Leaving job, repaying training fees

bristol_pilot

A season ticket is £1,800 per year. Still about 2 months take-home pay for someone on £14k.

bodmil

You're likely to get a season ticket loan from work. Could you really get a better paying job in Trowbridge to offset the refund you'll have to pay? For lower income jobs I would have thought relocating to Bristol would offer much more opportunity anyway.

Savvy_Sue

Can you car share the commute? sorry, academic now I guess ...

smileylondongal

It would be worth speaking to the HR advisor for your office (I assume the Talent & Learning team contacted you directly about this) and see if they could intervene to help you. I doubt you'd have this money waived but what I was getting at was really to get a specific amount of money you'd need to pay back and to see if you could negotiate instalments based on the situation you've described above.

They don't have to consider the latter request as you signed the TA however you won't know until you try and at least then you'd know the exact situation you were facing. Hope it all works out for the best.

DVardysShadow

invisibleyousee wrote: »

I signed a learning agreement for these fees last Spring (Spring 2010). However, in October/November 2010, the company then put us all under consultation for redundancy, the process was long and drawn out and didn't conclude until the Spring of 2011. We were then told we may be moving to the Bristol office, which then eventually happened in May 2011.

I am surprised that you signed a learning agreement for fees in retrospect. Are you sure it covers fees prior to signing?

I think May 2011 or earlier would have been the time to have acted. Did you raise the matter of the fees in the consultation? Personally, I think I would have refused the move in your circumstances and let it go where it may.

invisibleyousee

Hi all,

The train isn't a financially viable option - by the time I factor in travel costs to get to and from the train station at each end, it is no cheaper than driving and takes longer.

I mentioned my tuition fees in the consultation, but nobody ever gave me an answer. I was not in a position to refuse the relocation - I couldn't afford to not have a job (who else is going to pay the mortage etc), so had to stay until I could find an alternative.

I am still waiting for them to tell me what the final sum they will be taking is - I have asked repeatedly in person and in writing.

I had no choice by to sign a learning agreement for the fees when I applied in Spring 2010 if I wanted to go to Uni - at the time I had no idea that the office would be re-locating the Bristol! If I had known that, I wouldn't have applied. Indeed - I didn't apply this year for fees for this September since I knew it would be unlikely that I would be able to continue as an employee here.

bodmil

A mortgage on 14k?

invisibleyousee

smileylondongal wrote: »

It would be worth speaking to the HR advisor for your office (I assume the Talent & Learning team contacted you directly about this) and see if they could intervene to help you. I doubt you'd have this money waived but what I was getting at was really to get a specific amount of money you'd need to pay back and to see if you could negotiate instalments based on the situation you've described above.

They don't have to consider the latter request as you signed the TA however you won't know until you try and at least then you'd know the exact situation you were facing. Hope it all works out for the best.

The only reason I even know they're doing it is because the team manager forwarded me a excel document which he sent to HR and had included on it to reclaim fees. I've queried it and said I need to know how much they're taking, but they're just being plain useless when it comes to saying how much. Since my last day is now tomorrow, I really need them to just decide the final figure.

I know that "long term" it is all for the best in terms of leaving this company, and I am now really looking forward to starting with my new employer next week. It's just very frustrating that this place can't seem to get their act together - if they're taking money this month, they must know how much?!

invisibleyousee

Yes, I have a mortgage on 14k - I have a 1 bedroom flat, so at the very "start of the ladder". I was able to save a large deposit whilst working in my previous jobs. I bought my property when I was 20, having been employed for 2 years and saving as much as possible whilst living at home. In fact, when I bought my property I was on 13.5k.

Edit: Employed full-time for 2 years, with part-time employment during 2 years study for A Levels. I'm now 22.

invisibleyousee

bodmil wrote: »

You're likely to get a season ticket loan from work. Could you really get a better paying job in Trowbridge to offset the refund you'll have to pay? For lower income jobs I would have thought relocating to Bristol would offer much more opportunity anyway.

The season-ticket loan would still have to be re-paid, I don't earn enough here to be able to pay for it.

I've found a new job - and yes, it does pay better!

Not only that but I wouldn't want to relocate to live in Bristol.

The company I work for is losing staff left-right-&-centre - our team has had someone leave every month for the past 6... since we're in the consultancy/construction business there aren't many jobs going, yet people here just want out.