Excessive training and induction for 4 hour a week role

[wonderstuff123]

Can I get people's take on the following.
Was offered a 4 hour a week outreach worker role with a charity. I was intending on doing this along side my other 3 day a week role in a school. The work I will be doing is 2 hours in the evening.

The training schedule was emailed over to me - 7 full days (9-5.30) unpaid. I could only do 4 as I obviously work the other 3 days in the week.

I questioned not being able to complete all the training before starting my job (although a lot of it was irrelevant or I had done very recently in my current or past roles - safeguarding, GDPR, Equality and Diversity - they asked me if I'd done any recently and I sent them the relevant certificates).

So, the training seemed a bit intense, but I didn't mind too much as it's a foot in the door in a sector I was interested in.

Now they've come back and asked me to do 2 full days induction. Again, some of it role specific (shadowing, learning about the role) and other very general, seemingly irrelevant stufff (1 hour dedicated to essential policy reading, 2 hours about a location I won't be working at and their health and safety, fire procedures).

All this for a 4 hour role! I've gone back and asked if the above is paid, which I'm presuming it isn't and explained that I didn't know the induction would be so long comparable to the role hours.

They didn't discuss induction at interview and in the contract it just says, job specific induction to be arranged at a later date. On top of this, I have to consider fuel prices to get to these extra days I didn't know about as the role is 11 miles away.

I've now read another few threads about training and induction and people saying it shouldn't be done until you start the role. Feel like I'm just being taken for a fool at this rate!

Training and induction should be paid. They should happen after you've started the job, not before.

Training should be paid, however the length of training isn't based on how many hours a week you will be working it's how many hours it will take to cover everything you need to know to fulfil your job role, make sure you can deliver to legislative requirements and safety standards and confirm your understanding. If that will take 2 days or 7 days then that's how long it takes.

Ok, so this company is taking the P then?

It should definitely be paid.

Yes, totally agree about the relevant training will take as long as it needs to. But when they're putting me on training on lone working when I'll specifically be working as part of a 2 person team and was told at interview I wouldn't be allow do the role if there was only 1 person, that's defo not relevant!

If they want you to use your time for work purposes then they need to pay you.

www.acas.org.uk/getting-paid-for-mandatory-training

In my experience yes you do all the training even if it isnt currently impacting your role such as lone working. Then if it ever does crop up you've done the training and they don't need to remember to get you to do it then.

It should be paid however.

Can anyone point me to a document/legislation that says it should be paid as the ACAS link says..

Whether you get paid for time spent on mandatory training can depend on your contract.

My contract said that the training would be at the cost to the employer so I knew I wouldn't get paid. However, I didn't expect it to be 7 full days and then 2 days induction!

@imnottoofussed

In my experience yes you do all the training even if it isnt currently impacting your role such as lone working. Then if it ever does crop up you've done the training and they don't need to remember to get you to do it then.

It should be paid however.

Thank you for this.

What does your contract say about working hours ?

4 hours per week over 2 evenings, they specify the days and the hours (e.g Mon and Fri, 9.30-11.30)