I am applying for work at a large city away from where I am currently based.
I have 4 or 5 interviews lined up and I am wondering whether I could ask the companies to reimburse me for my travel expenses (for example after I have been unsuccessful).
Do you think that this would be normal to ask?
randomised
Jul 24, 19 7:52 pm
No, never heard of. If that would be normal I'd be applying all over the place...
Fivescore
Jul 24, 19 7:59 pm
That would not be at all normal to ask, and it would probably get your request posted online as an example of a clueless, entitled applicant!
But if they were the ones who originally contacted you (as opposed to you applying in response to an advertisement, or contacting them cold) then you could have asked at the time that you're scheduling the interview whether they would be willing to cover travel costs. They might not have agreed to it anyway, and that's their prerogative - but it's not abnormal to ask under those circumstances.
If you itemize your taxes then you can deduct job search expenses (there are some rules about the job you're applying to being further away from your home than the job you already have - but that would presumably be the case if you have any significant travel expenses.
atelier nobody
Jul 24, 19 7:59 pm
Nope. If you were at a high enough level that they're actively recruiting you, then they might offer, but you should never ask.
midlander
Jul 24, 19 9:11 pm
i've had this offered twice at different levels of experience. but in both cases the jobs were located in remote areas where attracting qualified staff was challenging. For a firm based in a major city there would be no reason to consider this unless they were pursuing you to leave a current job.
robhaw
Jul 24, 19 9:21 pm
My argument behind this is that if a company invites you to interview they are interested in you about as much as you are interested in them, so why not split the cost?
If you are planning to relocate to another city (for example for better career opportunities) and have several interviews lined up, you could spent a significant amount of money on train tickets without any guarantee that it will be worth it.
Bloopox
Jul 25, 19 12:05 pm
It's not unusual for firms to reimburse all or part of travel expenses to interview - especially if they made the initial contact. Even if they didn't make the initial contact, some firms will pay expenses if they're interested enough in a particular candidate. It's more common for firms to pay expenses for highly experienced people in hard-to-fill niches, than for more entry level applicants. It never hurts to politely try to negotiate with them to cover some or all of your travel costs, BUT that's something that is always arranged before you travel. It would be very much outside of normal professional conventions to ask for reimbursement for travel expenses after the fact, if you hadn't negotiated that with them before you went. If I were you I would not ask for reimbursement now, after they rejected you, if there was no agreement beforehand that they were going to help with travel costs. I'd chalk it up as a learning experience, and with future firms I'd broach the subject as soon as they start arranging an interview date with you.
JLC-1
Jul 25, 19 12:34 pm
plane tickets and hotel stays were paid the two times I moved countries for a job, for interviews and for relocation.
OddArchitect
Jul 25, 19 12:39 pm
I have had one firm pay to fly me to an interview and put me up into a hotel but they where actively courting me. I've had other firms be clear that they are not going pay for me to travel (MN to CO) for an interview.
If a firm makes you an offer then ask about them helping out with moving expenses.
I have seen firm add a contract to the moving stipend that if you leave firm before X number of months have passed then you have to pay the firm back the stipend money.
Flatfish
Jul 25, 19 12:40 pm
It doesn't sound like the original poster has gone to any of these interviews yet. If that's the case, he should approach the 4 or 5 firms about it now, before he travels, and see what he can negotiate, if anything. Some or all firms may say no, but there's nothing to be lost from trying, as long as he phrases his requests so they don't come across as demanding. Most of the weirdness that comes across from his post is because he's asking if he can wait until after the interviews, and ask the firms at that point - even firms that ultimately reject him. That's a definite no. You have to get it in writing upfront.
thisisnotmyname
Jul 25, 19 1:27 pm
I have only ever seen this done for work in very remote locations or very highly sought after recruits, and in those cases, the interviewing firm initiated the offer to pay for travel.
In my town, you would be lucky to get a firm to validate your parking when you interview.
In the USA, your job search related travel is no longer tax deductible, which sucks.
Bench
Jul 25, 19 2:00 pm
I have had a firm pay for flights to attend an interview (day-trip, 12 hour turnaround), however it was a unique situation and likely not common. They offered it up front, which seems to be key. Basically they will send you the flight details once the interview is confirmed; i dont think it would be likely for them to retroactively reimburse you.
poop876
Jul 25, 19 4:30 pm
Depends on the company and your position. Callison flew me out from Chicago to Seattle for an interview and reimbursed me for the flight and hotel, plus lunch and dinner with the directors.
