Reply to: Working Away - Experiences?!

[Mephisto]

Depending on your discipline you might have no choice other than travel. For me I've been in Surrey since just before Easter and I see no prospect of a return to the NW. I'm in process engineering and it is deader than dead. I don't live in Crewe though either.

I am almost certain you have it on the money - I'm a BA and/or Service Management geek mainly for Telcos (some finance which is a bonus).

Yes, they do!! We have other things as well though, like a job centre, pubs, and a post office. What more does a town need?

And not forgetting the mighty Alex? Great tip from Dario Gradi regarding Luke Varney for Holloway

[kingcook]

BTW - people actually live in Crewe? I always thought it was one big fiddle yard

Yes, they do!! We have other things as well though, like a job centre, pubs, and a post office. What more does a town need?

[nomadd]

Depending on your discipline you might have no choice other than travel. For me I've been in Surrey since just before Easter and I see no prospect of a return to the NW. I'm in process engineering and it is deader than dead. I don't live in Crewe though either.

This^

And the fact that the Bank I worked for in the NW two years ago is now advertising the same roles for less than half than the rate I was on then. Meanwhile, my rate in London has climbed 20% in the same period.

[Fred Bloggs]

Re-assuring thread!! I live in the NW and have a contract 20 mins down the road (paying only slightly the wrong side of £300 p/d) at the moment.

Its good to know that when the time comes I won't be completely bonkers commuting to another corner of the country in order to maintain a healthy-ish rate!

BTW - people actually live in Crewe? I always thought it was one big fiddle yard

Depending on your discipline you might have no choice other than travel. For me I've been in Surrey since just before Easter and I see no prospect of a return to the NW. I'm in process engineering and it is deader than dead. I don't live in Crewe though either.

[Mephisto]

Re-assuring thread!! I live in the NW and have a contract 20 mins down the road (paying only slightly the wrong side of £300 p/d) at the moment.

Its good to know that when the time comes I won't be completely bonkers commuting to another corner of the country in order to maintain a healthy-ish rate!

BTW - people actually live in Crewe? I always thought it was one big fiddle yard

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Bizarrely, almost....Oracle (I assume you're SQL Server??) BI at present.

Yep SQL, SSIS, SSRS, .NET etc

Surely it's not that hard to swap technologies? Same fundamental idea?

[manclarky]

Why not kick the wife out?

I wouldn't be able to live with myself - well, not if she left the kids with me...who'd look after them? I believe they need feeding all the time and create "mess" everywhere (that's my wife's description of anything that isn't in its correct place).

Anyway, I like working away - all my mates are in London and if I'm in a hotel during the week I can watch all the footy I like.

[manclarky]

Perhaps we can swap roles? You wouldnt happen to work in SQL/BI by any chance?

Bizarrely, almost....Oracle (I assume you're SQL Server??) BI at present.

[Fred Bloggs]

The 50% of them timed between 1hr 35 mins and 1hr 40mins are the Virgin trains (the columns with "VT" at the top). VT only have 2 or 3 stops (none on the way back usually!). The LM ones stop everywhere.

Yeah i commute every day Crewe > London everyday.

That's very naughty then because on the London Midland website it shows most of the trains are in the 1.35 to 1.40 category. But you're correct, I just double checked.

[kingcook]

The timetable on their website shows indeed, some trains do take over 3 hours, but about 50% of them are timed at between 1hr 35min and 1hr 40min. Do you commute Crewe > London daily?

The 50% of them timed between 1hr 35 mins and 1hr 40mins are the Virgin trains (the columns with "VT" at the top). VT only have 2 or 3 stops (none on the way back usually!). The LM ones stop everywhere.

Yeah i commute every day Crewe > London everyday.

[NotAllThere]

I've worked away from home many times. First time, I was living near Bath, and commuting to East of London. Second time I was living East of London, and commuting to near Bath...

I've got things better arranged since those days.

I've stayed in B&B, as a lodger, in a shared apartment, and in hotels. If the people you're staying with are a laugh, then lodging is brilliant. But otherwise, I'll stay in a reasonable hotel or B&B. I'll pay extra for the comfort, as the longer I stay sane, the more I'll earn. One place I stayed, every wednesday evening after the restuarant was closed, I and the owner would settle down to a bottle of single malt and put the world to rights.

At various places I negotiated long working days in return for short weeks, and working from home.

The worst commute was from Switzerland to Leamington Spa. The plane left early Monday, and arrived back late Friday. Did that for 10 weeks, then found a contract, still commuting, but just a 2 hour drive from home. .

[Fred Bloggs]

I live in Crewe, small world! Beware of the Midland season tickets, as the Midland trains take over 3 hours to get to Euston That's why i pay the extra so i can go on Virgin trains

The timetable on their website shows indeed, some trains do take over 3 hours, but about 50% of them are timed at between 1hr 35min and 1hr 40min. Do you commute Crewe > London daily?

[kingcook]

Funny you should say that, this thread prompted me to look at season tickets Crewe > London. I found that you can get a Crewe/Euston London Midland weekly season ticket for £221 First Class. It costs the same as that to do the trip Monday morning Friday afternoon so if you can manage the long commute it actually works out considerably cheaper commuting daily than commuting weekly and staying in hotels. It now takes 1hr 35 mins Crewe to Euston, not bad. How reliable it is I don't know.

I live in Crewe, small world! Beware of the Midland season tickets, as the Midland trains take over 3 hours to get to Euston That's why i pay the extra so i can go on Virgin trains

[Fred Bloggs]

Where do you find these cheaper season tickets? Only on each operator's website? Are they usable on any train, or tied to specific operators/routes/times? I don't think I ever saw a ticket that could only be used on one operator's trains except those only valid on a single train.

There are different season tickets by single operator or any operator, length of ticket, 1st or 2nd class etc.. I used this page for London Midland but it links through to National Rail website. The multi operator tickets are much more (~double) for Crewe to Euston. But London Midland have a good timetable for that route. Ofcourse, YMMV. HTH.

[BolshieBastard]

Located where I am I have a pretty wide area that I can look for contracts, I guess with in two hours I can be anywhere from the midlands to the Newcastle, coast to coast but it still seems most of the very lucrative contracts are M4 Corridor / South East so if I were to apply it would probably mean staying away through the week. I'm single and my kids don't live with me so nothing would prevent me from working away, does anyone have any experience, good or bad for working away through the week?

My first contract saw me working away from home. Ended up working in Newcastle upon Tyne for nearly 5 years.

Within the first year, I'd pick up a rather tasty nymphet whose husband had lost interest in her. She used to come over to my room at Premier Inn on City Road (very good place as you dont have to walk through the reception to get to the rooms!) until I got an apartment in Benton. Then I moved into her place.

Great times! Another good thing was with the metro, there was no commute! Well, only 10 minutes each way!