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Got a new Job as manager in a startup company. They invited me to do the onboard training in their HQ which is in Paris. I have to stay for 7 working days.

Should I expect them to give me extra money for the days? Apart from the hotel and travel expenses?

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    "extra money" for what? often food is included if you're away from home, but your own touring happens with your own money.
    – Esther
    Jun 15, 2022 at 17:41
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    What exactly is expensive about the city that the company has stated you are responsible for?
    – sf02
    Jun 15, 2022 at 17:44
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    Are you asking about a per-diem? I wouldn't say 'extra icecream is pricey in Paris,' I'd say everything is Paris is expensive. Paris is a very expensive city. If they're not providing food, they should give you a per-diem. And they should be paying for your hotel room.
    – LeLetter
    Jun 15, 2022 at 20:29
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    You will need to check with the company, but normally you should have all the necessities (food, accomodation, and travel) paid for - so long as it is reasonable. If you go out at a high-end restaurant and order lobster and champagne every night, expect it to get bounced back.
    – user25730
    Jun 16, 2022 at 1:58
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    @Mast expect what you're legally entitled to, which is highly unlikely to be nothing.
    – Chris H
    Jun 16, 2022 at 9:30

6 Answers 6

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My expectation would be that such a trip would be covered under the company's standard travel policy. You would be wise to ask about it and follow their guidelines.

In some cases it involves booking travel reservations via the company's travel agent. But asking about things such as incidentals and meals is certainly fair-game.

Not all companies have the same travel policies so you should ask.

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    The question specifically mentions "startup". Depending on how old it is, there's little to no chance of it having a "standard travel policy" yet.
    – MSalters
    Jun 16, 2022 at 8:02
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    @MSalters Right, but they may well be required by law to cover travel expenses on business trips. I'm not familiar with French labour law at all, but at least that's the way it works in all EU countries that I worked in.
    – TooTea
    Jun 16, 2022 at 8:55
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    @TooTea: Too be fair, the one time I worked in Paris and sent in my expenses, they were more offended by the 10 Euro bill from McDonalds than the 100 euro bill from a proper French restaurant!
    – MSalters
    Jun 16, 2022 at 11:47
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    @TooTea You can assume that it will be VERY favorable to the employee. I'm not really up to date but last time i checked they have to pay for everything related to your travel, so hotel, evening meal, probably the noon meal, metro if necessary to go to work. Best of luck with your onboarding.
    – Mouke
    Jun 16, 2022 at 14:44
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I don't know where you live or what the norms are there. I am answering with what I as a Brit perceive the norms are. I'm pretty sure it's similar for Americans, in the rest of the world I have no idea.

Assuming it's a salaried position I would not expect extra pay as-such for travel. I don't know how it works for hourly workers.

You are travelling for your employer's benefit, not your personal benefit. As such, I would expect your employer to pay for things reasonably necessary to complete the trip. I would expect that to include:

  • Your hotel accommodation for days the employer expects you to be there.
  • Your flights to/from Paris.
  • Local transport between airport, hotel, HQ etc.
  • Some form of provision for food/drink, recognising the fact that food while travelling is generally significantly more expensive than food at home (even if the place you are travelling to is of similar wealth-level to where you live). Some companies may be more generous than others on what exactly is included in this, and some may offer a fixed "per diem" payment as a substitute for actual expenses.
  • Travel insurance; your employer may already have a blanket policy covering business travel for all employees, but you should check the details before travelling.

