Sending therapist on a course, hotel or drive?

[jojo@tranquil]

Hi geeks,
Just wondering what you would do ? I have a fairly new therapist working for me and I am sending her on Decleor training the course is being held in Gloucester and we are in Wiltshire, it's not a nice drive but should take around an hour/and half ish...
She is not that confident in driving and her dad has said he will take her Monday and pick her up Friday if I can book her into hotel, so I have looked and it is going to be £430 for the 4nights plus I guess I have to pay for food ?
To be honest the business can't afford this at the moment.
Paying mileage will be cheaper ? Also I obviously have to pay her wages whilst she is training....of course I have in her contract that she will pay back courses/expenses if she leaves in certain time scale.
Any ideas ? X

 

[nicole333]

How many days does the course run for?

Could she get the train and a taxi instead?

 

[jojo@tranquil]

It's Monday -Friday , good idea will have a look !

 

[souz]

in an ideal situation she would stay in a hotel where she could rest at night and re go over anything she has learnt that day, also if she is not stresssing about getting there and where to park etc each day she and you in turn will get more from the course.

if it is not practical money wise then she will have to drive, taxi, bus or whatever!!

is there not someone else going from near you that you could share the cost of travel with??contact decleor and ask them? maybe someone would do a room share??is there no cheaper hotel even if its 10-20 mins away like a travelodge so that she is only doing part of the journey every day?? Have you asked if she is willing to pay part of the cost??

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

If you, as her employer are sending her on the training and it is an hour and half away, then I would expect you to pay for her to stay in local accommodation. 3 hours travelling each day can be very tiring and costly in fuel and mileage and I would imagine that the Decleor training would be very heavy going with revision required after hours. Obviously you would want your therapist to learn the maximum in her product knowledge.

Does it have to be a hotel? Is there nothing less expensive ie. a B&B or a Travel Inn in walking proximity?

If your salon really can't afford it, then I would suggest a train as the next best thing, but I would expect you to pay the train fare taxis etc.

 

[Jodie-danielle]

When I went to derby to do my dermalogica I caught 2 trains there and 2 trains back at the time we didn't realise there was a travel lodge as she would have put me there but she paid all my travel costs and I got my own dinner.
When I did my bare essentials she put me up in a b&b round the corner instead of the £80 a night hotel next door and again I paid for my meals.
Worth looking round to see what's cheaper hun, is she a student? See what discounts she can get eg train fairs x

 

[PixieBeauty]

I bet you could find a train ticket cheaper for her to go return in one day, if it's a day's training.

I'm sorry if she has to walk a little or is tired, she can always drive. I've had to do far worse in the name of work - and that's just it, it's called work for a reason.

I'm sorry but I hold no sympathy for people who can drive but ask others to drive them places, why have a licence. If it's scary fair enough, man up and do what makes you scared!!

You're giving her a great opportunity to go on this training and if she can't make the most of it she'll get nowhere fast! Xx

 

[jojo@tranquil]

Thanks for everyone's input !
It's a difficult one, of course I know I need to pay her expenses and yes it is a long day with travelling ! I think train will be cheaper than hotel and she can study on the train journey to and from.
I have just spent nearly £20,0000 on refurb and moving premises which is why cash flow is tight !

These hotels that advertise £29 a night are full of rubbish they all come out at between £107 and £160 a night !

 

[laurakate]

Regardless of what you have to pay, just add it to her training bond.

That way, if she leaves in a set ammount of time it won't cost you anything as she will have to pay you back but if she stays you will have a valuable member of your team who has been well worth the cost of training.

 

[Nails<3]

Probably going to get shouted at for this lol but if you want your employee to do the training then you as the employer have to make arrangements for this. I wouldn't be happy getting a train there, having to do a full day training and then train back and be expected to study on the train. It would be a business expense so I would say she needs to be put in accommodation instead of having to travel there and back everyday for a course you want her to do. If you can't afford to do this then wait till you can. Also if she can drive there is no reason why she cannot drive there! Scared or not she needs to, I have to drive to a different part of the country for my training and I hate motorways etc but it needs to be done.

Why not calculate train prices against the accommodation and see what the difference is? X x

 

[vgml]

I would happily drive every day both ways. People travel long distance on every day basis. I would expect the employer to pay for travel expenses, but not food. Why should you pay for the food?
B&B is another option, cheaper. Of course I would prefer a nice hotel

 

[MrsHBeauty]

An hour and a half each way isn't far, people commute much further.

I wouldn't put up in a hotel, that's being said I worked for Asda for a bit and we were out up in a hotel for 3 nights breakfast and evening meal payed for. It is not fair to expect a small business to do the same, you are sending her on amazing training and will pay her travel costs and her wages whilst she's away. That's is very fair on everyone's side, if she decides she "can't" drive then you will pay her mileage costs (what it would have cost) and she can find an alternative way to travel which suits her.

X

 

[happyfeet]

Ok my opinion.... An a hour and a half is not a mega journey, ive been sent on training that took longer and had to commute each way. Travel expenses were paid. Maybe im a big meanie but if she wants to stay in a hotel because she isnt confident in driving, she should pay for it or seek alternative travel- train for example. I guess the argument could come up that in her job description you probably didnt stipulate driving was essential part of her job but she can take the train surely if she doesnt feel confident driving. I dont think hotel costs are up to you when other forms of transport are available.

