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Quitting a training course paid for by work

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Back in November last year, I enrolled in a home-study course paid for by the company I work for. I work for an Insurance Broker and the course is for a "Diploma in Insurance", which is sort of HND level. The course involved doing 18 essays and submitting them over about six months, and then two exams at the end of it. If I got a minimum of 75 out of 100 in every essay, I got an extra 10% added to my exam marks. I've then got to do it all over again to complete the course - four exams, 24 essays in total over about 18 months. For the course books, "pleasure" of having someone grade all of my essays and the exam fees, this cost the Company £548(!). They were more than happy to pay this at the time - or, more to the point, I asked and they just signed the cheque, I don't think they really knew what it involved!

Now, nearly a year down the line from when I started thinking about doing it, I'm having serious doubts about the whole career - having had two years worth of working in that environment, I know I don't want to do it for life! I've already put the exams off once - from March to this October - at a cost of £35, and I've just had a letter from the training company saying they haven't received any of my essays. I just haven't got the motivation to do them - spending a day in that office is stressful enough without coming home and spending a couple of hours writing all about it! I know I'm letting myself down by not going through with it and "wasting" the Company's money, but my heart's just not in it.

Right now, I'm thinking of leaving the Company all together - have applied for a couple of other jobs already. Thing is, I have until 2nd September to cancel my exam entries. If I cancel them, the Company gets 50% of my exam fees back = £90. This obviously leaves them £438 out of pocket.

Does anyone have any experience of this? I'm quite willing to pay them back (hopefully in a couple of instalments and not all at once!) so I'm hoping they'll see that as a fair offer and say no more. What more could they do to me? If I leave in a couple of months anyway, I'd only have to do the same thing, so at least I'm owning up to it now and offering to pay them back... :(

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Did you choose to enrol onto the course, or was it a compulsary part of the job?

    If it was your 'idea' so to speak, surely you're under no obligation to complete the course?

    Ilora x
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    How big a company do you work for? Bigger companies would have a more defined policy.

    To be honest the worst you could expect is to have to pay back the money, which would often be the case if, say, you did complete the course but then left immediately.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah, I did chose to do it myself - we were forced (by new industry regulations) to do the basic level qualification, and thenI chose to do the next level straight after it.

    The Company ain't huge - Chairman, MD, three Directors and about 14 other minions, myself included!

    I think I'm going to write a letter to the MD (who I get along well with - I'm kinda like his PA) over the weekend, just explaining everything and offer to pay it back.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Woohoo! :D Just to update..

    I've just been to see the MD about cancelling the training course and just as I said ".. leaves the Company out of pocket, so obviously I'll pay..", he stopped me and said "Oh no you won't, I won't hear of it - it's just one of those things and you're not to worry about it" - wow! I was going to say "can I pay it back in 3/4 instalments?" but instead he said that. I just thanked him lots and walked out in a daze - can't believe it was that easy.
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