Reply to: Training?

[TheLordDave]

If your client wants to send you on a course for something that you have been charging them for 6 years or more then you should be worried.

What if the course was effectively free to you and covered required conversion to a completely new version?

Why would a client send you on a course for a skill that you have been contracted to provide? If you have lied about a skill they will bin you and find someone else not train you up.

[tractor]

....

No course I have ever done has ever added £100 a day to my rate. Although I'm just a Dev your milage may vary if your higher up the chain. Saying 'I have been on a .net course' adds nothing over 6 years using it.

If your client wants to send you on a course for something that you have been charging them for 6 years or more then you should be worried.

What if the course was effectively free to you and covered required conversion to a completely new version?

[TheLordDave]

No course I have ever done has ever added £100 a day to my rate. Although I'm just a Dev your milage may vary if your higher up the chain. Saying 'I have been on a .net course' adds nothing over 6 years using it.

[psychocandy]

Hmm. Interesting one. Depends on how much the good the course would do for me I guess.

If it was useless for me and just good for client then nope.

If it was a brill course that was expensive and would look for me, then maybe.

Also depends if client is paying for hotels etc as well. Wouldnt want to be even furhter out of pocket for sure.

One intangible also. So client gets to save a weeks billing, they get you on the course they want you to go on. Quite a bit of good will there given by contractor....

[northernladuk]

I was asked to do this my answer was 'if I'm not invoicing I'm at home' I have no interest in losing a day's pay to 'up skill' for my 'employer'.

Quite why anyone goes on training courses these days is beyond me.

I think that wins the award for the most shortsighted ridiculous POTD. Maybe a course in trolling is required.

[cojak]

I was asked to do this my answer was 'if I'm not invoicing I'm at home' I have no interest in losing a day's pay to 'up skill' for my 'employer'.

Quite why anyone goes on training courses these days is beyond me.

To be able to charge an extra £100pd.

HTH.

[SpontaneousOrder]

For it to be an allowable expense doesn't it needs to be training in something you already know ???

If you do Java and it's a python course, that's fine. If it's a bakery course then you aren't.

[MicrosoftBob]

From an IR35 perspective that's fine and from a training perspective its okay if its useful training, but other than that I'm filing it in pisstake territory.

For it to be an allowable expense doesn't it needs to be training in something you already know ???

[TheLordDave]

I was asked to do this my answer was 'if I'm not invoicing I'm at home' I have no interest in losing a day's pay to 'up skill' for my 'employer'.

Quite why anyone goes on training courses these days is beyond me.

[zappakat]

Cool, just making sure I'm on the right side by rejecting it

[northernladuk]

I'd be a little more worried about why you being asked to do this? Has then work you are contracted to do changed to the extent you need more knowledge or is it something new you are being asked to do? Is the manager treating you as part and parcel of the organization so lumping you in etc. All very bad pointers and I would say going on the course is the least of your concerns.

[zappakat]

Don't know about that but I'm just asking from an IR35 perspective.

[SpontaneousOrder]

How about the other way round?

Paying for the course through the business but the client arranging the course letting you claim your day rate...

Dunno what the course is, but that sounds likely to be significantly more expensive - especially on flate rate VAT.

[zappakat]

How about the other way round?

Paying for the course through the business but the client arranging the course letting you claim your day rate...

[scubadude]

Asked to do training as part of a contract, and not be paid for the days doing the training - any views on this? And also from an IR35 perspective?

Any thoughts?

I prob wouldn't have an issue with it if it was me as I'd come out the contract with qualifiable experience putting what I had learned on the course into practice. In my view would be something very valuable when the contract ends and looking for the next gig.