Job Discussion Forums

dynow · Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 1080

This is regarding schools paying travel time when you are sent out of the city you live/work in to work a contract somewhere else.

Does your school, or other schools that you know of, pay travel time, and if so, what is the rate?

What I am referring to specifically is for example, you are sent out at 8:00 a.m. by taxi (paid for of course), you travel for say 90 minutes or 2 hours, you teach all day, then come back the same day.

If the trip is say 90 minutes, would you be compensated for the travel time?

simon_porter00 · Joined: 09 Nov 2005 Posts: 505 Location: Warsaw, Poland

I've never heard of, nor experienced myself anything like this - getting paid for travelling however, if a school wanted me to travel for 3 hours a day I'd definately want something to sweeten the deal.

I would argue that if the school wants to send one a teacher of high calibre (and I'm speaking generally here) to the ar5e end of nowhere then you should get paid for these "lost" hours. I would ask for 30-50% of the hourly wage.

Their argument will of course be this could be used as prep time and as you don't get pai for prep why should we pay you.

Your argument is, if the company you're going to doesn't want a monkey to teach them, then they should cough up.

lundjstuart · Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 211 Location: Warsaw, Poland

I agree strongly with Mr. Porter here. You can either charge a higher rate to cover the cost of traveling or tell them cough up that dough that their making from your services of teaching and going such a long distance to get there! For example if you make 70zl gross, charge them 90zl brutto to cover the cost. Your school is probably charging them 150-200zl for you to be there! Get the money that you deserve!

Jack Walker · Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 412

I only know of native speakers travelling much shorter distances than you mentioned and they pay their own fare.

Polish bosses are notoriously tight fisted and I think some arm twisting will be required from you to get the $$$ you deserve for travel time.

lundjstuart · Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 211 Location: Warsaw, Poland

Then your best bet would to be is find another school that will than!

Richfilth · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 225 Location: Warszawa

It's a difficult answer to the travel question; if it was driving 50k each way for a 90min class, then I'd expect recompense for those two hours of travelling. If, however, the client is providing a fat block of six or even eight hours of teaching in one go, then I'd take the driving without kicking up a fuss; you'd waste the same amount of time bussing it from client to client in the middle of a city anyway.
It's just finding that balance between costs to you and most efficient use of time; either way though, the school should cover your fuel costs.

lundjstuart · Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 211 Location: Warsaw, Poland

Jack Walker, are you not a native speaker? What city do you live in and what school is it for? Maybe others in the area can help you out with this better?

dynow · Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 1080

the way i see it, whether it is for 4 lessons or 8, you are losing time sitting in that cab.

if you are sitting in a cab for 4 hours total, when you could just as easily work a 6 or 8 lesson day in your own city with breaks in between, why take the job with all that traveling? basically what i mean is, if you are getting the same amount of hours at your school WITHOUT traveling, why waste 4 MORE hours of your day to travel somewhere and get paid the same???

I personally know of schools that do pay for travel, I was just curious as to how many other schools do the same.

ratsareeatingmybrain · Joined: 19 Jul 2007 Posts: 35 Location: lisbon

I worked at a school in Opole that paid for travel - essentially half rate - if travel was at least 30 minutes. It made time sheets complex affairs but well worth it, as I travelled out every day, either 40kms, 50kms and 75kms.

I also worked at a school in Krakow, that started sending and sends teachers out with a driver to towns well over an hour from the school (and often arriving well before the lesson starts) and pays them nothing for the travel.

The first school was unusually generous in that respect, at least from what I've heard (feel free to tell me different), and the second created an atmosphere of constant mutiny.

oldyank · Joined: 03 Nov 2008 Posts: 3

I've worked for a couple schools in Krakow, and the impression I've gotten is that nobody here pays for travel time if they can help it. If you don't want the gig, it seems, somebody else'll be happy to take it.