Gloominati
Jul 26, 19 1:57 pm
I've had firms pay travel expenses, but they were all situations where the firm was using recruiters, so it was the recruiter who reached out to me first, not me making the first contact. Cannon, Mulvaney, and HOK all covered travel expenses for me. So did a branding firm whose name I don't even remember, who was hiring an architect for department store retrofits in the mid west. All of those were more than 10 years ago, so maybe it's not a thing that's happening as much these days - I'm not sure because I haven't interviewed lately - though that would be kind of surprising because we're in such a construction boom right now and so many firms are having trouble filling chairs. At that point I was no further than early-mid-career, so it didn't seem to be the case that travel reimbursement was reserved for only the most senior people - though it may have been reserved only for certain candidates, or maybe only for people to fill certain jobs in certain cities... who knows? I agree with others that you have to arrange it in advance, you can't ask after the interview!
If you do get them to offer travel expenses, it's ok to ask them if they can change any arrangements they make on their end - the worst they're going to do is say no. For instance when I flew to D.C. there were other firms I wanted to interview at, so I asked the firm that was flying me there if they could change my departure to a couple days later "because I'd like to take the opportunity to explore the city" and I said I'd cover the extra hotel nights. That way I was able to contact other firms and say "I'm going to be in the city on [dates X and Y] and I'd love to meet with you then" - and that's a pretty effective way to get interviews because they know that you're coming to their city, you've got a limited window, and they don't have to cover your travel. It gets them to schedule something quickly, if they're at all interested.
dingdong
Jul 31, 19 12:28 am
I've just had an interview in NYC and the HR directly offered to provide the accomodation (flight ticket, taxi from airport to the city, lunch, and one night lodging) or gave me options to book the flight by my own and send the receipt for reimbursement.
I also had one interview in Chicago yet the firm didn't offer any reimbursement or accomodation.
I would say, it depends on the firm and for the best you don't ask for reimbursement if they're not mention anything about it bcs they might perceive you as demanding.
starrchitect
Aug 5, 19 3:41 pm
Architects work on paper thin profits.
What makes you so fucking special to warrant travel reimbursements?
Bench
Aug 5, 19 4:56 pm
As others have stated, this isn't unusual.
OddArchitect
Aug 5, 19 5:08 pm
star, you're just jealous that no one's offered to pay your travel expenses.
BulgarBlogger
Aug 5, 19 5:00 pm
omg... this isn't the finance or banking world where architectural firms have money to burn. Unless you'll bring the firm a multi-billion dollar deal where the fee is 5% of the construction cost, you have no reason to think that you'll ever be reimbursed for your travel expenses to an interview. Get real.
OddArchitect
Aug 5, 19 6:24 pm
Have you not read the responses where people stated they where reimbursed for their travel expenses?
thisisnotmyname
Aug 5, 19 5:52 pm
If you think the person interviewing you is cute, ask to sleep at their place instead of a hotel.
sameolddoctor
Aug 5, 19 10:27 pm
Not uncommon for senior/intermediate positions, but very uncommon for junior positions. We just do Skype/GOTO meeting calls for junior interviewees. That said, you could ask politely if there was any compensation involved...
I am applying for work at a large city away from where I am currently based.
I have 4 or 5 interviews lined up and I am wondering whether I could ask the companies to reimburse me for my travel expenses (for example after I have been unsuccessful).
Do you think that this would be normal to ask?
No, never heard of. If that would be normal I'd be applying all over the place...
That would not be at all normal to ask, and it would probably get your request posted online as an example of a clueless, entitled applicant!
But if they were the ones who originally contacted you (as opposed to you applying in response to an advertisement, or contacting them cold) then you could have asked at the time that you're scheduling the interview whether they would be willing to cover travel costs. They might not have agreed to it anyway, and that's their prerogative - but it's not abnormal to ask under those circumstances.
If you itemize your taxes then you can deduct job search expenses (there are some rules about the job you're applying to being further away from your home than the job you already have - but that would presumably be the case if you have any significant travel expenses.
Nope. If you were at a high enough level that they're actively recruiting you, then they might offer, but you should never ask.
i've had this offered twice at different levels of experience. but in both cases the jobs were located in remote areas where attracting qualified staff was challenging. For a firm based in a major city there would be no reason to consider this unless they were pursuing you to leave a current job.
My argument behind this is that if a company invites you to interview they are interested in you about as much as you are interested in them, so why not split the cost?
If you are planning to relocate to another city (for example for better career opportunities) and have several interviews lined up, you could spent a significant amount of money on train tickets without any guarantee that it will be worth it.
It's not unusual for firms to reimburse all or part of travel expenses to interview - especially if they made the initial contact. Even if they didn't make the initial contact, some firms will pay expenses if they're interested enough in a particular candidate. It's more common for firms to pay expenses for highly experienced people in hard-to-fill niches, than for more entry level applicants. It never hurts to politely try to negotiate with them to cover some or all of your travel costs, BUT that's something that is always arranged before you travel.
