Work might pay for my Masters course and in return I’d agree to stay for a period of time afterwards. It relatively common practice in bigger companies I think, but they don’t have a set policy and It’s complicated by the fact that it is a part time course so I don’t have a fixed end point.

Does anyone have experience of this, or any advice? I was thinking that for every year they pay for then I’ll stay for that year plus one more. So if the course takes two years they get me for three…any gaping flaws in this logic?

Work paid for my degree, & probably would have paid for a Masters, but I’d had enough of uni by then. 🙂
They made some folk sign agreements, but in reality they’ve never enforced any when said folk have wanted to leave.

I had a second degree paid for by my work. The ‘policy’ was i had to stay two years after finishing but i dont know how this would play out if i quit. How can they inforce it as i never signed any agreement.

I wouldnt worry to much, the bigger issue is do you want to do it and have you got the time to do it. I was a yes with the first bit but the time is a killer. Im the long run it paid off though.

😀

My last job paid for a Masters, distance learning. I had to agree to stay for 2 years after otherwise pay them back the money they’d spent on a sliding scale (each month I stayed I had to pay back 1/24th less of the total). In the end I actually left during the course and they wiped out most of my debt, my next employer took up the rest of it (I made that a condition of me accepting the job).
Current employer is paying half of the fees for a different Masters, I have to pay the rest, but I get one afternoon a week paid study leave. I think with this one the ‘rules’ are pretty much the same, although no one has actually made me sign anything…

My previous company were happy to pay for my MBA via the OU.
That was on a sliding scale if I left but I left before I completed it.

Are they asking you to come up with the plan? if not,as others have said, don’t push it, try not to sign anything and just get on with the masters and doing a great job at work as well. The rest will look after itself.

God, I sound like my dad. 🙂

Kev

I doubt that any of these aggrements even if in writing and signed are enforcable. It would interesting if anyone had quit to see if an employer had tried to reclaim any money – i doubt it.

Cheers for the responses. I’ve been doing my MSc for about 6 month now – it’s supposed to take a year to do the PGC, then there’s a PGD and a project – I reckon another 2 years. I don’t want to sign on for another four years so the sliding repayments might just work. Fingers crossed.

My work paid for mine – it took 2 years part time and I am tied into stay for 1 year after completion.

My other half did it part time in 2 years, no clauses in contract. She did work at the uni though.

My work didn’t pay for mine. I had to sell my home to pay for it! Cost me £40k all in but it was worth every penny.

Spouse had some paid for and some time off to do his, good old NHS, it was a few years ago mind.

Cost me £40k all in but it was worth every penny.

For a masters?! WTF did you do? Self funded antarctic field trips?

Previous employer paid for my MBA. Was meant to pay it back when i left but nobody asked and I didn’t mention it…

Work paid for mine, on the condition I stayed for a minimum 12 months upon completion…..they made me redundant four months after completing it.

Work paid for mine, signed a repayment if I left clause, but was advised they were unenforceable. Still there though 6 yrs after completing it.

Work payed for my MSc and gave me a day a week study leave to attend lectures and extra leave for field trips etc. Worked out fine just make sure the course is the right one for you. Go for it!

For a masters?! WTF did you do? Self funded antarctic field trips?

Full time MBA at a pretty good school. Two year programme, £25k course fees, £15 living costs.

Nope – had to pay for it myself which I am just about to pay off….thankfully.

It’s hard work doing a Masters whilst working but can be very rewarding if it’s in a field of interest. Don’t underestimate the network you’ll gain as a result either.

However a classmate not only had her fees paid by her employer but also her books, her travel costs to get to class as well as paid time off to study. Nice if you can get it…

I’m studying Operational Research which tends to mean two hours a night of hardcore maths after a full day of work. It’s like having a part time job that I pay for if that makes sense. Think I will see if they’ll pay the full whack and I’ll agree to stay a year after completion.

They’ll be paying for my MBA next year. It’s all company paid but for three years after the course is finished, I’d have to repay a certain amount if I left, which decreases over the three year period.

The university dept i used to work in ran a few masters course and one was 80% people doing it part time funded by their employers. Teaching was 2 days a week 4-6, sometimes a bit later.