At least you will no longer need to eat your protein shakes as exercise will go out of the window.

My cousin does a lot of travelling. Most of it business or first class. He gets to see some nice parts of the world and his strava looks impressive, but it’s not healthy or conducive to family life (his words not mine) . Odly though he keeps buying businesses that mean lots of international travel.

I used to fly Leeds to London for work and that was tiring enough.

If it’s crap can you have your old job back?

If so what’s stopping you?

Dunno if I get my old job back or not.

Plucked up the courage to email my current boss at 5pm yesterday but he’d clocked off, so I emailed. I hate breakups!

Do you get to work form home when your in the UK? One of the savings for me (which I’m not quite getting here) was being able to get up late and do a day from home getting caught up on the mundane stuff like washing/post/shopping while being able to do calls and answer emails. Landing late and being in the office 9am the next day is less fun.

Do you get to work form home when your in the UK?

Yes, if you could check.my posting history you’d be able to tell when I’m on a project 🙂

I went to one external job interview for professional services, and it sounded pretty good, until near the end of the any questions part I remembered to check if I got to work from home when unassigned, assuming that was obviously he case. But they expected you in the office every day. Er, no thanks!

The secret to a successful career is to leave good jobs. So you like your current job. The answer is to leave it.

Yeah I’ve always had a policy of saying yes to stuff, and it’s done me very well indeed so far given that I’m essentially a lazy bum.

I could think of nothing worse than having to ever travel for a job, in my experience it’s never the most talented they send out.

Keep your sanity, no amount of money is worth having to be away from home.

I used to travel 3 to 4 day trips a week. Fly in, sort problems, fly out. Great people, great work. All business class, limos etc. 20 years after I stopped I still regularly have the same nightmare of going to the airport on the way back and there is no plane at my gate waiting for me. No joke here.

Don’t do it. Good luck if you do.

It seems to depend on your outlook.

Glass half full, open mind to travelling and new experiences?

You’ll love it.

From your wider posts and comments above, looks like you’ll do more than fine.

Great move!

Keep your sanity, no amount of money is worth having to be away from home.

I already travel 50-60%, said this a few times now, people don’t read very well do they? 🙂

I can’t think of anything worse than being stuck in the same place, same office, same people, same shite, same commute, same sandwich shop every single day. I’d be depressed as hell!

Just read the thread properly…

Your role is moving from billable to “overhead”, are you sure – especially with the hefty flight expenses – your company is prepared to foot the bill for you long term aka is this is viable future?

Secondly, Last year my boss undertook to expand our business in Saudi.  He and a peer colleague are pretty much there every two weeks.  I’ve never seen him so tired, he’s has to take to an overnight Thursday flight to ensure he does a school run Friday morning and is home for the weekend after an issue at home, and he’s told me the excitement of flight plus hotel has worn off very quickly.

I can see your point – I’ve been travelling around the UK for 26 years now, first in Services and now in Sales.  I stay in hotels an average of twice a week, but it doesn’t bother me, I either quite like the downtime or I’m preparing in the evenings.  I do maybe 2 flights a year overseas though and that I can see that is draining.

I agree with you molgrip on the same office / same people principle.  I did it while out kids were babies and although convenient for that got bored as hell.  If I hadn’t been offered this job I would have left the company.

I’ve done long term euro travel.it is manageable

I moved to a global role.

Won’t do that again.

Have fun.

Having to be away from the a young family so much of the time doesnt sound good.

I have a few friends who have worked away whilst they had/have young families:
One friend worked 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off; this ended in divorce and by his own admission cost him building a proper relationship with his kids.
Another works Monday – Friday in London and home each weekend .. his wife was discovered seeing someone.
And another who has a similar job as the new one you describe. He absolutely loves the job, although he is just about the only one who doesnt know his wife has had quite a few male friends to keep her company whilst he is away.

Somethings are just too far off the ground to feed themselves; and some itches just need to be scratched.

Best of luck. But like others have commented – sounds a nightmare job to me if you got a young family.

Your role is moving from billable to “overhead”, are you sure – especially with the hefty flight expenses – your company is prepared to foot the bill for you long term aka is this is viable future?

Good question tbh. The team is relatively new, but the development side were finding they were having to ‘pay’ internally for services to go and sort out climbers problems who didn’t feel they should have to pay. I’ve done plenty of freebie work even in services.

The thing is, for us software license is far more important than services revenue. Services were originally supposed to be cost neutral to ensure licenses were renewed, but then management decided they wanted to try and make us profitable. This new role is back to that old model of effectively sales support. Let’s just say that the flight costs are low compared to even one day of services.

Mooman – same amount of time away as now but better spaced out.

Well, it’s official.

Feeling terrible about leaving the old team too though. They were good people, and good to me – the manager is the guy who gave me my big break and the only job I’ve ever actually enjoyed having, which consequently had a huge impact on my quality of life.

Sounds like my worst nightmare tbh, sitting in airports or planes half yer life, to then listen to moaning bastards.

