About Bank Contracts

Here we explain in a little more detail about the bank (zero hours) contract we offer for the Cycling Instructor role. Please also see our introductory information about Becoming a Cycling Instructor and the other type of contract we offer, which is an annualised hours contract.

What is a bank (zero hours) contract?

Bank (zero hours) contracts are a more flexible type of employment contract . You are not given any minimum working hours and you do not have to take any work offered. The work we offer depends on the training requests we receive from our customers. Although training is undertaken all year round, some times of the year are busier than others.

So the amount you are paid will vary from month to month.

How will I be paid?

Your salary will be paid into your bank account once a month, on or around the 22nd of each month.

Do I get annual leave?

It is assumed you take your leave outside the hours you work, so you do not book annual leave. Instead, a leave allowance is added on to your pay, which for new employees is 15% of your pay.

How many hours a year will I work?

As mentioned above, you are not guaranteed any working hours. But you can also discuss your preferred working pattern with us and make yourself available according to your preferences.

Can I work just one or two days per week?

Not normally. Many of our school courses are run over five sessions, Monday to Friday. Generally, you need to be available for a full week to be offered work. You do not need to available for the whole day, you could be available for morning-only or afternoon-only work. And you do not need to be available every week. Having said that, some of our courses run for one, two or three days.

How do I show you my availability?

Instructors have an online calendar. You mark days that you are unavailable on the calendar. When we receive a training request, we look at the calendars to see who is available to do the work.

How far in advance will I be allocated work?

Many of our courses are planned a year or more in advance and they will show on your schedule. However, we do not ask you to commit a year in advance. We run a system of provisionally accepting work three months in advance and confirming your availability two weeks in advance. At the same time, we receive requests for training at shorter notice and if you are available, you may be allocated that work.

How far will I have to travel?

Our standard 'working patch' is a 10-mile travelling distance from your home but that can be discussed if you would like it to be different.

Do I have to work in the school holidays?

No. You can choose to but there is no obligation, as we recognise many people have caring responsibilities in the holidays. There is also no obligation to work weekends or evenings - we are only rarely asked to run weekend or evening training anyway.

How is this different to an annualised hours contract?

1. Both bank (zero hours) contracts and annualised hours contracts are permanent contracts and have the same rate of pay.
2. The main difference is that with a bank (zero hours) contract, you can choose a more flexible working pattern that might fit around other things you do.
3. The other side of the coin with a bank (zero hours) contract is that you are not guaranteed work.