Charging for overnight/distant stays

[frazzledrocks]

I'm a new contractor for a company based at the other end of the country from where I live. Apart from this contracting/independent work, I also have a permanent 'fixed' job in the public sector three days a week.

I wasn't looking for the work - they came looking for me. I seem to have fallen into this role by accident because they like what I do. I never really wanted to work more than three days a week, but I do like the company, and the work.

I have a daily rate that I charge for work away from home. I'm available for this on Mondays and Fridays, generally.

The company want me to do some work for them on a Wednesday at the other end of the country. It's do-able, but inconvenient because I will have to take annual leave from my fixed job.

I also have two primary-aged children and our childcare is arranged so that I do the school run on Wednesdays.

I have agreed to do the work they have requested, but I will have to travel on the Tuesday. I usually work until 6.15 on Tuesdays, so I will have to take annual leave for a few hours that afternoon, too.

In order to get the kids to school, my husband will have to take annual leave on the Wednesday morning.

My question is this - is it unreasonable of me to charge them for 1.5 days? I will be setting off at about 2.30pm, staying overnight and travelling back the next evening. Obviously us both taking annual leave isn't great - we have to save leave to cover school holidays.

You could say that our childcare isn't their problem - but it's how our life is set up - and they came looking for me, not vice versa.

Billing starts when you leave the house and ends when you get home again.
You are not an employee.
They want your skills, they pay for them.

well thats what i thought - but in the public sector we have no reason to be quite so cut throat, so it feels wrong.

I need to man up, don't I?

I think it depends on your contract/agreement with them. I've seen both, but normally if I was hiring a freelancer I would pay for the work they are doing, not their travel to get there unless I had specifically agreed that.

On the other hand in the public sector staff (and sometimes contractors though not always) are paid (or given toil) for travel time so in your example 1.5 days would be fine.

I think the problem is, I agreed a day rate, assuming that this day rate would be on a day which had been agreed as mutually convenient - which I would mark as Mondays and Fridays.

ie - not a day I am committed to my 'real' job (I work in the NHS Tues - Thurs).

Because they are asking me to work on a wednesday, it has all sorts of knock-on implications, not least that I have to take annual leave (which is precious) but also annual leave the day before in order to travel.

There is something fundamentally different to being paid a rate to travel to a location and back in the same day, versus a much more distant location with overnight stay and requiring 1.5 days annual leave - for me - but perhaps thats just business?

frazzled
yup you are not paid holiday and sick pay and stuff any more
time to be hard nosed

There is really no problem about outlining your logistical constraints and their cost implications. You obviously cannot be expected to be lying around doing nothing on the off chance your client requires you on a single Wednesday!

I'd bill for 2 days in this case.

Thanks for your responses.

I'm going to tell them I can do it but will have to charge 1.5 days due to it being on a Wednesday.

I did originally set a different day rate depending on whether I was within 80 miles of home or further away - for exactly this reason. They removed the 'distant' day rate.

This actually works out more costly for them.

frazzled
DH was booked to do 1 hour of work, but it was at the other end of the country.
So he charged them a day to travel up, 2 nights in hotels, the day on which the work was done and a day to travel home.
They accepted that as the price for getting him.
we thought they were completely mad

You don't need to go into why, but you needed to work out in advance that it would cost more on a Wednesday and quote £n.nn for Mon/Fri; 1.5 x £n.nn Tues/Weds/Thurs. (I'd say 2x as so very inconvenient and if you have to use up annual leave you cannot do it that often).

It sounds as if you have already accepted the work at the Mon/Fri day rate though. You could try to negotiate more as a one-off but if you've already agreed terms, you might be better to say you cannot do it this time (and the Tues-Thurs rate has gone up for future reference, depending where you advertise your fees).

We charge X rate for day service, plus Y rate per overnight ( for example if I have to stay overnight because the meeting starts at 8:30 but is in Berlin. The Y part is nowhere near X price but it does allow me to sort out additional help at home for the hours I'm away. Plus you're missing out on home comforts for their convenience. Hotel and travel billed to client too, however those that require us to make our own arrangements are never ripped off - we book modest hotels etc.
Businesses do expect these costs, so don't worry.

You've all been very helpful, thanks.

It's all new to me. I'm tired and busy and just wishh somebody else would do it for me!

When I started doing the odd day consulting someone asked me to come and do a day at a remote ish site at the other end of the country. I said it's X per day and they said fine so 3X then including travel or do you charge a lower rate for travelling days...

I hadn't even though of charging for travel days ... I do now.

Oh and figure out things like travel class, standard rail up to 3 hours , 1st class above that. Decent hotel, £5 night personal incidentals. etc etc.