What is a Big Blue Swim School franchisee obligated to do regarding training for their school employees?
Big_Blue_Swim_School Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You are responsible for paying your employees' wages, benefits, and TRE while they attend training. We will give you information about the number of hours your employees are actively involved in classroom and in-School training, and you are responsible for evaluating any other information you believe you need to ensure your employees are accurately paid during training. You also are responsible for maintaining workers' compensation insurance over your employees during training and must send us proof of that insurance before a given training program begins.
Our training program may include a "train the trainer" module so that your senior-level personnel can learn how to train your other employees to follow our Brand Standards.
The School always must have on staff at least one (1) fully-trained person (also known as a "Certified Manager"). Any general manager must be a Certified Manager. If this is your first BIG BLUE Swim School, you must have at least (2) Certified Managers for at least the first six (6) months of operations. If you replace an existing Certified Manager, the new manager must attend and satisfactorily complete Initial Training within ninety (90) days after being hired in order to become a Certified Manager. You must pay our then-current training fee to provide Initial Training to your new manager.
We will send an "opening team" (involving the number of people we determine) to the School in connection with its opening to the public for business for at least three (3) days (typically starting before and continuing after actual opening), as we deem best under the circumstances, if this Agreement covers your first or second BIG BLUE Swim School. For your third and each subsequent BIG BLUE Swim School, we may (but have no obligation to) send an opening team for some amount of time we deem reasonable. The opening team will help you train your supervisory employees on our philosophy and Brand Standards (but not matters relating to labor relations and employment practices) and prepare the School for opening.
You are responsible for their compensation and TRE during their attendance.
(3) adequate staffing levels to operate the School in compliance with Brand Standards, appearance of School personnel, conducting criminal background checks and due diligence on the School's employees (although you alone will review the results and make employment decisions on the basis of those results), and courteous service to customers.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD pages 75–76)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Big Blue Swim School FDD, franchisees have several obligations regarding training for their school employees. The franchisee is responsible for paying their employees' wages, benefits, and travel and lodging expenses (TRE) while they attend training programs. Big Blue Swim School will provide information about the number of hours employees spend in classroom and in-school training, but the franchisee must ensure employees are accurately paid during training. Additionally, franchisees must maintain workers' compensation insurance for their employees during training and provide proof of this insurance before training begins.
Big Blue Swim School may include a "train the trainer" module in its initial training program, enabling senior-level personnel to train other employees in accordance with brand standards. The school must always have at least one fully-trained person on staff, known as a Certified Manager, and any general manager must hold this certification. For the first six months of operation, a franchisee's first Big Blue Swim School must have at least two Certified Managers. If a Certified Manager is replaced, the new manager must complete initial training within 90 days of being hired and the franchisee must pay the then-current training fee.
Big Blue Swim School may send an opening team to a franchisee's first or second school to help train supervisory employees on the company's philosophy and brand standards. For subsequent schools, Big Blue Swim School may choose to send an opening team. The franchisee is responsible for the compensation and TRE for their Managing Owner, general managers, and assistant managers to attend any required ongoing training courses and programs. The franchisee is also responsible for ensuring adequate staffing levels to operate the school in compliance with brand standards.