Question:
Our team has a robotics coach not affiliated with the school. He gets a stipend twice each season. It is taken directly out of our robotics account.
Do your schools pay your stipend or does it come out of your money?
Thanks
Matt Rybar
I’ve never even heard of a team paying a person to be on their team. Both teams I’ve been on the mentors have been strictly volunteers. I see were a stipend would be nice for them but i don’t think that is in the spirit of * FIRST*
The BOE allocated $1600 for a teacher/advisor stipend. Believe it or not we can’t get a teacher to take it 
.
all of the firebirds mentors help the team because they want to. they donate their time, knowledge, and effort free of charge…which is good because we never have money =)
Its a policy at our school supposedly that all teachers/advisor’s/coaches for any sport or club recieve a 1500 stipend.
Matt
I’ve mentored two teams in the last five years. I do it because I love it. Being able to inspire students is more than enough compensation for me. This is my personal opinion.
Now, if a school district or team chooses to financially thank it’s coach/teacher/mentor, that is completely up to them and I support that decision as well.
Personally, if I were stipend, I would just roll it back into the team to help build a better robot at a lower cost to the team. But again, that is just me. I in no way would ask anyone to do the same. That would be up to the individual.
Giving a stipend (an extrinsic motivation) may be a bad idea for those mentors who are instrinsically motivated and do it because they enjoy it and like the feeling of helping out. After a while they may think they are doing it for the stipend and not for their previous reasons and not enjoy it as much and be less likely to help; also known as cognitive dissonance.
I’m almost positive this subject has been already discussed.
Our team pays out stipends to mentors/volunteers/teachers. We even have a scholarship program for outstanding students.
We dont think its a “bad” thing.
When mentors give up their vacation time year after year, take time off work, come in on weekends, summer, winter breaks, its the least we could do.
They do NOT ask for it. We give it to them willingly as a small token of our appreciation. Its similar to us giving TY cards, gift baskets, and other volunteer services to donors as a form of appreciation. We can never pay the “industry” standard in compensating for their services, but we certainly appreciate all that everyone does.
Our volunteers would do it anyway without any form of compensation. However, as a team leader, I always search for ways to give back and give some “aloha.”
Some teams may or may not agree. Its just our point of view.