Job Discussion Forums

[7969]

there are a couple of other topics going on at the same time regarding the airfare reimbursement. my school is obligated to pay for a one way ticket back to my home on completion of the one year contract.

my questions are:

question 1: who determines the points of departure and arrival that are used to calculate the cost of the one way ticket? for example, is the cost of the ticket judged to be from where you live in china, or just from one of the major hub airports (beijing, shanghai, HK?). further, what about the other end? what if i live in wyoming, but have to first fly to LA or denver and then fly to some smaller regional airport?

question 2: how do they arrive at the cost of the ticket? does the school call up a local travel agent and ask what it will cost? or is there a maximum that some/most schools will pay? i'm asking because in my current contract it states the school will pay for the air ticket, however i hope to just recieve the cash equivalent.

[Gregor]

My contract states that they will pay airfare between this amount and that amount, giving a minimum and a maximum. The minimum protects me and the max protects them. And it's fairly generous - it's between �5000 and �14,000.
How do they decide on the final amount? They will pay the cheapest rate from the city I'm working in to the closest major airport to my final destination (so that if I want to go to, say, Fallbrook, California, which only has a tiny municipal air park for single engine prop planes, they will only get me as close as San Diego).
If my Chinese city was very very small and didn't have an airport, or if the closest major city to my ultimate destination was still a long haul, they'd pay for my train or bus ticket between said airports and final destinations. But that's because they like me. They only have to get me back to my country.

[therock]

My school has made me look on the internet for a ticket price, then after they will look on the internet and probably look for the cheapest price. Can't see what is the point of me looking then!!

When the school is deciding on the ticket, I assume they are going to calculate the price from the closest major airport in China to a major airport in your home country. They will not pay if you need to take a domestic flight in your home country.

That's how my school works anyhow.

Oh yeah they should reimburse the ticket in cash, just ask if they are planning on giving you the ticket.

[Don McChesney]

On a 12 month contract they really should pay your round trip, not one way.
Anyway, for me for a one term contract, I show the receipt for my round trip and they pay half of it. My claim also included one way air trip from home town to international airport , and from Hong Kong to Zhengzhou. They are going to pay it, without any problems.
Go for the most you can claim, including airport taxes etc.
Suggest you may be back if they treat you right.