Bungo Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 If an employer really wants you, paying the cost of your airfares and accommodation costs will be considered chickenfeed. Obviously, if you have to pay for it yourself it's a different matter. Well I travelled at my company's expense, because I worked across two sites, even that is draining after a while, especially when there is a one hour time difference and you either have to get up very early or get home very late to put in a reasonable days work. My company was spread across Sydney and Brisbane, but I have never heard of one case where the company would pay for travel for an individual that was not working split sites, but simply wanted to live in the other. That would take an extraordinarily generous employer, most expect employees to make their own way to work and would expect them to move or not take the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfndirt Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 If an employer really wants you, paying the cost of your airfares and accommodation costs will be considered chickenfeed. Obviously, if you have to pay for it yourself it's a different matter. Yeah, fair enough.... Geez, I wish I was that in demand!! I run my own business and wouldn't consider it - not my concern where people want to base / job hunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfndirt Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 It really depends on the level of salary you are on. If you are on under 150k then you are effectively asking for a 33% minimum increase in salary from the company to pay for you travel. Someone on 300-500k it might be acceptable but for most people you are pricing yourself out of the market. Agreed, pullin 400k a year - the $ aspect would not come into it! Still have to endure the flight all the time though. You'd be surprised how quickly the knee / elbow issue can completely do your head in when you are flying all the time..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfndirt Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Well I travelled at my company's expense, because I worked across two sites, even that is draining after a while, especially when there is a one hour time difference and you either have to get up very early or get home very late to put in a reasonable days work. My company was spread across Sydney and Brisbane, but I have never heard of one case where the company would pay for travel for an individual that was not working split sites, but simply wanted to live in the other. That would take an extraordinarily generous employer, most expect employees to make their own way to work and would expect them to move or not take the job. Realistic response.... like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 It really depends on the level of salary you are on. If you are on under 150k then you are effectively asking for a 33% minimum increase in salary from the company to pay for you travel. Someone on 300-500k it might be acceptable but for most people you are pricing yourself out of the market. Honestly can't see it happening even at that salary level. I am aware of a couple of colleagues who would have been on well over $600k but when jobs came up in the other location they had to move (or decline the job). And these are people who could maybe afford to pay flights personally, but obviously know that it is not a good way of life either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frances62 Posted March 20, 2015 Author Share Posted March 20, 2015 The Brisbane to Sydney commute is neither international nor that much longer than the Glasgow to London commute which many already do (not daily of course). My husband quite frequently flies to London, stays a night or two to work in his London office, then flies back all at the expense of his company. As Roberta2 pointed out, some companies would cover the cost if your skills are in demand. However, as we're exploring all options and not just pouring over 'pretty pictures of Brisbane on the Internet' we've taken into consideration, points made by some about the Brisbane/Sydney commute and that long term it wouldn't be a feasible option. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 (edited) Would the cost differential between the Brisbane house and the total for flights for a year not break even?? i.e. not worth it? It's hard to tell without doing a detailed analysis, but I'd say probably not. Australian air fares can be pretty good value when you consider the distances involved, but the fares for early morning/late afternoon flights can be three or four times the cost of off-peak - because they know business people want to travel at those times. There was a piece on the news just last week saying it can sometimes cost more to fly from Sydney to Melbourne at 8am than to fly to Bali. I could absolutely understand your desire to go to Brisbane if you have family there, but I think the question we're all worried about is WHY you're so fixated on Brisbane. If Sydney is where the jobs are, there are so many better options closer to Sydney without condemning your husband to a **** commute. Edited March 20, 2015 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 It's hard to tell without doing a detailed analysis, but I'd say probably not. Australian air fares can be pretty good value when you consider the distances involved, but the fares for early morning/late afternoon flights can be three or four times the cost of off-peak - because they know business people want to travel at those times. There was a piece on the news just last week saying it can sometimes cost more to fly from Sydney to Melbourne at 8am than to fly to Bali. I could absolutely understand your desire to go to Brisbane if you have family there, but I think the question we're all worried about is WHY