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Employer Tuition Assistance |
One of the best ways out to get someone else to pay for the student’s education is to apply for one of the tuition assistance programs. Nowadays there exists a wide choice of such programs. It should be pointed out that the larger the company, the better plan. Such companies as Citigroup, General Electric, Helwett Packard and Motorolla are considered to have very generous tuition assistance plans. Ideally the best tuition assistance would: Provide tuition assistance for the student’s undergraduate level work, graduate level work or his continuing education; Arrange for 100 percent payment up – front for each course of the student; Cover all related expenses, such as curriculum and other materials, necessary for study. All the tuition assistance programs are based upon the potential employer’s objectives for recruiting, productivity and retention. As for the benefits, each company is considered to have its own ones; therefore, it is also possible that they can be different in different divisions of the same company. In order to find out about everything, it is necessary to make an appointment and have a talk with the human resources specialist about al the employer’s caveats, rules and restrictions. For some reason or another, as a rules the benefits are not widely or enthusiastically promoted, and only in case if someone runs into a very proactive superviseor, who is really interested in the potential worker’s professional development, it is possible to take the advantage of this benefit. And the reality is that the great majority of employers toil away in call centers, branch offices or sales offices for years and they do not even have any idea that there is any tuition assistance policy. In accordance with the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, somewhat less than 15 percent of all eligible employees are actually able to use any of their tuition assistance benefits. It is possible that the tuition assistance would be covered in an extremely general sense in the employee handbook a worker is given his first week on the job. And it is necessary to mention that it is really worth taking the time to look through it before the meeting with HR takes place. Still, policies and benefits may have changed partially or even completely. And in order to be able to make the best decisions about the education, it is necessary to be armed with the precise and current information. Your employer may possibly require you to: 1. Choose from some strictly selected group of colleges or universities; 2. Enroll in some course of study, which has the direct relation to your job; 3. Pay all the tuition fees yourself and await reimbursement after you have completed the course successfully; although, it should be noted that there are employers who do not reimburse 100 percent of the tuition fees. As a rule they only reimburse at least up to 80 percent. 4. Pay any tuition fees, which exceed an annual cap of $5,250 or even less; 5. Earn a “C” or better; 6. Pay all the tuition fees back in case if you leave this job. In case if you happen to be fortunate and work for a Fortune 500 company, which is equipped with its own online course offering, fitness center and even onsite daycare, all the plan is in place already, and then all you have to do is simply to follow it. However, in accordance with the statistical data, taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 38 percent of all employees work in companies, in which there are 100 employees or less. And if the company you work for is so small, that there is no even an HR department in it, it is a good bet there is no tuition assistance plan either. Depending on the state in which the company you work or are going to work for exists, the employer may be eligible to receive tax credits and tax deductions for providing training or tuition assistance programs to his employees. |