DH not claiming work expenses

[Indiaplain]

DH is a teacher and has just returned from a school trip abroad. He spent around £200 on meals and travel for himself that weren't included (they were in Switzerland so v pricey!)

He says that as teachers they're expected to pay this and he won't ask about claiming back expenses. I think perhaps the lead trip organiser (his boss) should have included the teachers expenses in the pupils costs but didn't. He doesn't want to get her in trouble and won't try to get reimbursed.

This financially puts us in our overdraft this month and I'm annoyed as it's not usual or right - imo - that teachers should suck up this cost? AIBU to feel annoyed?

Junior doctors are one....

It really depends on the school (and the culture of said school). I tend to claim expenses back, including food for staff when staying longer for parents' evenings, for example. We've got a budget for that. However, I work for a national chain of independent schools. It's normal and expected that we claim for different things. DH, on the other hand, works at a tiny independent school (one class per year group...and he's only got about 8 in one of them) and is very reluctant to claim. He spends a lot on resources that I think he should be claiming for.

So all of you who think its right he buys his own food as that's what happens at work, would you be happy if he was paid for working 24/7 for the duration of the trip? Because essentially he is on duty the whole time but that won't be reflected in his wages

Wow and I thought only getting paid until 9pm was bad, clearly it could be even worse! I’m in a London LA school. Unsurprisingly, we have vacancies if you’re interested 😜

Too late, I'm retired now! But seriously, I'm gobsmacked that there's a school in this country that pays staff an extra five hours a day on residential trips!
You realise that you can never, ever leave, right?
😅

You’re right. I was in teaching for many years and I provided so much from my own pocket.

I've just bought glue sticks. They just vanish!

Have you ever been on a school trip, never mind a residential, especially a ski trip??
The responsibility, jollying the kids along, injury, sickness/illness, counting them time and time again, sharing a room with colleagues, etc. Never mind having to give up your weekend /half term WITHOUT PAY!!!!
The organisation before the trip, chasing payment, permission etc.
I'm shocked at this comment !

I work in a school and we cover staff expenses. Staff get reimbursed for travel and lunch/accommodation if they go on training. If they spend whilst on a school trip they get back whatever they have paid for themselves, within reason as they get an allowance. Keep receipts or they take the school credit card.

Certainly not acceptable in my university. I’ve led plenty of field trips. Staff claim lunch and evening meal expenses, but strictly within modest limits. The university pays it back, it’s not added to what the students pay.

Having been on many trips abroad, meals are provided, so any extras are for us to pay. Breakfast, then make up a packed lunch, evening meal. No expectation of reimbursement for anything outside of this. Complete opposite from DP, corporate, everything is paid for! Xx

My DD was on a school trip last week, they lost a day going out and a day plus coming back. Although the trip for her was free she was told she was entitled to the same compensation as the pupils for hotels, flights, activities and meals.

I work for the NHS, we have looking l limits in what can be claimed, it's £5 for lunch for example and it has to be bought within certain hours, and it's only if you are working off your usual site obviously.
I am not sure your husband should be able to claim for everything but I do think he should have some of it refunded.

I always paid for my own expenses, in 34 years as a teacher. It helps keep the cost down for the pupils.

If he was part of the trip his expense should have been covered. He had to eat and supervise kids...
You work it out.

As a former teacher who ran many trips (& went on many others), I’d tell him to withdraw his participation from future trips until the need to financially contribute is sorted. And discuss any pressure he receives from his school with his union, ( if he isn’t in a union, he should join one ASAP!)

Tell him? He’s her husband not a small child. She can ask him.

I’m not sure, plenty will happy spend 200 quid to get a cheap trip to an overseas destination. They get to experience it like the kids . Obviously getting to Switzerland and his accommodation was paid for.

Stupid, stupid post.

OP's DH should've had the same food as the students. If not, and he was expected to buy his own, that's clearly unacceptable and he must see the SBM.

However, it's true that teachers spend their own money on various things throughout the year just to keep their classrooms going. I'd say I spent around £500-£1000 a year on stationery alone. There was no way to claim that back. I worked in six schools over years and years and it was the same in each school. It wasn't an optional expense, but necessary.

If you were observed teaching a lesson where the children required glue sticks, but you didn't have any, that would be picked up upon in your feedback regardless of the fact that whoever was observing you knew there were no glue sticks in school.

Also some school trips were simply not voluntary. You had to attend. Did your DH have a choice or was it made to feel compulsory?

What a stupid stupid post. Seriously. Ridiculous

The comparison I would mentally make is that if a teacher goes on a school trip to a museum for the day they are expected to provide their own lunch. The kids are usually given the option to bring in a lunch or pay a small extra sum to have lunch provided (they are usually provided free for the FSM kids so making extra isn't an issue).

So the kids on the trip have paid to have their lunch provided or are expected to buy lunch for themselves. Any snacks or drinks they have to pay for themselves. I would therefore expect a teacher to be paying for that themselves.

However, whatever is being said, TRAVEL costs are claimable if you can persuade Finance to give you the form. So if your DH had to pay for transportation on the trip this IS all claimable. I was on a school trip and they sent the wrong coach so I had to drive to the museum. I was able to claim mileage and parking for the trip. However, I had to drive back to the school and not home for it to count - otherwise it was classed as commute!

The comparison I would mentally make is that if a teacher goes on a school trip to a museum for the day they are expected to provide their own lunch

Thats fine, because there’s the option to bring a packed lunch from home, so the teacher can eat/spend what they usually would.

But if a teacher is on a residential, there may not be the option of making a packed lunch, so the teacher will have to buy lunch at a cafe/restaurant/shop. This could really add up over a few days, especially somewhere as expensive as Switzerland. It seems only fair that there should be at least an allowance towards this

Sometimes, even as an adult, we need those who love us to tell us something for our own good.

When I first started at my current school I decided to keep track of how much of my own money I was spending. In the first 6 months, I had spent around £500. I stopped keeping track after that.