I would not expect it to include:

  • Entertainment/leisure activities.
  • Extra food/accommodation costs if you choose to extend the stay for leisure reasons.
  • Local travel not related to work/accommodation.
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    As a salaried Brit, I would expect travel for a work-related gig to be on work time (or even double-time if travel was necessary on Sunday to start on Monday). Jun 16, 2022 at 8:22
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    @AndrewLeach I wouldn't be confident of this being the case in a startup
    – simonc
    Jun 16, 2022 at 8:46
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    Per diem allowances are unknown in some fields in the UK, partly because of the tax hassles; when they do appear it's often for sales staff. Receipted expenses with a daily limit are very common, and sometimes quite tight. Also note policies on what you can include as a meal especially if you like alcohol - one drink with dinner may be acceptable, probably no more (a former colleague got away with interpreting that as a bottle of wine and a sandwich but it's not good to push it)
    – Chris H
    Jun 16, 2022 at 9:28
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    @NotStandingwithGoGotaHome if the company is paying for your tickets to get somewhere worth visiting, for a full week, why not make use of the weekend to see Paris for the cost of an extra night's accommodation?
    – Chris H
    Jun 16, 2022 at 15:43
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    @ChrisH Interesting. In Canada we can use the per diem rates that Federal employees get, which are specified by country and even by city in some cases. For example, in Paris a per diem of €180.31 is allowed for meals + incidentals up to 30 days. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner at €28/€49.25/€59.35 and incidentals at €43.71. France outside Paris is €144.25 per day. April 2022 rates. Jun 16, 2022 at 16:43
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Got a new Job as manager in a startup company.

Congrats!

They invited me to do the onboard training in their HQ which is in Paris.

Fancy!

I have to stay for 7 working days.

Exciting!

Should I expect them to give me extra money for the days? Apart from the hotel and travel expenses?

What other expenses are you incurring?

If you had to make extensive/expensive babysitting arrangements for your child then I would certainly bring that hardship to light. I think it would be rather rude if the company simply expects that a parent automagically has the support infrastructure to have their child supervised for free for 7 days.

If you expect them to cover your tourism expenses then that's a bit of an overreach on your part. During your training, see how many people you can rub elbows with who have the company card and try to get invited to a night out on the town.

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Since the company is based in France, the short answer is that you should expect meals to be covered together with the hotel and travel expenses. It wouldn't be odd at all to ask about that. Some of the meals might be provided as part of the onboarding or possibly in the cantine (if there is one, which is not generally the case at startups), otherwise you should be able to expense them.

Incidentally, since the tax office (technically: Urssaf) allows paying up to €19.40 each for lunch and dinner with minimal formalities and no taxes, many employers will simply offer to pay that as a matter of course, no matter how much you actually spent. If you want more, you need expense the meal following whatever process your employer put in place and their accounting department will require receipts. These rules do not necessarily apply to you as you presumably do not have a French work contract but this should give you an idea of what travel policies tend to be like in France.

If you were based in France, you would not be entitled to time off or any compensation for the fact that you are not able to go back home every night so unless there is a specific legal obligation to do so (e.g. through a collective bargaining agreement), I wouldn't expect your employer to give you anything beyond transportation, meals, and lodging.

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One of my previous employers had a simple rule for this:

  • If you stay abroad for three months or less, you need to fill in expense notes.
  • If you stay abroad for more than three months, you get a living allowance.

The difference?

Well, expense notes mean that whatever you spend abroad and what is accepted by your company (staying at a hotel, car rent, parking expenses, toll, taxi, meals, ...) must be kept and declared once you return (make sure to keep your receipts).
Living allowance means that you don't need to bother doing all that administration: you get a certain amount of money and you can use this during your stay. If you consume less, you might make profit. If you consume more, that's totally up to you.

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The normal thing to happen is:

  1. You get paid your salary as if you were working. Seven working days probably means you arrive Sunday, and leave Wednesday, going to work as normal on Thursday, and your job starts on the first day of training. I'd expect them to pay for the hotel if you decide to arrive on Saturday. They should pay your salary for Sunday, but with a monthly salary this may be included as part of your salary.

  2. You fill in expenses for your travel cost, for your hotel room, and most likely there is a standard allowance for food and cost. Be very carefully to keep all the receipt.

All this should be agreed before you leave. And take the opportunity to enjoy being in Paris.

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