"I used to spend nearly four full workdays each month on contractor payments. Now I can do it in a single day around 10 hours in total.”
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Challenge
As Austral Education Group expanded into new regions, managing contractor payroll became increasingly complex. Manual processes, inconsistent invoices, and high bank fees made payments slow, error-prone, and frustrating for the finance team and contractors.
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Solution
By extending its payroll partnership with Papaya Global into Payments, Austral gained bulk uploads, on-demand processing, wallet-based funding, and real-time visibility ensuring faster, more accurate payments across 30+ global locations.
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Results
Austral cut contractor payment processing time by 80%, saving over $18K annually on bank fees, while delivering flexible, on-time payments that boosted contractor satisfaction worldwide.
Company
Founded in 2005, Austral Education Group designs and delivers global academic travel programs, experiential learning, and online education solutions. With a presence in more than 30 locations worldwide, Austral partners with leading MBA and EMBA programs to create high-impact immersions and consulting experiences. Unlike traditional providers, Austral manages the entire journey end-to-end from world-class academic content to the travel and cultural experiences that make learning truly unforgettable.
The company employs more than 200 employees and contractors, who support faculty-led programs, consulting projects, and cultural immersions.
Challenge
As Austral expanded into new regions, including Asia, its contractor workforce grew rapidly. Managing payroll across so many countries has become increasingly difficult. Contractors generated invoices in inconsistent formats, often with errors or incorrect bank details.
Paying contractors was a major pain point. Payments had to be processed manually by the finance team, creating delays and stress. Contractors were also tied to rigid payroll-like schedules, which left no room for last-minute hires or urgent corrections.
Bank fees varied wildly, with some contractors charged more than $100 per transfer, and the process consumed valuable time.
Solution
Austral was already running payroll with Papaya, so expanding into Payments was the natural next step. The HR team, already confident in the payroll experience, saw an opportunity to bring the same speed and control to their contractor workforce.
“We trusted Papaya with our payroll, so it just made sense to extend that trust to Payments. We knew it would give us the same efficiency and reliability for contractors.”
Nayda Barrios, Payroll Specialist, Austral Education Group
Bulk uploads and on-demand payments
With Papaya, Austral moved away from rigid payroll-like cycles. Contractor payments can now be uploaded in bulk and processed whenever needed, eliminating last-minute bottlenecks and giving the company freedom to run payments on its own terms. As Nayda explains, “I no longer have to rely on finance or chase approvals. With Papaya, I can process payments myself whenever they’re needed.”
Wallet-based funding
Austral uses Papaya Wallets to segment payments by region and project, making it easier to track spending, manage seasonal hires, and maintain control across more than 60 contractors in multiple countries. As Nayda puts it, “I can separate contractors by groups and wallets, so I always know exactly who is being paid and when.”
Real-time visibility
The platform provides full transparency into each contractor payment. Nayda can monitor every status update in one clean dashboard, helping her quickly identify issues and stay confident that transfers are arriving on time.
Global coverage
Papaya ensures reliable payments no matter where contractors are located. Transfers to Chile, Vietnam, and even Serbia are delivered quickly, often in just hours. This global reach gave Austral confidence to scale into new regions without payment delays.
Dedicated support
Papaya worked closely with Austral to adapt the platform to our processes, resulting in a solution shaped around our specific needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Beyond customization, the Papaya team was available throughout the transition, providing hands-on guidance during onboarding and payment runs. Support was consistently responsive and proactive, ensuring payments kept moving without disruption.
Impact
The benefits were immediate. Contractor payments that once took 96 hours now take just 10 hours. Transaction costs fell by 70–80%, saving Austral more than $1,500 each month.
“I once forgot a contractor’s payment and sent it late. They received it in under an hour. I couldn’t believe how fast it was.”
Accuracy also improved. In her first payment cycle, Nayda processed more than 60 contractor payments with only one platform error and a handful of small human mistakes. The clean interface made the entire process easier to manage, while dashboards allowed payments to be grouped and tracked in real time.
“If a contractor needs to be paid on the 25th instead of the 30th, I just log in and make it happen. No tickets, no exceptions, no delays.”
Contractor satisfaction
With faster, more reliable payments, contractors noticed the change immediately. Adjustments that once took weeks were resolved within hours, improving satisfaction and building trust across Austral’s global workforce.
“Contractors used to lose $10, $20, even $140 in unpredictable bank fees. With Papaya, we’ve eliminated almost all of those charges,” said Nayda.
Eliminating surprise fees not only saved contractors money but also removed a major source of frustration. For many, it was the first time their pay arrived in full and on time.
“Before, I’d get complaints almost every cycle. Now I get thank-yous. Contractors feel valued because their pay arrives on time, every time,” Nayda mentioned.
This shift from complaints to appreciation strengthened Austral’s relationship with its contingent workforce and gave the team confidence to expand into new regions without worrying about payment friction.
