reverse relocation

[eatmyshorts]

I'm in an odd situation.

Recently started a contract in Gloucester and very happy. However my wife and I want to settle somewhere. Currently renting as a temp situation.
We have family and friends in Cornwall which naturally is a draw in that direction. However like we all know. Work is thin there and pulls in the east and along the m4.

We talked a lot about where to settle and Exeter seems to be likely.
however this will change the dynamics of our lives massively. Particularly as would probably require to board away from home in the week and away from family and children.
Wife says shell be happy there as its close (er) to family.

I don't have any experience of this or costs involved and whilst agree to the idea initially i wonder if the whole thing is mental!
i kinda liked the idea of personal time and space but no doubt I'll still miss my kids.
On the plus side i like the idea of living somewhere like Exeter and near the coast. A great place to bring up kids.

Some thing we are looking at.

Exeter based.
2 hrs commute work. So would stay in the week.
rooms about 400 month nr where i work.
Don't see many Exeter contacts in my skill set at my current rate.

So to my fellow contractors. What is life like living away from home in the week?
Should i earn x before considering doing this?
Am i missing a load of other things to think and consider.

If youve read this far. Thanks for your time

[FatLazyContractor]

Some thing we are looking at.

Exeter based.
2 hrs commute work. So would stay in the week.
rooms about 400 month nr where i work.
Don't see many Exeter contacts in my skill set at my current rate.

So to my fellow contractors. What is life like living away from home in the week?
Should i earn x before considering doing this?
Am i missing a load of other things to think and consider.

If youve read this far. Thanks for your time

I think you are complicating this in your head. Every person, Every couple, Every family is unique.

If you are comparing yourself to someone else, you are doing a big mistake. Talk to the Mrs and sort your family's priorities out. That will be a good starting point.

Having said that, here I go with my personal opinions:

What is life like living away from home in the week?

Not bad at all. No family, work hard, earn well, variety of bang-a-thon et al. None of which might fit your case!

Should i earn x before considering doing this?

Are you referring to day rate? or a War chest?

I personally have a 2-3 year warchest. Can you afford that? Again, purely based on the person/family.

Am i missing a load of other things to think and consider.

^This, in my opinion. Loads, actually. You do what is right for your family and not what someone else does.

[gigahoe]

Just to share my experience: I'm currently working abroad and have been for the last 6 months. I won't comment on the financial stuff which of course will be different and has been covered above. On the personal side though working away from home means you have the evenings to fill. How you do this will largely determine how you feel about working away and will depend on what the gig is like and the company etc.

I'm working for an Indian company on a site that is outside of town. A lot of the guys from India don't drink and also due to the location being away from town there's no where to even have an after work tipple with those that do so there's basically no post work social scene here. That's fine though I enjoy to go to the gym so I do this most nights, but that wouldn't suit many. If you have personal projects that you like to do, or are comfortable going out and about on your own then working away needn't be an issue but don't expect it to be like being back at uni or when you went travelling in your 20's!

[sal]

On the plus side i like the idea of living somewhere like Exeter and near the coast. A great place to bring up kids.

You mean your wife to bring up the kids, as you are going to be away...

Like others have mentioned everyone's situation is unique, but IMHO the best think you can do for your kids is to stick around. I can understand a situation where you are settled and can't find work locally so have to stay away during the week. But planning a relocation with the idea of working away and no ability to work locally, in case the staying away don't work out is madness.

[SueEllen]

Am i missing a load of other things to think and consider.

Your relationship with your kids - you won't have a good one.

[TheFaQQer]

Your relationship with your kids - you won't have a good one.

Edit: round objects

[northernladuk]

Round objects

I'm kinda thinking this as well. I would have used a little more professional language than this though. I didn't think there was any need for such vulgarity.

[eatmyshorts]

Interesting variety of posts.

Turns out the more I look into this the more it seems the right choice for us as a family.
It's been interesting to see all the comments and I really value all the opinions especially those that are critical.

Yes, some of this will be hard, at time really hard but I still think its the right thing for us.
We've looked at some places and it's really hard to find something we like, especially as I'm hoping to move to somewhere we'll stay for a decade+!

Again, thanks for you posts.

[SlipTheJab]

I'm kinda thinking this as well. I would have used a little more professional language than this though. I didn't think there was any need for such vulgarity.

Granted but the original comment was pants and misleading. I work away Monday to Friday and have a great relationship with my kids thank you very much as well as it funding lots of holidays, trips out when school is off etc.

[SlipTheJab]

Your relationship with your kids - you won't have a good one.

Do you have kids, I'm guessing no...