It would be very much outside of normal professional conventions to ask for reimbursement for travel expenses after the fact, if you hadn't negotiated that with them before you went. If I were you I would not ask for reimbursement now, after they rejected you, if there was no agreement beforehand that they were going to help with travel costs. I'd chalk it up as a learning experience, and with future firms I'd broach the subject as soon as they start arranging an interview date with you.
plane tickets and hotel stays were paid the two times I moved countries for a job, for interviews and for relocation.
I have had one firm pay to fly me to an interview and put me up into a hotel but they where actively courting me. I've had other firms be clear that they are not going pay for me to travel (MN to CO) for an interview.
If a firm makes you an offer then ask about them helping out with moving expenses.
I have seen firm add a contract to the moving stipend that if you leave firm before X number of months have passed then you have to pay the firm back the stipend money.
It doesn't sound like the original poster has gone to any of these interviews yet. If that's the case, he should approach the 4 or 5 firms about it now, before he travels, and see what he can negotiate, if anything. Some or all firms may say no, but there's nothing to be lost from trying, as long as he phrases his requests so they don't come across as demanding. Most of the weirdness that comes across from his post is because he's asking if he can wait until after the interviews, and ask the firms at that point - even firms that ultimately reject him. That's a definite no. You have to get it in writing upfront.
I have only ever seen this done for work in very remote locations or very highly sought after recruits, and in those cases, the interviewing firm initiated the offer to pay for travel.
In my town, you would be lucky to get a firm to validate your parking when you interview.
In the USA, your job search related travel is no longer tax deductible, which sucks.
I have had a firm pay for flights to attend an interview (day-trip, 12 hour turnaround), however it was a unique situation and likely not common. They offered it up front, which seems to be key. Basically they will send you the flight details once the interview is confirmed; i dont think it would be likely for them to retroactively reimburse you.
Depends on the company and your position. Callison flew me out from Chicago to Seattle for an interview and reimbursed me for the flight and hotel, plus lunch and dinner with the directors.
I've had firms pay travel expenses, but they were all situations where the firm was using recruiters, so it was the recruiter who reached out to me first, not me making the first contact. Cannon, Mulvaney, and HOK all covered travel expenses for me. So did a branding firm whose name I don't even remember, who was hiring an architect for department store retrofits in the mid west. All of those were more than 10 years ago, so maybe it's not a thing that's happening as much these days - I'm not sure because I haven't interviewed lately - though that would be kind of surprising because we're in such a construction boom right now and so many firms are having trouble filling chairs. At that point I was no further than early-mid-career, so it didn't seem to be the case that travel reimbursement was reserved for only the most senior people - though it may have been reserved only for certain candidates, or maybe only for people to fill certain jobs in certain cities... who knows? I agree with others that you have to arrange it in advance, you can't ask after the interview!
If you do get them to offer travel expenses, it's ok to ask them if they can change any arrangements they make on their end - the worst they're going to do is say no. For instance when I flew to D.C. there were other firms I wanted to interview at, so I asked the firm that was flying me there if they could change my departure to a couple days later "because I'd like to take the opportunity to explore the city" and I said I'd cover the extra hotel nights. That way I was able to contact other firms and say "I'm going to be in the city on [dates X and Y] and I'd love to meet with you then" - and that's a pretty effective way to get interviews because they know that you're coming to their city, you've got a limited window, and they don't have to cover your travel. It gets them to schedule something quickly, if they're at all interested.
I've just had an interview in NYC and the HR directly offered to provide the accomodation (flight ticket, taxi from airport to the city, lunch, and one night lodging) or gave me options to book the flight by my own and send the receipt for reimbursement.
I also had one interview in Chicago yet the firm didn't offer any reimbursement or accomodation.
I would say, it depends on the firm and for the best you don't ask for reimbursement if they're not mention anything about it bcs they might perceive you as demanding.
Architects work on paper thin profits.
What makes you so fucking special to warrant travel reimbursements?
As others have stated, this isn't unusual.
star, you're just jealous that no one's offered to pay your travel expenses.
omg... this isn't the finance or banking world where architectural firms have money to burn. Unless you'll bring the firm a multi-billion dollar deal where the fee is 5% of the construction cost, you have no reason to think that you'll ever be reimbursed for your travel expenses to an interview. Get real.
Have you not read the responses where people stated they where reimbursed for their travel expenses?
If you think the person interviewing you is cute, ask to sleep at their place instead of a hotel.
Not uncommon for senior/intermediate positions, but very uncommon for junior positions. We just do Skype/GOTO meeting calls for junior interviewees. That said, you could ask politely if there was any compensation involved...