business travel 1 week per month

T

TRipley

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Hello,

I've been offered a new job that is interesting to me but the downside is that it requires me to travel 1 week per month. We have two toddlers at home. My spouse also works and we don't have any other family support available.

Does anybody have experience of what kind of toll being away for 1 week per month has on family life? Salary increase for this new position is 20%.

thanks,
 
Very much up to you weigh up the pros and cons.

Some questions you will need to clarify: When you say a week, is it five full days? Do you have to travel on a Sunday to get where you need to be for Monday morning? Do you get back very late on Friday evening? Is it travel at home or abroad? What will additional childcare costs be? More than the pay rise? How much will you miss your children/spouse? Will they miss you? What will you miss out on in their development?

There are many unforeseen questions relating to this.
 
thanks for feedback - probably full five days but travelling Monday as opposed to Sun - travel will be abroad, long haul couple times a year. I'd also be interested to get feedback from someone who is in a similar role.
thanks,
 
TRipley said:
thanks for feedback - probably full five days but travelling Monday as opposed to Sun - travel will be abroad, long haul couple times a year. I'd also be interested to get feedback from someone who is in a similar role.
thanks,
Click to expand...

I travel quite regularly. Last year it was 80%. This year about 10-15%. I will probably have to travel up to 80% next year as well.

It is inevitable that travelling will have an impact on your home life, but at 1 week a month, personally I think this is manageable.

It is the small things that have the greatest impact. I missed my daughters first visit from the tooth fairy, 2 of her birthdays and various school plays. This make me feel guilty to the extent that I overcompensated at weekends, and didn't want to discipline her leaving it all to my wife. This has caused a few problems.

I have set some ground rules with my company. I dont leave the house on a monday until 7am, so I can have breakfast with my daughter. I also insist on being home on a friday before her bedtime. That means we get the most out of my time when I am at home.
 
I can't advise as i have nto had your experience but l would it be an option to get an au pair for the first while? it could cut out the pickup/ drop-off nightmare and weekday evenings would be less lonely for your spouse.
 
I travel a lot for work. Mostly it's short haul so I'm away two to three nights a week about 3 out of every 4 weeks. It can be disruptive but it can be enjoyable as well.
Work out the extra costs involved and make sure it's worth it!
 
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