Can my employer charge me for a masters they're supporting

LookingForTheSun

Hi,
I'm working for the public sector and they have an organisation wide program to encourage some staff to gain higher education qualifications. I'm applying for a Masters.

Looking at my employment contract and the application forms, there's nothing about me having to pay back the fees if I leave the organisation or fail the course. I'm not planning to do either, but I want to make sure I'm not liable for expenses if something did happen.

Given that I haven't agreed to any payback clauses, if I did leave in a year or so, legally could they force me to pay the fees back?

Thanks

Owain_Moneysaver

No. (10 characters).

Carrot007

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

No. (10 characters).

Indeed, however if a payback clause does exist and if for avaialble say on the HR intranet and your contract says you should read teh extended information. Yes. (you do not need to agree to it, yout contract is enough, if it exists and is done right).

JamoLew

when you say "application forms" is this just for the course provider or does this include the request for funding from the employer form(s) ?

Most public sector departments also have HR (or whatever they call themselves now) - ask them and get it in writing if they say you don't have to pay it back.

Local policies on this vary widely, so I don't see why you haven't asked them before asking on here - or have you and you just haven't mentioned it ?

Not having a go, but it would be useful info for us

sammyjammy

Carrot007 wrote: »

Indeed, however if a payback clause does exist and if for avaialble say on the HR intranet and your contract says you should read teh extended information. Yes. (you do not need to agree to it, yout contract is enough, if it exists and is done right).

I work in the public sector and this would be the case in our Department, sadly its never enforced and many people leave immediately on gaining their qualification, in my area CIMA. Disgraceful.

Manxman_in_exile

Do you work in the NHS by any chance? If "Yes", is the proposed course actually funded by your employer, or does your employer simply act as a conduit for funds between the HEI and some other NHS budget-holder? (This is how NHS post-registration courses used to be funded - not sure if they still are. So long as the individual trust is not providing the funding but some other NHS budget is, there's no financial loss to anyone so long as the employee stays in the NHS. There may be non-financial losses).


EDIT: I worked in the public sector for nearly all of my career - including managing NHS training contracts - and I've never known of a PS employer who did not have a clear policy on this. I suspect it's more likely that the OP is not looking in the right place - or hasn't got far enough down the application process path yet.

Manxman_in_exile

sammyjammy wrote: »

I work in the public sector and this would be the case in our Department, sadly its never enforced and many people leave immediately on gaining their qualification, in my area CIMA. Disgraceful.

Has your public sector organisation never benefited from employing accountants (and no doubt other professionals) who have been trained at the expense of other public sector organisations?


If they're moving to the private sector, they definitely ought to be made to pay it back

General_Grant

Carrot007 wrote: »

Indeed, however if a payback clause does exist and if for avaialble say on the HR intranet and your contract says you should read teh extended information. Yes. (you do not need to agree to it, yout contract is enough, if it exists and is done right).

I believe this may be incorrect. Repayment of training costs has to be specifically signed for, not part of a general contract of employment.

phill99

General_Grant wrote: »

I believe this may be incorrect. Repayment of training costs has to be specifically signed for, not part of a general contract of employment.

I agree. Payback would be outside the scope of a normal employment contract.
Typically a separate contract would be entered into, allowing the employee time off etc and detailing clawback. I have a friend in the NHS who is having her MSc funded by her employer but she is on a 12month clawback clause. I must admit I expected it to be a longer, scaled clawback, so 12 months seems very generous on the part of the NHS.

laurahester

I also work in the public sector and whenever we go on any training course that costs more than £1000 we have to sign a training contract stating how long we need to stay in employment before they claim back costs. I haven’t been on any courses affected by this for a while now but I think it was something like 12-months. No signature means no course. So its not in my general employment contract its in a second contract we enter into on application and acceptance of a training course place.

prowla

To me, such a clause simply says that the employer doesn't trust the employee.


I had one job where I arranged a course and they put a piece of paper in front of me with a 2 year clause to sign; I refused and cancelled the course. (Coincidentally, I stayed with the company for just over 2 years.)