People in the US put a lot more hours in per week at work than those in the UK, usually I work between 48 and 56 per week…no wonder I’m always tired!! How about you?

does your total hour include time on the road?  On average,  I don’t actually work for more than 10 hours a day, but the flight time is what adds up the total hours.

Peter - don’t Europeans get more vacation time that US too?  I used to work with international clients and they got a lot more time off that we did.  And their maternity and paternity package was incredible.  I think it was like 6 months to a year.  We only get 12 weeks (if we are lucky).

I work as a mechanical engineer at an aerospace materials company.  I work between 40 and 45 hours per week but I am on the low end of alot of people there.  I have done the long hours thing and as soon as your quality of life goes down because of it, its not worth the extra 1% of a raise they might give.  Lots of companies have the expectation that 40 hours is the bare miminum.  I say screw that!  Yea, the Euros do have longer vacations but they also (at my company at least) get paid much less than their American Counterparts.

123, no that doesn’t include my 6 minute each way commute, I’m lucky, I live and work in Irvine
CalGal, yes, they get way more Vacation etc, plus, in the UK it’s a 37hr work week…screw, I hear ya on the long hours etc…it doesn’t do very much at all for quality of life, unless you’re single and love your job of course..

between 60-70 hrs.  Its coming to an abrupt end because I’m not getting paid for it anymore.  I understand about the engineer world also (15+ years now).  But now that i’m married, alot of the uppers seem to understand this.  Sadly though I work with alot of foreigners and they pretty much treat their family and wives as FAR second in their lives. 
For this reason is they i’ve started investing in commercial real estate… just a few more years and I can retire from that.  good luck
-bix

Young budding mechanical engineer in medical device industry (not in Irvine)

3 years into the job.

About 42-48hrs/wk + 15min/day commute.

I don’t mind putting in some extra hours if that’s what it takes to get things done, but I refuse to work 50+ hrs/week for any extended period of time. It’s one thing to work long hours for a few weeks to meet a deadline, but I can’t do it forever. For one, I don’t get paid for it and two, work isn’t my life. I like what I do, but not that much.

I would describe myself as semi-retired until tax season, and then, about 80 hours per week.

I disagree, I find that people in the UK work longer than the US (though I only have experience of the finance industry in London)

I work 36 - 48 hours a week regular job, 80+ hours a week when my side job is available.  80 vacation hours a year. 7 minute commute.

I work a 40-45 hr week with a 35 min commute by bike each way.

I normally only  work between 24 to 30 hours a week, very flexible schedule.  On the other hand, my job is considered to be a "designer" type job, so result is more important than the hours I put in.  Long hour does not really equal result in my line of work, and I get most of my work done when I am out surfing with my research buddies.   We have a facility in Malibu

50-60 hours a week is normal for me, but the work schedule is extremely flexible and I can work at home, change my work schedule ondemand, and even use weekends to makeup hours lost during the weekday. Commute is currently 45 min each way, but about to get shorter very soon.

40-45 Hours per week with occasional bumps up to 50 hours for project deadlines.

I’m in the Pharmaceutical/Medical Device Industry, nice to see other IHBs in this great industry.

Awgee,
What kind of money can you make part-timing it doing taxes and whats the real amount of training required?  I have done my own fairly complex taxes before (two properties and a self employed wife) so could probably handle most people’s straightforward ones.

screwrealestate - I do not have a specific answer for you.  There are as many different levels of pay as there are levels of expertise and training.  Basic is a ctech license and working for H&R block completing tax returns.  I don’t know what Block pays, but it probably isn’t much.  I have heard that 25% of the returns that Block completes get cp2000ed, which indecates an high level of incompetence.  The extreme on the other side is representing tax payers in tax court, which is about $400 per hour.  And there is everything inbetween.  I prefer audit representation and am an Enrolled Agent.

I used to work for a newspaper, and that was killer - I’d estimate probably 60-70 hours a week, plus many late nights (the worst till 3 am)
Now, I’ve got a communications job for a local university - 42-45 hours a week gets the job done nicely 

My jobs varies from 35 hours to 70 hours a week. . .average about 45-55 hours. 
Commuter used to be 4 hours a day. . .now about a half an hour

40-50 hrs a week for an aerospace company..

About 50 hours per week - depending on how many emergency patients we accept.

26 hours a week. I don’t see many "emergency" patients. 

on avg 40 but often much less and often much more. 

wait, does this exclude IHB and other internet-devoted time spent?  because if so….