Yup, my first airline job was 1300 miles away from 'home' in Malta. I accepted the job, without even being able to pin point Malta on a map at the time
A few years later I had a job with an English airline at the base of my choice... I think take what you can get in the first years to get the experience. At Monarch we have to be based within 1:30 of the base, with 30 mins to get ready ie total from phone call to report max 2:00. No idea about other airlines.
Cheers.