www.tanstaafl.co.uk

Yesterday, in fact. The people were pleasant, the offices seemed ok and I thought that overall it went well enough.

But… My satnav lied, suggesting it would take far less than the two and a half hours I eventually took to get there. It’s only sixty-five miles and it isn’t in the middle of nowhere in Wales: it’s barely fifteen miles from the south coast between two relatively large and well-known coastal towns. It wasn’t as though I got held up in traffic either — it was a pretty clear trip in both directions.

The agent who contacted me about the job has suggested that whilst they actually want someone in the office as a general rule, perhaps they might have to be more relaxed in this instance, but two-and-a-half hours? Even if it’s just once a month say? And that’s on a good day. My current feeling is that it’s a non-starter. I don’t want to be in a position where it’s the middle of Winter, the weather is crap and it takes three hours or more to get into the office and there’s a full day’s work to be done whilst facing the prospect of similar (or worse) for the drive home. Much of the time, if not distance, is country roads, lots of 30mph or 40mph speed limits, demanding full concentration and yesterday I found it exhausting, frankly. I’d just get to hate it really quickly.

Add to that the fact that if I’m prepared to do hybrid work then I can get into central London just as quickly, and I’d be able to do something useful with the traveling time. Something enjoyable, even.