<p>I was wondering if anybody here has taken advantage of tuition reimbursement through their current employer? </p>
<p>When I was in the process of getting my first B.S, I worked full time and the company I was working for at the time paid for a large amount of my tuition. </p>
<p>In addition, I worked at UPS part time for a while and they used to have a very good tuition reimbursement plan.</p>
<p>I guess, I am interested in getting certifications like Lean Six Sigma and maybe get a Masters in an area more related to Operations/Supply Chain Management.</p>
<p>I have looked at several job postings and I don't even see tuition reimbursement mentioned anymore. Back in 2003, it was a very popular benefit. Have a lot of companies eliminated this benefit?</p>
<p>My company still has that benefit. They will reimburse to a maximum of $5,250/year (which is a limit for tax purposes). It is weird though. They won’t pay for certifications but will pay for classes that will be usefu; on the job or working towards a degree. They did directly pay for me to become a Certified ScrumMaster.</p>
<p>Most companies are keeping things like tuition reimbursement close to the vest, it is something you can ask about when you have an offer in hand. My company still has it, and I have yet to hear of a major engineering employer without it, although small companies are and always be a gamble.</p>
<p>Now, I know that my company will pay for a masters in your current field (or close to it), but I am not sure about certifications. They explicitly restrict paying for the MBA - they will only do it under special circumstances, with people they value and trust (or contractually bind), as new MBA grads tend to seek new employment!</p>
<p>I asked about tuition reimbursement benefit before they even told me my salary :)) when I hired in.</p>
<p>The biggest question to ask is whether the benefit is ‘manager discretion’ or ‘corporate policy’. The first is pretty much a NO meaning that it’s on the books but management rarely approves it. The second is what we’ve known all along.</p>
<p>For the life of me I have no idea why we keep offering it since everyone has bailed soon after they receive their degree. </p>
<p>The company I worked for was always changing their tuition reimbursement plan over time. The plan went something like this a few years back when I retired.</p>
<p>They would pay your tuition for classes that were within your job category (so no MBAs for engineers). The company required that you submit paperwork stating what class you were proposing to take and its relevance to your job. They would then preapprove the class for reimbursement. (if it was a degree program, then you could submit the entire list of classes for the degree at one time for preapproval) The class had to be graded and you needed a passing grade to get reimbursed. You would receive the money about 2 weeks after you submitted the final grade report and all the rest of the company forms.</p>
<p>If you obtained an advanced degree, the company would also give you $5000 in company stock as a bonus for completing the degree. The stock was held for you by the company and you couldn’t cash it out for a period of time. I think it was about two years. If you left the company before the two year period, then you forfeited the stock.</p>
<p>I earned an MBA (as an engineer). My employer would literally pay for any college coursework that was part of a planned degree program, up to the $5250 limit mentioned earlier. The catch was that if you left the company within a year of any reimbursement you would have to pay it back, and in subsequent years, the amount was reduced by 25%, so it would take 5 years to be completely clear. I did end up changing jobs before the 5 years was up, and I just asked my new employer to give me a starting bonus to pay off my debt.</p>