Franchise training: scope, costs and your rights before you buy

“We provide training” is not enough to judge how well you will be prepared to run an outlet. Before buying a franchise, establish who will be trained, what they will actually learn and who will pay for repeat sessions. Sharing skills is an important part of the franchise relationship, but specific entitlements should be set out in the agreement, not just in the brand’s sales presentation.

1. Turn the promise of training into a specific programme

Start by distinguishing between three services: training for the owner, training for staff and support during the outlet’s first few days of operation. None is a substitute for the others. A session lasting a few hours for the franchisee does not mean their team will be able to serve customers independently, reconcile sales and handle complaints.

Ask for a programme showing which sessions involve practical work. Establish the expected outcome of each module: not simply “understanding procedures”, but, for example, delivering a service independently, completing the end-of-day sales procedures or accepting a delivery in line with the network’s rules.

An appendix to the agreement should specify:

• who will attend and how many places the fee covers;
• the topics, duration and format of the sessions;
• the training venue and how dates will be agreed;
• any preparation required of participants;
• the materials available after the sessions;
• how participants’ newly acquired skills will be assessed and confirmed.

Also check who delivers the training. Experience of running an operating outlet may offer something quite different from familiarity with a sales presentation. Ask whether practical training takes place in a working outlet, at a training workstation or solely through demonstrations. Each method can be useful, but it should match the tasks you will later perform.

2. Calculate the full cost of training your team

The phrase “training included in the initial fee” does not explain every expense. It may cover only one person, a particular date or part of the programme. Ask for a written breakdown of what is included, along with a separate price list for additional services stating whether prices include or exclude VAT.

Your budget should cover more than payments to head office. Check the costs of travel, accommodation, materials used during practical exercises and wages for staff attending the training. If training takes team members away from their day-to-day duties, allow for cover. How employees’ training time is treated for working-time and pay purposes must be assessed under the Polish Labour Code, depending on the nature of the training and the basis on which they attend.

The rules on staff turnover are particularly important. Establish whether you can train new employees yourself or whether they must attend a paid course at head office. Also ask about minimum participant numbers, the cost per place and the option of training at your own outlet.

Prepare two cost estimates: one for training your initial team and another for training replacement staff later on. This lets you compare brands on the actual cost of maintaining skills, rather than just the appeal of the start-up package. Do not treat your own time as free: a trip lasting several days also limits your ability to look after the local business.

3. Establish the rules for assessments and further training

If the franchisor requires participants to pass an assessment before they can start work, find out the criteria before signing the agreement. These should specify the skills being tested, the assessment method, who makes the decision and how to challenge the result. A general statement that participants must “meet the brand’s expectations” leaves too much uncertainty.

Agree what happens if someone fails. Will they receive feedback on their mistakes? Are they entitled to further practice? How much does a resit cost, and when can it take place? Distinguish between a participant being inadequately prepared and the promised training programme not having been delivered.

Set out separate terms for further training during the franchise relationship. Establish which courses are compulsory, how much notice you will receive and whether their prices are specified in the agreement or an agreed price list. Also check how long access to the learning platform remains available and whether the materials can be used to train new staff internally.

An internal franchise certificate does not replace qualifications, authorisations or training required by law for a particular business activity. Business owners should check these requirements separately rather than assume that the franchise package automatically covers them.

4. Make training obligations enforceable

In Poland, a franchise agreement is an “unnamed contract”: it is not a separately defined contract type under the Civil Code. There is no separate statute setting out a compulsory franchise training package, nor a specific statutory disclosure document required for every franchise. The Polish Civil Code is central, including the principle of freedom of contract under Article 353¹. That freedom has limits: the agreement’s terms must not conflict with the law, the nature of the legal relationship or the principles of social coexistence.

Put the agreed scope of training in the agreement or an appendix. Specify how completed sessions will be documented and how shortcomings should be reported. It is worth setting a deadline for remedying them and agreeing how any undelivered part of the service will be accounted for financially. A signature on an attendance sheet should not replace confirmation that the full programme has been delivered.

Failure to fulfil obligations, or inadequate performance, may give grounds for claims under general legal rules, particularly Article 471 of the Polish Civil Code. Compensation is not automatic, however: the conditions for liability, the evidence and the contract terms all matter. Nor should you assume that a failure to provide training allows you to withhold all franchise fees unilaterally.

Practical takeaway: before buying a franchise, agree a single appendix covering the programme, participants, full costs, skills assessment and remedies for shortcomings. Only then can you assess what “training included” really means.