Barrybran II - Six Weeks In

[Barrybran]

Something I'm wondering if anyone has any opinion on... I live in a town of 3,000 people. There is no work here. The only job I had came down to who I knew (my wife) and I've applied for three jobs where the job had already been allocated but policy dictated that the jobs had to be advertised and a process followed (small town, you find things out). This has been extremely demoralising and has lead to me taking jobs in my native state (other side of the country).

The most recent job was the icing on the cake as far as my situation is concerned. We were just too far apart. We're in a position now where I need to find anything but there's nothing to be found. A number of positions have come up in the nearby major towns, nothing I'll get as the advertisers are looking for school leavers (reading between the lines) but I want to throw my hat in the ring anyway. My wife has spoken about moving recently but I haven't taken her seriously (I listened and validated but I feel she was just thinking aloud).

If I were to apply for and get one of these jobs I'd be looking at between a 1-2 hour commute each way, each day, or finding a cheap bed (hostel) for 3-4 nights and spending the weekend at home (staying near work would save money on fuel and it's a lot safer than travelling every day).

I want to be home every night. That's my goal. At the same time, I understand full well that at some point I may have to just suck it up and find work somewhere and these jobs allow me to be away from home for 3-4 nights at a time instead of the 3-4 weeks of the jobs I have been doing the past few years and the 6 months I was away for the last job (I didn't see the kids for 4 months).

Our financial position will improve greatly in July (tax time) but that relies on government assistance. I don't want to rely on that (I'm willing and able to work, there's just no work plus I think it sets a bad example for the kids) and six months of potential unemployment will do my head in.

I'm wondering if anyone else here has been caught in a position where they've been trying to improve their marriage but have had to take work away from home, or whether they declined it and toughed it out with the finances, and how they dealt with the consequences regarding their marriage of the path they chose.