Who is responsible for covering the compensation and expenses for training required by Big Blue Swim School?
Big_Blue_Swim_School Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
ntation and Training Programs
If this is your first BIG BLUE Swim School, your Managing Owner must attend a 2-day initial orientation session on the BIG BLUE Swim School franchise system at our principal business address or another designated location before you open the School. Your Managing Owner and a School general manager and assistant manager also must attend and complete to our satisfaction our initial training program before opening the School for business. The School always must have on staff at least 2 fully-trained (or "certified") managers for the first 6 months of operations; after that, the School must have on staff one person who is fully trained. (Franchise Agreement—Section 6.A) We will conduct the initial training program at our designated training location and/or through video and other electronic means. We expect training (which currently is approximately 4 weeks long) to occur after you sign the Franchise Agreement and while you develop the School. We plan to be flexible in scheduling training to accommodate our and your personnel. There currently are no fixed (i.e., monthly or bi-monthly) training schedules. We use a learning-management system and other training aids during the training program. Your training attendees must complete training at least 60 days before the School's scheduled opening date.
If you replace an existing Certified Manager, the new manager must attend and satisfactorily complete initial training within 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 provide the initial orientation and training programs for your Managing Owner and 3 other people for no additional fee. We have the right to charge our then-current training fee for each person (after 4) you send to initial training. You must pay your employees' wages, benefits, and travel, hotel, and food expenses while they attend training. Our training program may include a "train the trainer" module so your senior-level personnel can learn how to train your other employees in our Brand Standards.
If your Managing Owner or any general manager or assistant manager cancels participation in any training class for which he or she pre-registers and pays us a training fee, we will not refund or reimburse the training fee you paid. If participation is cancelled more than 2 weeks before the class or program is scheduled to begin, we will apply one-half of the training fee as a credit toward
the fees due for a future training class or program that your Managing Owner, general managers, or assistant managers attend. However, if participation is cancelled 2 weeks or less before the class or program is scheduled to begin, you will receive no credit at all toward future training fees. If your Managing Owner, general manager, or assistant manager cancels participation in any training class that is part of the initial training we provide for no additional fee after granting you the franchise, you must pay us a cancellation fee. The cancellation fee is one-half of our thenapplicable training fee per person if the person cancels more than 2 weeks before the class or program is scheduled to begin and 100% of our then-applicable training fee per person if the person cancels 2 weeks or less before the class or program is scheduled to begin. (Franchise Agreement— Section 6.F)
The following chart describes our current initial training program, which we may modify for the particular trainees:
TRAINING PROGRAM
| Obligation | Section in agreement | Disclosure document item |
|---|---|---|
| x. |
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 37–51)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Big Blue Swim School's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the responsibility for compensation and expenses during training varies depending on the type of training and the personnel involved. For the initial orientation and training programs, Big Blue Swim School provides these programs at no additional fee for the Managing Owner and three other people. However, the franchisee is responsible for covering the wages, benefits, travel, hotel, and food expenses for their employees while they attend training. If the franchisee sends more than four people to the initial training, they must pay Big Blue Swim School's then-current training fee for each additional person.
If a Certified Manager is replaced, the new manager must attend and satisfactorily complete initial training within 90 days of being hired to maintain their certified status. The franchisee is responsible for paying Big Blue Swim School's then-current training fee for the new manager's initial training. Additionally, if the Managing Owner, general manager, or assistant manager cancels participation in a training class for which they pre-registered and paid a training fee, Big Blue Swim School will not refund or reimburse the fee. However, if the cancellation occurs more than two weeks before the class, one-half of the training fee may be credited towards future training.
Big Blue Swim School also sends an "opening team" to the franchisee's location for at least three days around the school's opening to train supervisory employees on the Big Blue Swim School's philosophy and brand standards. Big Blue Swim School covers the wages, travel, hotel, and living expenses for their opening team. However, if the franchisee requests additional or special guidance, assistance, or training during this opening phase (excluding training related to labor relations and employment practices), the franchisee must pay Big Blue Swim School's then-current training fee, which cannot exceed $750 per trainer per day, plus the trainer's daily charges, including wages, travel, hotel, and living expenses. Big Blue Swim School retains the right to delay the school's opening until all required training is completed satisfactorily.