I worked away a lot, the main thing was when working away I worked long hours, but also had long breaks so in many ways saw more of wife and children. 12 hours days were the norm when working away, often with over time as well, depending on distance often it was 6 or 7 day working while away, first one I did was 8 weeks away and 2 weeks home, that was Algeria, so not that far, Next was Falklands that was 6 months on, and month off, then moved closer to home, Suffolk, I live in North Wales, but time wise took as long to get home from Suffolk as Algeria.
However in Suffolk there was a mixture of away and local workers, so there was loads of over time, as local workers did not want it, so away workers did it all. We also had the long weekend, so once a month we would end early on the Friday around 10 am and would not restart work until the Tuesday, however there was a lot of money lost if you did not get back to work by 7:30 am Tuesday, as we lost travel and lodging allowance.
They also had some odd rules introduced, for example no holidays permitted New year to Easter, don't think that was intended, but it happened.
It was a different life, unlike working abroad I could live in a caravan and have my wife and children visit me, OK latter on working in Hong Kong also had wife and youngest visit me, but first two away jobs, that was out of the question.
I worked away a lot, Belfast, Edinburgh, but working for one firm it was very different, we were installing alarms in BT buildings Wales and West, it was to finish before 2000 as whole point was to replace alarms that would fail once 2000 had been reached, the job started in North Wales, so I was local, but slowly moved South, so first travelling increased, then had to lodge, with each job being between 2 days and 2 weeks we could not have a regular lodging, we had to hunt to find lodging and allowed ÂŁ25 a day, once lodging no travel, it was not ideal, the hours were short no overtime, all weekends off, only plus was we travelled to work in their time.
In the end we got a bonus scheme and money went up, we could work late and so earn bonus, but whole team had to do that, as group bonus, working with my son, it worked for me, but other teams got no bonus and worked a flat week.
The working time directive messed up away work in the UK. I think in theory the time is spread over 12 weeks? So you could work long hours and 7 days a week, if you then got a weeks break, some firms would pay holidays not taken, really against the law, but they did it anyway, but agencies would follow the working time directive to the letter, so when we needed cash on a job, and my boss said book 2 extra hours, the agency refused to pay, as I would have broken the working time directive, firms can get away with some by saying it was a continuous process, can't leave a panel until made safe etc.
Being in work on stand-by with concrete pours earned me a lot of money drinking tea, but those jobs are few and far between.
So away working was good, but today the working time directive has messed it up a bit, it depends how flexible the boss is, even volunteering on local railway we have hours restrictions, the drivers and firemen must be replaced half way through the day and trains only run from 10 am to 6:10 pm. OK they have to light the fire and clean out before and after, but fireman does that, yes here the fireman lights fires he does not put them out.
It would seem smaller firms get away with breaking the working time directive and can offer good terms, I have had this job is paid until Wednesday next week, once finished your time is yours, you can go home, but not with large firms.
