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Original poster

Would you pay £112 train fare for a job interview

36 replies

Innat · 12/05/2008 15:30

They won't reimburse me! the policy is only to reimburse for a 2nd interview.

the job will be based at home. but interview is at HQ 5 hours away from where i live. it's on friday.

job looks really interesting but don't know how much of a chance i have of getting it...

what would you do?

OP posts:
WowOoo · 12/05/2008 15:31

I would go as you'll never know otherwise.

DiscoDizzy · 12/05/2008 15:31

depends on your financial situation. I'm in a good financial situation and I probably wouldn't.

sonni81 · 12/05/2008 15:32

what does the job entail

sonni81 · 12/05/2008 15:32

what does the job entail

WilfSell · 12/05/2008 15:33

It sounds like a bit of a dodgy set up if they won't reimburse you TBH... Are you sure it is kosher and a job you want?

rebelmum1 · 12/05/2008 15:34

If you really want the job you'd pay it without thinking wouldn't you? If I really wanted something I'd take a flight and pay for it if necessary.

Lauriefairycake · 12/05/2008 15:34

if they don't the job centre will if you are unemployed.

or at least they used to.

EffiePerine · 12/05/2008 15:36

why eon't they pay your expenses? doesn't sounds like areputable company to me. And homeworking ... I'd avoid.

hattyyellow · 12/05/2008 15:37

Tricky. I paid £84 for a train fare for an interview last week. If I'd travelled peak time would have been £130 plus..

I explained to the employer I was coming a long way and got them to change the time to late afternoon - could you travel later at all?

I figured I had a good chance of getting the work as there's not many people around in my field of work. What do you reckon your chances are?

expatinscotland · 12/05/2008 15:38

For the job as described? No.

Chequers · 12/05/2008 15:38

Message withdrawn

EffiePerine · 12/05/2008 15:41

I think there are a lot of companies trying to exploit people who want to work from home. If they won;t pay your expenses, what about when it comes to h&s assessments, management issues and all the rest?

BrownSuga · 12/05/2008 15:42

I don't think it's unusual. A work colleague of DH's went to London from NE for an interview (at int'l construct co) and had to pay himself. He got the job though. It might show them a good commitment. If it doesn't cause you too much hardship and you are keen, do it.

hattyyellow · 12/05/2008 15:47

I've never had travel reimbursed for first interviews...

Would you be an employee? I'm freelance so working from home is normal for me and wouldn't seem dodgy..

Original poster
Innat · 12/05/2008 15:49

Thanks for all your responses. The job is not dodgy. It's for a very well known national charity. Plus I already work from home (contract soon to end) so that doesn't worry me.

The interview is at 2pm and that's the only way i can get there and back in a day so that's ok.

Brownsuga - interested to hear you don't think it's uncommon. I'm also travelling from north east.

I would really love the job but tbh i was surprised to get an interview as my experience doesn't exactly match what they asked for. My worry is if i fork out and they already have an internal candidate or something lined up.

Does anyone know if i can ask them how many people they are interviewing?

OP posts:
Original poster
Innat · 12/05/2008 15:50

hatty - yes i would be an employee. I have to admit i was shocked when they told me but i didn't realise other places did that fairly routinely...

OP posts:
WilfSell · 12/05/2008 15:52

If it's a charity, perhaps understandable. But VERY unusual in the public sector not to pay expenses for any interview...

Original poster
Innat · 12/05/2008 15:56

Wilf - i've come from public sector/charities previously which is why i was quite surprised.

OP posts:
hattyyellow · 12/05/2008 15:59

I've worked with some charities and recruited for them also. I've found that for many roles there are limited candidates, possibly because the pay is often not as good as the public sector. I would hazard a guess that if they are interviewing you with less experience than required then you probably are of interest to them - but it's difficult to find out if there is an internal candidate isn't it? You don't have any moles who could do some digging?

It might be worth ringing for a chat with the person recruiting? Could you find an area that you wanted to get some clarification on/ask if they want you to bring examples of your work? And then get into the chat that you're really interested in the role, a little concerned about your lack of experience but really keen and feel you can meet the requirements..they might let something slip about why they've selected you for interview which might help you decide whether it's worth it?

I tried this for a job and it worked a treat - really depends on you and how you think they'd respond to this...

Have you also tried googling the organisation and job? I've done this before and found posts have been previously advertised so they're obviously struggling to recruit..

hattyyellow · 12/05/2008 16:00

Sorry x-posted, didn't mean to tell you anything you already know if you are already from charity background

Original poster
Innat · 12/05/2008 16:07

don't worry hatty - this is excellent advice. Thank you.
I don't have any moles. I'll wait for the info pack to arrive and them find some reason to phone - that's a really good idea to ask if i should bring some examples.
I imagine they'll have had lots of applicants but i think the work is fairly niche so that's why they might have chosen me and my "transferable skills" for interview

OP posts:
Joash · 12/05/2008 16:10

something very odd about a charity doesn't pay travel expenses for interview candidates. Srely if they are being managed properly, they will have included such expenses in their funding bids.

hattyyellow · 12/05/2008 16:13

Good luck!

somersetmum · 12/05/2008 16:17

I used to work for a very, very well known and respected charity and I was surprised to discover that each local branch was a charity in its own right. They received very little funding from the Central Organisation and had to raise all the money for their projects locally. If this is the case, they may well not be able to afford to pay your expenses. It would be worth checking they have got funding for the job in place too.

millie865 · 12/05/2008 16:37

it may be worth checking to see if you can get a cheaper ticket. One thing to do is to look at where the train stops on the journey and then get a ticket to that stop and a ticket on from that stop (on the same train).

Completely mad sounding but I've done this before and it has reduced the fare by over £100. this is particularly true if you are getting a train before 9.30. Choose a stop that you will get to after 9.30, then you only need to pay peak fare for the bit of the journey to that station and can get a saver ticket for the rest. www.moneysavingexpert.com has some other good tips.

I'm self employed and always have to pay for meetings with potential clients so have got very good at finding cheap fares!

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