Tuition reimbursement ?

Question

Hi, I work for a small business company.
I am going back to school this year - I will be a Student-at-Large this semester (meaning I am not seeking degree). I am taking Fiction writing Class.
Now, I am thinking to approach my boss - and ask if he would reimburse my tuition.
What are the general rules / requirements / laws on that? (if there are any).
Is Educational Assistance governed by nay employment laws/ regulations?
p.s. my co-worker, who is pursuing a MBA has her tuition reimbursed. but because we're so small and lax around here, she never got any Written Agreement with the employer. -- I do not want to follow into those steps.
What do I do?
What questions should I ask? What should I agree to?
Do I even qualify ( being an "irregular student" enrolled in a Fiction Writing Class)?!
Please, Help!
Thank you.

I meant to say: ANY employment law ( not nay)!

Thanks to everyone for your feedback.

Answer 1

I do not think that there are any laws concerning tuition reimbursement, but I would think that your employer has some general rules about it.

Generally, your employer will only reimburse your tuition if you are taking classes that are directly applicable to the business needs. And then, you typically will have to agree to stay on board with the company for a specified amount of time to make up for the expense of the education. They need their ROI.

I would say that there is no harm/no foul in asking your boss about tuition reimbursement. If you have an HR representative, you might want to ask them. Approach your boss like this:

"I was thinking about taking some classes and was wondering what our tuition reimbursement policy is." If he asks what kind of classes, tell him business or something.

Edit: Thumbs down? The policy that I described is exactly the type of tuition policies that every employer I have had has as well as most people that I have talked to. Of course there are always exceptions to this. Some other company could do anything that they want.

I suggest that the asker approach her boss this way is because if she says that she is taking a class that is not related to her job could indicate that she doesn't like her job and seeking different skills to leave for another job. I wouldn't want this asker to lose her job because of just expressing some personal interests.

Answer 2

This is my fourth year in college and even I still have questions. So dont worry your not alone. I would first do some research on your companys policies on tuition/college . You should also research your college of choice. Even as a non degree seeking student you must have a acceptance letter. Before you approach your boss about it, you should be well informed about all your companies policies and so forth. Bring in your acceptance letter/ and course description when you go into to talk to your boss. Also ask yourself is this course relevant or going to help you with your job???You can make an arguement about it to your boss, about how this will help you at work, etc. I think it if it helps you increase your productivity at work that there should be no problem with getting your job to reimburse you. But then again all companies are not created equal. Research, research, research, thats what college is all about. :)

Answer 3

Tuition reimbursement is determined by the company, it usually means that the classes you take are a direct help in your job and your duties. In this instance I highly doubt if it will be approved, no there are no legal standards for which they must or not be approved. Just a note having done this to get my BSBA the first $5,245 are not taxed, after that your reimbursement is taxed as if it where a bonus ie the 36% rate, and most states tax the entire amount , so you still end up with out of pocket expenses or like me student loans.

Answer 4

Tuition reimbursementt is an employee benefit, not something mandated by law. The employer can reimburse for whatever he/she decides, and is not obligated to reimburse one person just because someone else was reimbursed.

You can ask. If they say no, then it's no. It would be pretty unusual for an employer to reimburse you for something not job-related.

There are IRS rules on whether or not the reimbursement is tax deductible to the employer.

Answer 5

You should approach your boss and just ask what the tuition reimbursement policy is at your company. I don't think there are any laws to it, especially if it's a private company. At my job, it must be related to the job in order for them to reimburse. So if your job is not related to fictional writing, you may not have a good argument to give your boss.

Answer 6

Your employer may have restrictions on what type of classes they will reimburse for. Where I work, they will only reimburse for classes that pertain to your job, or classes that will help you move up within the company. They also will only reimburse for a certain percentage based on your final grade. A=90%, B=80%, etc.