How far would you commute for awesome salary?

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2015

So, its 1.5 hr commute one way...thats a lot of gas per week as well as wear and tear on the vehicle. Will that $12/hr extra in pay make up for it gaswise and vehicle upkeep? Is that 1.50 hrs one way taking into consideration traffic or weather related delays (not sure where you live..but here in New England, weather related delays can cause an additional 1+ hrs to my 12 minute commute.)

Another thing to think about..that money you won't be paying for insurance any longer will now be taxable.

Chesterton1 · Mar 21, 2015

But it's a potential 1.5 hour commute, if you could buy a 4 cylinder beater for those days you could avoid the wear and tear on the family car.

Jules A, MSN · Mar 22, 2015

Add it up. I personally pay myself for any time over my normal 30 minute one way commute. I would subtract the extra gas money from the daily rate and then divide it by 10 hours or 14 hours depending how long your shifts are because that is the time you will be putting in. Unfortunately most times although I don't mind traveling it doesn't make sense when you actually do the math.

Chesterton1 · Mar 22, 2015

You could see if they would pay you for the travel. When I used to work in a supermarket I was in charge of the seafood department. We would have district managers meetings where I would have to drive sometimes up to 2 hours away one way to spend a couple hours in a meeting. They paid us a certain amount of money per mile.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 22, 2015

Does anyone do that now or would consider it for a nice pay raise?

Many years ago I commuted 1.5 hours each way for far less money ($15.20 hourly in 2004). Back then I wasn't a nurse, had no education beyond high school, so my options in the employment marketplace were limited. Now that I'm a nurse, I'd hesitate to willingly accept a 1.5 hour commute unless I was on the brink of homelessness.

An extra $12 hourly is an extra $24,000 yearly, which is nothing to sneeze at. Is relocating closer to the job a possibility? If not, perhaps you could stay at a cheap motel at a Super 8 or Motel 6 on the days you work. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Chesterton1 · Mar 22, 2015

. Now that I'm a nurse, I'd hesitate to willingly accept a 1.5 hour commute unless I was on the brink of homelessness.

But, but....but your name! I feel so lied to!

caliotter3 · Mar 22, 2015

I did that for school for the most part and one clinical placement was closer to three hours one way. One of my preceptors had the reverse 1.5 hour commute for her job, but she got around that by sleeping in the vacant floor that the hospital let the nurses stay in (unless a doctor wanted a bed). I would look for a way to spend your workday off time in the area of the job and go home on your days off, if possible.

Guest219794 · Mar 22, 2015

Since you already accept 40 minutes as your commute, the extra time comes to 100 minutes a day.

Mileage wise, let's guess an extra 90 miles.

Not sure what the difference between what you would normally pay for insurance, and the free insurance is, but it has a dollar value. Probably close to 3 dollars an hour.

So, your extra compensation is worth $180, give or take, on the days in which you have a long commute.

Pay yourself $80 to drive your car. That is excellent pay for driving.

Pay yourself $1 a mile for wear and tear and guess- far more than most people get.

You will have an extra $10 a shift left over. Send that to me for doing the math.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Mar 22, 2015

Personally, I wouldn't commute. I have in the past and I hated it. That time adds up. I would relocate instead.

MatrixRn · Mar 22, 2015

A $24,900+ bump in salary, and then another $9,600 saved from not paying insurance....$34,500 additional pay for driving 40 minutes!!! And we do not even know about diffs.....

Are you kidding me I would be all over that!!!

But first I would ask one simple question, "how often would I be expected to float to the facility that is 1.5 hours away?' if I got an answer I could live with, then it would be a done deal.

caliotter3 · Mar 22, 2015

In the area where I once lived, there were media articles on the people whose commute was so far (because of the skyhigh housing costs) that they came up with novel ways to cope: typically to live in their vehicle and go home on their days off. One man parked his van in the company parking lot and availed himself of the company gym facilities to shower before starting his workday. He had himself quite a little setup and said he was quite content. At some point in time, I would have tried to figure out a way to rent a room.