Parents Reimbursement for coaches vacation

[blueredzone]

I agree with many on here. A one hour flight.... That can be done in one day. I have had a 4 hr flight and did it round trip in one day for a 2 hr. meeting.

I would pay for that friday night, but certainly not saturday night. How many miles driving would it be? 150? If so it might be cheaper to pay the mileage and pay the hotel for two nights as a negotiation. He gets the two nights. You don't have to shell out so much. Then I would write rules regarding what is acceptable travel, and what is not.

 

[Byrd_USA]

Did I see this episode on Dance Moms?
So much drama for a 1 night stay.

 

[2G1B]

Oh, and honestly, if he is why the booking of the flight has been delayed, I'd think you could tell him to drive or he gets what everyone else is paying for flights and he covers the difference. That is just ridiculous if he pushed it out this long.

On a side note, IMO your per diem is pretty low. Our coaches get $40 per day including travel days.

 

[Midwestmommy]

Unless you are doing regional business travel (one or two states away) with great flight service, or up and down the east coast--out and back in the same day on commercial flights for doesn't happen much. It's impossible to do afternoon business on many places on the west coast and get back to many cities in the the midwest that same everning unless you do the red eye (which we do every three years or so to remind ourselves why we never do them). A 1:00 meet ends at 3:30, if you get out fast, with a very close airport in a city with no rush hour traffic you could catch a 5:30 flight. Of course if there is no rush hour traffic it is a smaller city and there are likely to be few direct flights, and more likely to be a connection through a hub. Which means if you are lucky and you don't miss your 5:30 flight, you will get home at midnight if connecting through a hub city.

Most corporations have a combined business/personal policy where they will give you up to 90% of the flight savings for a Saturday stayover to pay for your personal night. (In other words if staying the Saturday night instead of leaving Saturday morning or Friday night is a $200 savings on the flight---then $180 can be applied to hotel cost for the personal Saturday night). I've never worked at a company that did not have one of those policies since the IRS allows it, and it costs the company nothing. I've never worked at a company that required me to fly home in the evening after doing a full day of business (if I do that it is my choice).

Because of liability issues and supplemental insurance when we travel, we are highly discouraged to drive our personal cars and get mileage reimbursement to business meetings that are over 3 hours away. We are required to rent a car. (No one here has a company car).

If a booster club is considering implementing a travel policy, I recommend they get some professional advice. I've never seen that whole month out thing in a corporate travel policy (only reimburse cost one month out).

At most corporations, if you get hurt or die during a business trip, there is supplemental life and AD&D insurance through the travel insurance program. Doubt any coaches get that.

It's complicated. As someone who has travelled for work though, I can tell you people back in the office who don't travel often see it as a perk. If you have been doing it for over 2 years on a regular basis, you are a rare bird if you consider it a perk anymore. It's grueling and takes you away from your family......

OK done now. Just don't too carried away and be reasonable, is all I'm saying.

 

[skschlag]

On a side note, IMO your per diem is pretty low. Our coaches get $40 per day including travel days.

We do the federal per diem which can vary from $56-$71 per day based on city

 

[LMV]

Your per diem is very low and session fees also seem low. They are lower than what our gym offers for coaches who are eligible for them. Our HC is fully salaried so when he attends meets he doesn't get additional money for the meets but does get his travel expenses reimbursed along with daily per diem for expenses. Other coaches get session fees plus travel expenses with per diem.

I will say that as parents we don't pay coaches fees directly. Our owners pay session fees and travel expenses (and, yes, I'm sure that the cost of this is part of how they determine how much tuition is) and they arrange everything for coaches travel. Our parents organization does put together travel for meets for the gymnasts (and their families if desired) that cost is split equitably among all attending. Usually the parents organization makes the arrangements and pays upfront and then parents pay their portion or submit their travel grant.

 

[mommyof1]

I also travel a lot for work. It is typical to fly in the day before a meeting and out the day after. Sometimes we can catch a late flight out after the meeting, but we are never required to do so. We prefer not to fly in the day of a meeting because it typically leads to stress, sleep deprivation, and exhaustion, which don't make for peak performance. That said, I am often guilty of same-day travel because I have a little kid at home whereas most of my colleagues do not.

As far as staying extra nights goes: If the savings on an airline ticket outweigh the cost of staying an extra night (hotel + per diem), staying the extra night is permitted. If the extra day is not a weekend, you have to work in the hotel or cover your time with vacation time. If you want to stay an extra night for personal reasons, you must pay for your own hotel and meals and use vacation time to cover any weekdays, but the full cost of the plane ticket will still be covered unless flying on your chosen date increases the cost.

 

[mommyof1]

We do the federal per diem which can vary from $56-$71 per day based on city

And the federal per diem may look high, but it really isn't that extravagant. It basically covers a simple breakfast (the hotel breakfast will usually push you over), a deli lunch, and a sit-down dinner. That is not unreasonable for a coach who is traveling as a professional, even if it's a little more than a traveling family would choose to spend per person.

 

[2G1B]

You can't compare a corporation booking flights to a small, non profit booster club. For work I often would only know about a trip a few days before and would book 2 days before leaving. My husband sometimes even books the day before a trip because something comes up that he needs to get to. A company can decide if the added expanse of the last minute bookings is something that they are willing to pay, if not they cancel the trip. Last minute flights are generally much, Much more expensive. I recently went to a travel meet with my son. We booked our flight 2 months out for $371 per ticket. Then, a week before the trip I got injured and considered taking my mom on the trip too to help since I was injured (broken ankle). I looked up the flights and the cheapest I could get for her, on SW with the senior discount, was nearly $800! It is not reasonable for a coach to delay booking for personal reasons and then expect the booster club to pay significantly more for last minute tickets. Meet schedules are generally published well before the season starts. It, IMO, would not be at all unreasonable for coaches to have their tickets purchased a month out in order to save the booster club hundreds of dollars.

 

[kayjaybe]

I think you might have to suck it up and pay some of it this time but then get some policies in place. I like the plan a pp had for hotel of paying for the night before the first session and the night of the last session. So if there is only competition on Friday, you'd be willing to pay for Thursday and Friday nights. If he doesn't want to go on Thursday, that doesn't translate into being able to switch that hotel night to Saturday.

I think establishing the travel distance before paying for a flight is also a good idea. People flying probably aren't even saving all that much time. Assuming you are lucky and live only 30 minutes from the airport, then need to park & get to the airport (10 minutes), arrive 2 hours early to go through security, plus 1 hour flight, then 30 minutes to deplane and secure local transportation and 30 minutes travel to the hotel/meet, you've spent 4-5 hours flying and associated travel. I'd just drive!

 

[skschlag]

our bc does have guidelines. Under 500 miles, we pay federal mileage rate. Over 500, airfare. Usually the mileage is more. (gymnasts get this too.)

 

[my4buffaloes]

I think protocol would have him fly out Thursday and fly back Saturday. Check airfare tickets and compare that time frame with that of a Friday morning through Sunday. If there is a price difference make him pay. Either way you are looking at 2 nights hotel. You have to schedule him what is best for your team - not his girlfriend.