Training Courses

[girlieflirt]

Hi there, i wondered if anyone could help me. My company have put me on a training course, which has been running since March of this year. I am coming to the end of it in December and they have paid for it. When i agreed to take on this training i did not sign any contract or agreement to say i would stay on at the company. I have recently been headhunted for another position at another company and i am interested in that job. I will have to have 2 interviews and go through the normal process. If i do get the job i will take it, but i am conscious of my present company not being too chuffed me leaving. Legally can they make me pay for the course? I am a bit concerned that they will not be too pleased and don't want to leave on bad terms. if anyone has ever been in a similar situation some advice would be appreicated. Thanks x

[cascarelli]

Well flirty girl, I wouldn't be too happy if I paid for a training course and then you went and worked for someone else at the end of it. But then I'd have been pretty silly not to have got you to have signed a contract saying you would pay back the training costs if you left within a certain time!

They probably wont be best pleased. Hopefully you wont need a reference from them either now or in the future?

[buttoneyes]

Read through everything they have given you - including your contract of employment. Some companies (including my own) incorporate this into the contract, stating that should you leave within a number of months then you will be required to pay them back.
Check with HR. You may be lucky, they may have overlooked this but it depends on the company I'm afraid, just don't leave without checking it out first. TRaining is a huge expense these days so they could really sting you!