Reply to: Would you rather work closer to home for 30% less money than staying away from home?

[lillie421]

For me, definitely would rather work closer to home. I love being able to go home in my own bed. Could never have a job which requires constant travelling and staying elsewhere.

[SueEllen]

Advanced train tickets for £10! Seriously? How far in advance? A quick check on prices and the cheapest returns from Manchester to London 2 weeks in advance were around £200. Prices dropped a bit off peak but I'm not sure the client would be happy with me pitching up at 12pm on Monday and leaving at 2pm on a Thursday.....would they...?

You need to talk to your client about starting and leaving times once you show you aren't a bellend. Lots of clients are now flexible if you make up hours in the week either at on their site (preferable to them) or at home. That could mean doing short days on the day you travel down, doing longer days on the days you are in London, and starting early but doing a shorter day on the day to leave.

Anyway Virgin releases batches of tickets for the coming months every few months. You are looking at booking a minimum of 6 weeks ahead. If you are a regular traveller you just sign up for their marketing stuff and you will get the emails of when they release the tickets.

[Tractor Trace]

Hi - I have tried CAS - they have a couple of options around Golders Green, nice area for £50 a night. One fairly pleasant, the other not so. I found a much better deal with a couple of Best Westerns for around £50 a night, much nicer - one in Croydon opposite the hospital for just £50 with a kithen and aircon. The area was no go zombie land at nights though.

Top tip for anyone ex service including TA - provided you have two years service you can use the military hotels. I am a member of both Union Jack and Victory Services Clubs for around £20 a year. I can get rooms for around £40 a night, lovely restaurants for meal and drink for a tenner and beer for £2.50. Well worth registering for.

Will check CAS out - sounds like a good option. As long as they're not too far from client site to travel in to. I'm a London virgin so the less travel time between spots the better

[Tractor Trace]

Why would the OP commute by plane when they can get advanced train tickets from around £10?

Advanced train tickets for £10! Seriously? How far in advance? A quick check on prices and the cheapest returns from Manchester to London 2 weeks in advance were around £200. Prices dropped a bit off peak but I'm not sure the client would be happy with me pitching up at 12pm on Monday and leaving at 2pm on a Thursday.....would they...?

[Wilmslow]

Hi - I have tried CAS - they have a couple of options around Golders Green, nice area for £50 a night. One fairly pleasant, the other not so. I found a much better deal with a couple of Best Westerns for around £50 a night, much nicer - one in Croydon opposite the hospital for just £50 with a kithen and aircon. The area was no go zombie land at nights though.

Top tip for anyone ex service including TA - provided you have two years service you can use the military hotels. I am a member of both Union Jack and Victory Services Clubs for around £20 a year. I can get rooms for around £40 a night, lovely restaurants for meal and drink for a tenner and beer for £2.50. Well worth registering for.

[SueEllen]

Short-term or long-term gig?

If working in London with accommodation, food, flight tickets...etc.
(Assuming that you are planning to commute by plain) will be more than 30% less, no, unless it's a short-term gig and gives you the possibility to increase your connections there and planning to have more gigs in London...and If you like London.

If you want to continue to increase your business connections around your area, I would choose Liverpool.

Why would the OP commute by plane when they can get advanced train tickets from around £10?

[Bee]

Short-term or long-term gig?

If working in London with accommodation, food, flight tickets...etc.
(Assuming that you are planning to commute by plain) will be more than 30% less, no, unless it's a short-term gig and gives you the possibility to increase your connections there and planning to have more gigs in London...and If you like London.

If you want to continue to increase your business connections around your area, I would choose Liverpool.

[TheGreenBastard]

My methodology is spending a weekend before starting a new gig, viewing a few rooms from spareroom.co.uk - 80% on average I'd be happy to stay in. It's a £600-800 loss if it goes tits up but that's merely the cost of doing business.

Being away from your partner can be a good thing, personally I've got used to having my own space during the week, having free time to tinker etc. (way more fulfilling than cooking and watching tulipe on the TV every night)

Being a Northerner myself, nothing compares to London IMO - I strongly recommend you try it atleast once.

Does the company in Holborn start with S and end in "ainsburys"?

[Tractor Trace]

I've been checking out airbnbs (not sharing) against staying in hotels. The crafty thing is that they seem a cheaper option until cleaning and service fees are added. I'm thinking for the sake of a couple of nights a week I might as well stay in a hotel...and hope the restaurant food is OK! Has anyone tried any of these businesses online which look for and organise accommodation for contractors e.g Contractor Accommodation Services (CAS)? They say they don't charge a fee but surely you don't get anything for nothing, right? ??

[d000hg]

You get more money and you get to WFH 2 days... seems a no-brainer to me. If it was 5 days in London that's a different story but this seems a great option to me.

[vetran]

depends on your quality of life at home doesn't it

Milan.

its great at your house when you stay away apparently

[northernladyuk]

Your knowledge of the seedier parts of the Liverpool docks is impressive.

See sig.

[woohoo]

As long as he's not competing with you noshing Turkish sailors at Seaforth Dock, I'm not too worried.

Your knowledge of the seedier parts of the Liverpool docks is impressive.

[northernladyuk]

They tell me 6 times a day to go find the golden rivet. I've still not found the bugger!

They're hinting you need knee implants.

[northernladuk]

As long as he's not competing with you noshing Turkish sailors at Seaforth Dock, I'm not too worried.

They tell me 6 times a day to go find the golden rivet. I've still not found the bugger!