Asking for Tuition Reimbursement
I got my first question for advice. To which I will have to say, take my advice with a grain of salt. What’s worked for me, may not work for you, but here goes nothing!
Reader JP asks:
“Do you have any tips on how to handle mid-year performance reviews? i’d like to take advantage of the company’s benefits, mainly the tuition reimbursement for language courses and i thought this would be a good time to ask. how would you suggest i approach my boss about the tuition reimbursement?”
First thing you have to do is read up on the tuition reimbursement benefit. What exactly does your company allow? Will they only pay for classes that relate to your job, or will they pay for any schooling you want? How much tuition will they cover, and what grade do you need to get to pass? Do you have to take the course at an accredited school?
Second, view this from the perspective of your manager. If this employee is serious about the coursework, am I willing to let them leave early for class/study for an exam? Will this impact their performance on the job? Will they come out of the class a better employee for the whole group/company? Is this a career-vaulting move for which my employee will be grateful to me for approving?
Third, be prepared when you talk to your manager about how the coursework will fit into your abilities as an employee to do your current job and any future promotion you want. (see above) I wasn’t sure how a language course fits into that for you, unless you are in a field that involves international work, etc. If it’s not directly relavant, I’d expect to have the request declined. But some companies are fairly generous and will pay for enrichment courses.
As far as the first question, how to handle a mid-year review, I’ll be honest. I haven’t had that many. For the most part of the last 4 years, I’ve had great managers. I would just plop down in their office and we’d start an informal conversation about the status of things. I’m lucky that my last 5 managers in 4 years have been good friends and/or mentors. Direction and guidance came forth from those relaxed chats. One company did require formal quarterly conversations, but those were mainly to sign off on progress sheets. All serious discussions about direction and movement had already taken place.
JP wrote:
Thanks so much for answering my question!
I’m slightly embarrassed that you posted it but nevertheless you posted a really thorough answer. i ended up chickening out when i tried to ask my boss during the mid-year review. and i came out of the meeting slightly dissapointed because while my boss is pleased with my work so far he wants me to stick with the job responsibilities for now (that was the answer to my question on taking on more responsibilities and projects).
Thank you again! hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving!
Posted on 25-Nov-06 at 1:41 am | Permalink