Did you know that many employers reimburse employees for taking classes for college credits? This is a great way to take the classes you need without having to pay the full amount to take them – and so much easier to manage with so many online classes available. The good news is that you don’t even have to be a top level employee to take advantage of tuition assistance options that your employer provides.
Scholarships Help Students Get Through School
Companies that employ a lot of younger people may offer scholarship programs to their employees. This helps the employer because the employee must work a certain amount of hours to keep the scholarship money. As an employee, you win because you get free money to go to school just for working your normal schedule each week.
How much money can you possibly get? Wegmans, a Rochester, NY based company, gives students $1,500 a semester to go to school. That is enough for several student loan payments. If you go to community college, that could almost take care of the entire tuition.
Employers May Offer Tuition Reimbursement Through A Partnership With Your School
You may be able to get an internship with a company that has a partnership with your school. Instead of getting paid to work, you will get a reduction in your college tuition. You may also get college credit as well. When you have graduated from school, you may have the ability to find a job with the company that you worked for during school. Everyone can benefit from such an arrangement.
All Employees Can Get Assistance Through The TAP Program
If you are an employee at a larger company, you may be able to take advantage of the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). This program allows your employer to pay for books, tuition and other expenses that you would incur from going to school to improve your career.
You generally just need to ask your HR representative about enrolling in this program. An even better reason to ask for this assistance is that it may be tax-deductible. You may be able to deduct as much as $5,250 a year. This means that you can get money for college without having to worry about going into the next tax bracket.
Employers May Send Employees With Potential To College For Free
Employers want to train and develop their own employees. This saves on training costs and ensures that a person who is familiar with the company values will be around for years to come. However, a company may not be able to promote an employee unless that employee has certain credentials or certifications.
You could be asked to go to school to get your advanced degree or certification in a certain area of your field. Don’t balk at the suggestion that you go to school to benefit the company. There is a good chance that your employer will pay your tuition if you are asked to take additional classes.
Keep in mind that many employers will reimburse employees for continuing education. This helps you because it keeps your schedule open to come to work as well as have some free time for yourself when you are not at work or studying. Keep in mind that finishing your online degree or certification is going to take as little as 18 months if you work hard enough at it.
Why Do Employers Reimburse Employees for College?
You have to think about any request to further your education from the point of view of your boss. If he can claim that a high percentage of his employees are college educated, he may look better himself.
Your boss may also encourage you to take some online classes because it will use up the training budget for the year. In many companies, a department can have its budget slashed if it doesn’t use its full budget from the previous year. However, budgets can go up if all the money is shown to be used.
Whatever the reason for your employer asking you to go to school, you should take the opportunity to get an education for free or at a reduced cost. When you have graduated, you have your degree for the rest of your life. That degree is a marketable asset that you can use when you apply for jobs in the future.
It is never easy to be in a position where you cannot afford to go to school to get ahead at work. However, you should be taking advantage of programs that will allow you to get money for college from your employer. There are many different opportunities available to you. This is not a gift or free money that the company is giving to you as a generous gift. It is an investment in your future with the company. Make the most of your opportunity to shine in the spotlight.