Good reasons to work away from your home city

[HPsauce]

I'm glad I found this thread. I have similar situation. I need to work far from home (it's a distance from Leeds to London). It's too far to go there on a daily basis. I have kids and feel a little bit overwhelmed by the view of not seeing them every day. I will be staying in London for 4 days each week. It will last at least 2 months. How do you cope with missing your family? Can you get used to it?

Sounds like you're about to start this contract. (will be, it's)

My advice is to let the agency know you will be unable to fulfill the contract duties and will not be continuing on. Leave it with them. If you've signed the contract, pay them off through one day's rate. Move into a permie position now with guaranteed income for the family and leave contracting for the die-hard.

Just think all those days you will not be seeing your children at a young age, not being able to interact with them, learning new things, and see them do their schooling and extra-curricular activities.

[Antman]

Same thing happened to me, Leeds to MK for 6 months and the past 3 months were terrible. The kids are 6 & 7 and they brought it into focus, they are only that age once.

However I knocked the gig out the park, and now at renewal time I got 2 days WFH which is essentially 2 nights away from home, which is a big improvement and we'll see how it goes.

Depends on your warchest at the end of the day.

[clearedforlanding]

Been doing this for 25 years. Travelled all over the world. Hardly know my kids.

No amount of money or freedom from the man can make that up to them.

[oliverson]

I'm glad I found this thread. I have similar situation. I need to work far from home (it's a distance from Leeds to London). It's too far to go there on a daily basis. I have kids and feel a little bit overwhelmed by the view of not seeing them every day. I will be staying in London for 4 days each week. It will last at least 2 months. How do you cope with missing your family? Can you get used to it?

Dead easy, get yourself a Canary Wife like I have ;-)

(and I have to change trains at Leeds on the way down there - lightweight!)

I remember spending my 40th birthday alone at a hotel in Brighton in a room barely bigger than the single bed. Now that's what you call 'hardcore' contracting (and no it wasn't in Kemptown!)

[madame SasGuru]

Get used to it - you're a contractor now.

(For those experienced contractors, this is becoming a marker to distinguish you from the newbies - anyone prepared to work away from home is becoming more marketable, at least until April next year...)

Unless you are very specialized, if you aren't on site the project could just as easily go to India*. Which means that unless you live within a commute of London working as a contractor will mean being away during the week - but hey at least the pay is better than being away working with a consultancy.

* I actually suspect India is no longer cost efficient and that its now perfectly possible to run development from parts the UK at prices not dissimilar to an Indian company that delivers...

[Lance]

Knutsford

Barclays.

Ok. Fair point.

[PermieToContractorAndBack]

From my point of view: had the chance to find out more about the contract in the meantime and it's nowhere near as specialised as I had hoped. So good riddance. To be a general nondescript bod, it's a looooong way to go.
Hate to jump to conclusions though before weighing up all the options so thank you very much to everyone that contributed to the thread.

[MattZani]

If you're not 100% sure about the role and you've got an healthy enough warchest, then just leave it.

From what you wrote sounds like there are more cons than pros so if you take the contract you'll probably end up hating it and leaving it early or holding on and hating it throughout its lenght.

Leave the role to someone who might actually enjoy it and need it more than you.

Life's too short for bad contracts.

[Batcher]

It's not for everyone but you won't know until you try it, especially if you don't have a family. That's the hardest part about working away although nowadays it will be easier with Facetime, etc.

I've been contracting for over 20 years and half of that time has been on the road. Mobile phones were the size of a half brick and very expensive back then!!

I had never been to Liverpool or Manchester until 5 years ago and had never imagined as a permy commuting to Birmingham, Southampton or Heathrow every week for work.

I've been to lots of places all over the UK and Europe that I would never have visited without being there for a contract. I usually drive if it's no more than a 4 hour drive and stay over and fly/train if its a longer journey. Most clients will let you WFH once they can trust you to produce the work but some just don't allow it but normally they will be ok about a late start/early finish to the week.

I've made a lot of good friends on the road and a lot of them were in the same boat so we had great times in the pubs during the week before going back to family life at the weekend.

[PermieToContractorAndBack]

I've made a lot of good friends on the road and a lot of them were in the same boat so we had great times in the pubs during the week before going back to family life at the weekend.

You raise an interesting point - though for me it's completely the other way round, perhaps this is why I feel the way I do about commuting long distance for work.

I used to work in travel and making trips to Europe and the US were part of my permie job. I've been to most major cities in Britain, ie including Scotland and Wales too just not Northern Ireland. I used to surf and sail so spent a fair amount in the West Country (one of my favourite areas in the UK) I also traveled in Asia and worked and lived in Africa.

I suppose I feel I've finished with the gypsy life. Never thought about it like that before but it could be it. I think perhaps I have grown to appreciate creature comforts after years of moving about so much.