Interview expenses, paid by interviewee
Discussion
Where do people stand on the whole idea of an interviewee paying for their own out of pocket expenses.
In the past I've had no problem paying for my own interview expenses (one time a flight to/from Dubai) with the unspoken understanding that those costs would be met by the company requesting an interview. My reimbursement had never been in question until a few years ago, a very urgent request from a recruitment consultant for a next day interview with Rolls Royce, I took a day off work and paid for the fast train to Derby (more than £100) and after the interview was told this cost would not be reimbursed (never got offered the job either).
I am currently being offered an interview for a position I'm interested in, in Copenhagen, again I have to pay the costs myself, this is either £250 in a return flight (same day), OR slightly cheaper flights plus a night in a hotel. Company policy for this new prospective is again interviewee pays costs.
Do people feel that this is a little unfair, or just resigned to a new 'way of the world'?
Might also be of interest, the job offer is not in the £100k's - although I expect once you get into upper echelon's those guys never pay a penny for their travels...
In the past I've had no problem paying for my own interview expenses (one time a flight to/from Dubai) with the unspoken understanding that those costs would be met by the company requesting an interview. My reimbursement had never been in question until a few years ago, a very urgent request from a recruitment consultant for a next day interview with Rolls Royce, I took a day off work and paid for the fast train to Derby (more than £100) and after the interview was told this cost would not be reimbursed (never got offered the job either).
I am currently being offered an interview for a position I'm interested in, in Copenhagen, again I have to pay the costs myself, this is either £250 in a return flight (same day), OR slightly cheaper flights plus a night in a hotel. Company policy for this new prospective is again interviewee pays costs.
Do people feel that this is a little unfair, or just resigned to a new 'way of the world'?
Might also be of interest, the job offer is not in the £100k's - although I expect once you get into upper echelon's those guys never pay a penny for their travels...
It's an interesting question. I hire at work and it has never come up. My recruitment salary range is between £30k and £60k all expenses have been bourne by the interviewee although the majority are local and we try to be flexible on interview times such that candidates can come at lunch, the start or end of the working day.
In the 80s I went for an interview with Natwest, I'd just left school so it was a bottom of the organisation role. Back then I was reimbursed for my train ticket from Croydon to London Bridge. I had to fill out a paper form when I came out of the interview and they paid me cash there and then. I can't imagine that now!
57 Chevy said:
In the 80s I went for an interview with Natwest, I'd just left school so it was a bottom of the organisation role. Back then I was reimbursed for my train ticket from Croydon to London Bridge. I had to fill out a paper form when I came out of the interview and they paid me cash there and then. I can't imagine that now!
The sheer profligacy of bankers disgusts me! Shameless!some interesting responses, for sure if I had an interview where my disbursement was lower than say £50, I'd have no problem, especially when I really wanted the job, but when I'm given no choice other than to spend from a hundred to a few hundred in expenses then it's starts to move into a grey area, it also seems to have changed within the last few years.
SystemParanoia said:
Employers pay for interviewee's to attend?
what planet is this on ? sounds great!
If they are advertising for a job abroad in the UK, that means they are struggling for candidates. what planet is this on ? sounds great!
Last one I had, the deal was that they pay flights if I attend the interview and don't get the job, I pay if I do get the job. Worked for me.
hyphen said:
I pay if I do get the job.
Where are you supposed to get the money from if you do?... you dont get paid until you've been working at least a month.. and jobless people tend not to spunk money on flights gambling on a job.im not being critical... its a glimpse into a world ill probably never experience!
The firm I work for generally reimburses interviewees for their travel expenses, be it train or flights. Generally it is also just graduate or placement positions too - more senior candidates would be expected to pay their own expenses. Quite a niche industry however, so we generally only interview 2-3 people per position.
but its also travel to and from the airport at each end, food, accommodation.
it adds up quickly, especially if its a trip at short notice without a chance to pre-book stuff to get the best price.
a couple hundred quid would cover my mortgage for a month.. thats 30 less days job-hunting before the wolves are knocking at the door!
( PS
this is moot if your previous job was paying the big bucks! and your moving to even bigger bucks!
it adds up quickly, especially if its a trip at short notice without a chance to pre-book stuff to get the best price.
a couple hundred quid would cover my mortgage for a month.. thats 30 less days job-hunting before the wolves are knocking at the door!
( PS
this is moot if your previous job was paying the big bucks! and your moving to even bigger bucks!
I don't think "unspoken understandings" work all that well when they concern hundreds of pounds.
That said an employer looking/headhunting at long reach shoud consider covering travel expenses as a demonstration of the seriousness of their intrerest in an individual IMO, that way both parties have something invested in the interview. Its easy to mess people around when you have nothing invested.
That said an employer looking/headhunting at long reach shoud consider covering travel expenses as a demonstration of the seriousness of their intrerest in an individual IMO, that way both parties have something invested in the interview. Its easy to mess people around when you have nothing invested.
I've had flights and expenses paid when travelling to one particular interview. They knew I wouldn't have attended otherwise as it wasn't a role I was particularly interested in but they wanted 'to talk about it' anyway.
Other than that I've always assumed I'd be paying for my own travel to interviews.
Indeed, the company I'm with now were planning to interview another candidate when I was being recruited, he asked how they wanted him to claim his expenses before he'd even met them. That resulted in him never actually being interviewed... The company is generally very generous and fair to employees, by the way.
I'm surprised that paid travel to interviews is at all prevalent.
Other than that I've always assumed I'd be paying for my own travel to interviews.
Indeed, the company I'm with now were planning to interview another candidate when I was being recruited, he asked how they wanted him to claim his expenses before he'd even met them. That resulted in him never actually being interviewed... The company is generally very generous and fair to employees, by the way.
I'm surprised that paid travel to interviews is at all prevalent.
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