you're so fixated on Brisbane. If Sydney is where the jobs are, there are so many better options closer to Sydney without condemning your husband to a **** commute. As I mentioend earlier on in the thread, I used to do it all the time for years, not at my expense. But I do know what those costs are like and for early morning / late afternoon the round trip would average at $400. Chuck a hotel in for a couple of nights and dinner away from home and your can easily get to $1,000 a week. Even if it were managed for $750 a week, that is still $40k a year from net salary on travel. Much better to just live in Sydney if that is where the work is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frances62 Posted March 20, 2015 Author Share Posted March 20, 2015 It's hard to tell without doing a detailed analysis, but I'd say probably not. Australian air fares can be pretty good value when you consider the distances involved, but the fares for early morning/late afternoon flights can be three or four times the cost of off-peak - because they know business people want to travel at those times. There was a piece on the news just last week saying it can sometimes cost more to fly from Sydney to Melbourne at 8am than to fly to Bali. I could absolutely understand your desire to go to Brisbane if you have family there, but I think the question we're all worried about is WHY you're so fixated on Brisbane. If Sydney is where the jobs are, there are so many better options closer to Sydney without condemning your husband to a **** commute. We haven't discounted Sydney at all, just the option of commuting. As I said, just exploring all avenues before making a decision one way or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boganbear Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 (edited) I think you need a reality check and accept that it will be extremely unlikely a company is going to pay for your husband to commute from Brisbane when the job is in Sydney. You are simply living in cloud cuckoo land. If you were already living in Brisbane there is a small chance they would pay moving expenses but you are not. You are emigrating and as a company manager I would expect you to move to Sydney because that is where the job is. When I got my job in Brisbane I had to pay my own expenses to move from Melbourne, about $5k. You will also be expected pay for your own travel to work. If you can afford to commute to Sydney you can certainly afford to live there. There is no way I would commute to Sydney, even if it was once a week. I have to work in Syndey on rare occasions and I hate iit, especially in summer when QLD is an hour behind, getting up at 3am and doing a full days work. It's not worth it in terms of money or hassle. I live in Brisbane. It's a nice place but it's not THAT great. Commuting from the northern suburbs into Brisbane is bad enough! Even the CEO of my company who earns millions lives in Sydney Edited March 20, 2015 by boganbear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 I live in Canberra and travelled to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane regularly but only did Canberra to Sydney on a weekly basis. Even that was exhausting after a few weeks and I had drivers at both ends and flew business class. The company paid my travel and accommodation expenses but I was the CEO and it was something the Board offered to do when I told them I was relocating to Canberra in order to keep my services. I would be stunned if anyone would agree to pay travel and accommodation under normal circumstances simply because someone wanted to live in a different city to where the role was offered. Yes it can be difficult to source some IT skills some of the time - but it's not that difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin62 Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 This will be my last post to this forum, I'm not interested in hearing opinions of others who think ideas are 'stupid' or in 'cloud cuckoo land' when we simply asked who was doing it and how it goes for them (we did not ask for opinions of the idea). As stated above, people are doing it so your opinion is irrelevant anyway. Fyi Ive just spoken to my management and they've agreed partial payment for the commute. Maybe it's because I'm distinguished in my field and they don't want to lose me, maybe it's because everybody who works for this investment bank lives in cloud cuckoo land, either way it's a possibility for us. Thanks to all those that offered constructive help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 This will be my last post to this forum, I'm not interested in hearing opinions of others who think ideas are 'stupid' or in 'cloud cuckoo land' when we simply asked who was doing it and how it goes for them (we did not ask for opinions of the idea). As stated above, people are doing it so your opinion is irrelevant anyway. Fyi Ive just spoken to my management and they've agreed partial payment for the commute. Maybe it's because I'm distinguished in my field and they don't want to lose me, maybe it's because everybody who works for this investment bank lives in cloud cuckoo land, either way it's a possibility for us. Thanks to all those that offered constructive help. I didn't see any one on this thread say that they were commuting from Brisbane to Sydney or vice versa. The odd person mentioend they travel between the offices for business reasons (not commuting) and maybe one said they had seen it short term. But the majority have stated it is not a good idea, for various reasons and not just financial. Seems some just don't want to hear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin62 Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 (edited) I do it - 2 days a week every week in Sydney. Its exhausing and I am buggered by Friday.Up at 3.30 for the 5.00 am flight