Don’t forget the having to wear that god awful bright orange uniform and fake smiling while pushing the trolley 😉

I dunno what you’re referring to geex but it was probably a good gag for those who do 🙂

…but it was probably a good gag for those who do

You are just in a good mood because of your new job, but that’s waaaaay too generous 👍

I dunno what you’re referring to geex but it was probably a good gag for those who do

I’m not entirely sure, but I think the implication is a job as a trolley-dolly with EasyJet… 😬

Molly trolly dolly 🤣

Anyway good on you for making the decision. If it doesn’t work out, it sounds like your old team will have you back in a heartbeat!
Good luck

Sounds like the kind of job that would be first to be cut in a downturn.

Not really asking for advice, just venting, cos it’s filling my brain and I need to vent.

Aha…

Tell me stories about your job transfers.

Years ago I was a motorcycle courier in London. It was an interesting combination of mind-numbing boredom interspersed with moments of life-threatening danger, usually caused by someone else. Human interaction was limited to brief exchanges with often ditsy receptionists along the lines of: ‘I’m collecting a package for…’ Occasionally there was flirting, but it’s hard to be alluring when you’re wearing a full-face helmet and stink of diesel particulates.

After a while it dawned on me that I would die either in a hideous RTA or of sheer boredom from riding along the same roads over and over again, so I applied for some different, less dangerous roles.

Eventually I ended up doing PR for the UK motorcycle industry. I travelled less, obviously, but wrote more stuff – before it had mostly been addresses and signatures – now it was unrealistic puff about how motorcycles were good, clean, family fun and not at all dangerous. On the plus side I no longer stank of diesel particulates and on the odd occasion when I had the opportunity to flirt with a receptionist, I was rejected on the basis of my actual looks rather than my muffled banter.

On balance I think I preferred being a motorcycle courier. Thanks for listening.

Anyway good on you for making the decision. If it doesn’t work out, it sounds like your old team will have you back in a heartbeat!
Good luck

Thanks. Apparently my old boss was full of good things to say about me. I’d have assumed he’d be full of complaints about my total lack of corporate housekeeping. Felt bad about it all really, but nearly 8 years in that role isn’t too bad.

New job is funded by development rather than clients so far less likely to be filled with boring crap billing hours. Starting April 8th…

At least MrsMol will know where you are, a friends partner can “disappear” for months without being able to tell her where he is going.
A now ex workmate was an engineer on submarines, months at a time away at and under the sea. Anyone who has a partner in the “services” has to accept and work around these issues as do Euro lorry drivers, oil and gas rig workers etc….
Some families can cope, others can’t, takes all sorts.
Only you, Molgrips can know if MrsM & co can.
MrsT worked away for 2yrs, Mon-Fri. I worked shifts so got to ride my bike and play as much squash as I liked….

First day today. So far – nothing has happened at all. New boss is in California so is presumably still sleeping.

Off to break into my garage.

Boss in California- expect to get calls from 3pm just as you are planning the evening. I had an interesting call from an out of breath colleague at our HQ in California while she was on a treadmill!

In my opinion and experience you should be on 1.5 -2 time your day rate when away plus expenses if PAYE. Different if contract but I would still have a mark up for being away. Travel day always paid the same as work days. Weekends away should have some payment if PAYE or fullaway rate if working the weekend (I always try to work at least one day of a weekend). Ling haul is horrible especially if it’s in and out in week. It you plan on traveling Mon and Thursday then you will only get two days work done while away.

Travel for work has good and bad points. I struggle with being away but I struggle with going into the office and bullshit rules. It need to make financial sense and need partners support.

In my opinion and experience you should be on 1.5 -2 time your day rate when away plus expenses if PAYE.

Eh? I doubt many companies could afford to do that (assuming you mean the employee is claiming 1.5x or 2x O/T). I think there’s a small daily disturbance allowance where I work if you’re away over 5 days but it’s peanuts

In my opinion and experience you should be on 1.5 -2 time your day rate when away plus expenses if PAYE

Since travel has always been part of my job it’s factored into the salary. And weekends have always been very well protected, I did a couple of on-call weekends once and got generously compensated even though I ended up doing nothing.

There’s the likelihood of long hall on this job meaning the occasional Sunday, but according to my mate the TOIL is very generously dispensed and no-one really cares to count it.

In my opinion and experience you should be on 1.5 -2 time your day rate when away plus expenses if PAYE.

What industry is this? I work in Pharma and this is not typical at all. Expectation to travel is part of JD and salary reflects this (to some extent). Occasional weekend travel is unavoidable, the only compensation for this is time in lieu.

Software. If you are not being paid more to travel there is little point. You may have it factored into your salary but then it would still be a substantial mark up on working from office. Daily allowance expenses are different. If it’s rolled into your salary the it’s less clear cut unless you are on 2 away 2 at base or similar and harder to work out what you are getting paid for. I prefer the explicit knowledge that I get X more when away rather than any finger in the air type deal without explicit knowledge of how much away work I will be doing. It’s a lot lije unpaid overtime. You have to be careful you don’t actually end up working for less.

Time in lieu is equivalent to another days pay if traveling weekends

If you are not being paid more to travel there is little point.

I actually like it.

One of the main reasons for taking this job was the exotic travel. And now my first trip is planned, and it’s in.. Slough. Seriously 🙂

Real risk of catching something. Exciting!