 

[BABSann]

Personally I think it would be too much to travel then expect her to do a full days training then drive back, and revise only to get up extra early the next day and do exactly the same again.

If you want to get the best from her training and her as a person I would put her up in a B and B.

If you can't afford it what about in house training? Until you have the resources to allow her to stay in accommodation.

It's not simply about travelling an hour and a half a day.its 3 hours plus what if there's traffic problems, then parking space etc. add that on to a full days training and revision

Coupled with having a bath and meal, I'm sorry it's just too much.

I'm doing my CACI training on Monday and its 3 days. I've booked myself into a hotel. Yes I'm paying for it all but if I were doing the course for an employer I would not expect to have to travel here and back each day.

Reference meals I also think given she would normally be either taking sandwiches or going home for lunch, and that she won't be able to do either as she will be in a B and B , I think this should be included too. I would have a realistic limit on this though as unfortunately there are mickey takers. Or maybe you could even arrange for the B and B to do sandwiches for her to save money.

 

[NailsXpress]

I would say it up to her how she gets there. If he doesnt feel she can do it herself then she must find some other way of getting there and back.

1 hour and a half isn't that bad, I had to do it daily in London when I lived in the outskirts of north London.

Saying that I would say, put her up in a B&B or Travel Lodge or Premier Inn or such, whatever is the cheapest. She should pay for her own meals though. If she was at home she would have to pay for food/keep. If you cant find a hotel etc cheap enough then she should pay part of it, after all she is having to stay there as she is not prepared to travel.

When I lived in Spain and did my training there, I have to get accommodation myself down in Marbella during my training time as I lived 2 hours away. I paid all of this myself as well as my meals. Its got to be give and take these days if you want to get on in life.

 

[xxAmyxx]

I'm not confident at driving so I can understand. However I feel that if you paid for a train/bus/taxi there and back for each day, I'd be happy enough x

 

[Tomme]

Have you looked at train price's?
Personally I would say its too bad she's not confident driving. It's her choice to drive or pay half towards a hotel (work out if mileage will be half the cost of a hotel) that way you are meeting her half way due to her preference.

Normally food costs are evening meals and breakfast only (the staff would bring dinner to work anyway so that's their responsibility there too)
Anything they can't do at home basically. Xoxo

 

[TracyS]

To be fair, if driving wasn't a pre requisite for the job, whether she's confident or not is irrelevant, if she doesn't want to drive she doesn't have to, maybe her car is unreliable, maybe she car shares, whatever the reason is, it doesn't really matter. If driving is a no go, it's a no go.

If that's the case, you would need to cost out daily travel by whatever means, v hotel/b&b accommodation and see which works out for you. I would, in fareness, offer a meal allowance to cover additional expenditure if she's staying away from home. Put a limit on it and ask for receipts and exclude alcohol from being covered. The reason I'd offer a food allowance is that if you fancy a pizza for tea at home, you can get a £2.99 one from the supermarket and bung it in the oven, if you're in a hotel etc you're talking a tenner or so. Huge difference

That's just my twopenneth anyway, good luck in what you decide and I hope she thoroughly enjoys the training.

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

I would say it up to her how she gets there. If he doesnt feel she can do it herself then she must find some other way of getting there and back.

1 hour and a half isn't that bad, I had to do it daily in London when I lived in the outskirts of north London.

Saying that I would say, put her up in a B&B or Travel Lodge or Premier Inn or such, whatever is the cheapest. She should pay for her own meals though. If she was at home she would have to pay for food/keep. If you cant find a hotel etc cheap enough then she should pay part of it, after all she is having to stay there as she is not prepared to travel.

When I lived in Spain and did my training there, I have to get accommodation myself down in Marbella during my training time as I lived 2 hours away. I paid all of this myself as well as my meals. Its got to be give and take these days if you want to get on in life.

I disagree with this because if a salon owner wants training provided for a therapist who is then contracted to working in the salon following that training, it is not the trainees responsibility to pay and hence be out of pocket.

Lots of people drive huge distances to work each day but that is ones choice if they choos a job away from home. In the case for a therapist who is being sent away for training for the benefit of the salon, it is up to the employer to cover costs for both accommodation and travel. As one eats daily anyway, I think it is fair to negotiate on a budget for food expenses.

Have you looked at train price's?
Personally I would say its too bad she's not confident driving. It's her choice to drive or pay half towards a hotel (work out if mileage will be half the cost of a hotel) that way you are meeting her half way due to her preference.

Normally food costs are evening meals and breakfast only (the staff would bring dinner to work anyway so that's their responsibility there too)
Anything they can't do at home basically. Xoxo

Why 'is it too bad she's not confident driving'? Not everyone is confident behind the wheel of a car but this should not be used against her.

Why must a trainee be out of pocket because she is being sent on a course by the salon? Yes her knowledge base will grow and she can only benefit from what she learns but she is being contracted by the salon to essentially pay them pack with her experience by providing a service.

If the salon has afforded a huge makeover and there is no money left in the coffers for training, then perhaps the training should be put on hold or she should be trained in house.

 

[Belle Vie]

An hour and a half is a pretty average commute, definitely not an unreasonable ask and she does have the means to drive herself with you covering mileage. I would work out what you would have paid in
Mileage and put that towards a train fare. I think you are being very thoughtful considering all this but a job is a job and this is part of hers.