out, back at about 7pm I live close to the airport so I can get there in about 10 minutes and I go by taxi so I dont have to park Wouldn't recommend it :-) The relevant part above is when stated "I do it". Maybe this was misinterpreted, I could see how this could have easily happened. I'm not going to get dragged into a discussion of the definition of 'commute', to be perfectly blunt I'm finished caring. Edited March 20, 2015 by colin62 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 (edited) This will be my last post to this forum, I'm not interested in hearing opinions of others who think ideas are 'stupid' or in 'cloud cuckoo land' when we simply asked who was doing it and how it goes for them (we did not ask for opinions of the idea). As stated above, people are doing it so your opinion is irrelevant anyway. . I don't see anyone on this thread saying they are doing it on a permanent basis. One or two people (including me) know of someone who does it one or two days a week. Those who have done it/are doing it say they wouldn't advise it as a long term solution, which is what you're proposing. The curse of the new migrant is selective hearing. It's human nature to remember the advice we want to hear and block out the advice that doesn't suit our needs. Be careful you're not falling into that trap. Edited March 20, 2015 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Here's a recent article and video about someone who is doing it. http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/sydney-families-moving-to-brisbane-for-the-kids-20141031-11es0d.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta2 Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Here's a recent article and video about someone who is doing it. http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/sydney-families-moving-to-brisbane-for-the-kids-20141031-11es0d.html Thanks. Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta2 Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Of course, this lady is running her own business, so has a lot more autonomy than most. And her partner stays home. Obviously, wouldn't work for everyone. But interesting that she says she allocates only $500 a week for transport and accommodation, and usually doesn't spend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Here's a recent article and video about someone who is doing it. http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/sydney-families-moving-to-brisbane-for-the-kids-20141031-11es0d.html No she doesn't. It says she flies down once a week and stays in Sydney for two nights. So she's not doing a daily commute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta2 Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 No she doesn't. It says she flies down once a week and stays in Sydney for two nights. So she's not doing a daily commute. She lives outside Maroochydore, so of course she is not doing a daily commute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 (edited) No she doesn't. It says she flies down once a week and stays in Sydney for two nights. So she's not doing a daily commute. Responding to this post from the OP Marisa: "a couple of days a week commute would perhaps be doable long term and working from home the rest of the week" This woman's experience seems highly relevant to the OP. Edited March 21, 2015 by fish.01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Responding to this post from the OP Marisa: "a couple of days a week commute would perhaps be doable long term and working from home the rest of the week" This woman's experience seems highly relevant to the OP. I took that quote to mean flying down and back each day, but I could be wrong. If the OP is going to stay two nights a week in a hotel, that's another cost to take into account. The woman in the video is probably able to make that work because it's her own business, so she can claim the hotel stays as a business expense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 I took that quote to mean flying down and back each day, but I could be wrong. If the OP is going to stay two nights a week in a hotel, that's another cost to take into account. The woman in the video is probably able to make that work because it's her own business, so she can claim the hotel stays as a business expense. Yes, who knows, worth a read anyway...the OP indicates that some of their commute costs will be met by the company: "Fyi Ive just spoken to my management and they've agreed partial payment for the commute." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Yes, who knows, worth a read anyway...the OP indicates that some of their commute costs will be met by the company: "Fyi Ive just spoken to my management and they've agreed partial payment for the commute." It wasn't the OP who said that. It was someone else entirely: ... Fyi Ive just spoken to my management and they've agreed partial payment for the commute. Maybe it's because I'm distinguished in my field and they don't want to lose me, maybe it's because everybody who works for this investment bank lives in cloud cuckoo land, either way it's a possibility for us.... The OP is frances62. I'm confused :err: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 I'm currently commuting Brisbane to Canberra for short engagements - company pays for flights + hotel. No way would I do it on a regular basis. It eats into your spare time and lowers productivity - although boosts your airmiles! I am small and skinny and still find economy on QANTAS/Virgin a bit of a squeeze - Maybe if you could afford business? As others have said there are some lovely parts of NSW (I personally think that Newcastle/Coffs has a nicer climate than Brisbane and is just as cheap to live) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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