, presumably the extra wage will increase your pension entitlement ? And it’s a step up the ladder, the next step up might be back closer to home again.

Sounds like it effectively pays less as you’ll be up earlier and home later. Having switched from a long commute to a short commute and seen a massive improvement in quality of life for me it’d have to be a great offer to go the other way.

It depends what your ambitions are !

Perhaps, if you have to ask, then that is your answer ….

A 15 mile commute is sod all really! Wouldn’t the time lost in the longer car journey have been spent getting changed/showered anyway when on the bike?

A couple of things:

1) Why can’t you bike in?
2) What car have you got? 30 miles in a 30mpg car will cost you about £6 a day (@£1.35/litre).
3) Why not bike in 2 or 3 days a week (to reduce the fuel costs)

Long term would the new area be better (more schools = more opportunities)? 5 years down the line, say, would you and your partner (if you have one) be able to move there?

15 miles isn’t that much of a commute, depending of course on the traffic you’d reasonably expect to encounter. Assuming it’s not massively hilly it’s also perfectly doable on a bike.

as said 30 mile round trip is at the low end really

Promotion is promotion, it means your up the ladder already, it also shows ambition rather than just being in it for the pension.

Go for it…. Just the change will be enough to make things interesting. And this will bring out good things in you, which will lead to more interesting and good things.

Have you considered your increment point? I am not familiar with teaching pay spines/increments, but for me (nurse) a promotion would be less money initially because of fewer nights and weekends (not necessarily a bad thing!) but because I am at the top of my spine, miving on to a new one would pay off in a couple of years beacuse as long as I was doing well enough, the annul pay increments I would have access too would pay off eventually.

Also consider ‘gripes’: 2nd in department sounds like less teaching and more managing other teachers/arranging curriculum which might be just what you want, or it might take you away from the parts of your job you enjoy the most.

It’s probably worth it for the long term, as it gets you closer to HoD, if that’s what you want. So it may not pay more now, but will ensure you do better in the long term.

You are moving into a new job so technically it’s not a promotion. I have moved into new roles in the past for lower remuneration initially but with the possibility of greater rewards in the longer term. If your disposable income can take the hit and the prospects are good, why not.

I decided against something similar recently, slightly more money but longer commute (+40mins a day) and more responsibility wasn’t worth it for me.

Yes – and in fact my promotion has lead me to earn LESS than what I was on.

I blame the Tory cartel and their kleptocratic regime.

Yes I would. Climbing the ladder may help you to earn more money next time you move jobs.

But perhaps not if you’re a teacher…

Yes – and in fact my promotion has lead me to earn LESS than what I was on.

I blame the Tory cartel and their kleptocratic regime.

…and you can be sure that they won’t be satisfied until you are on £6.20 an hour walking 7-15 miles a day round a warehouse in ill-fitting safety boots. We should be lucky to have jobs at all etc etc Daily Wail guff etc…

Oh sorry, wrong thread 😉 😀

Cheers for the advice.

It’s a busy a road so while I’m happy to do it occasionally in the light doing it in the dark is not Really going to happen.

The £6 per day in fuel is pretty close to what I recon it would cost to get there and that is almost exactly the pay rise.

I’m going to go for it, even if I don’t get it at least it’s a decent interview practice for something closer, and if I do it’s. a step up the ladder on route it hod

Grab the opportunities in life as they come and sort the details out later…