Ready to get a diploma? Need college money? Take a look at this, the second part of my tuition reimbursement article.

Tuition reimbursement helps thousands of students every year, and it helped me. I have jotted down a few things you need to know as you get going on your college education.

Release Time
A very cool benefit for you that often accompanies tuition reimbursement is release time. If you need to go to class during work hours, you will have to bring this up with the boss and work around your schedule. One friend received a job offer that included a 75% time commitment, to allow him to finish his degree during work time.

In my case, I rarely needed release time, since I took evening classes. I did take some time here and there to study and to finish large assignments, but I used my time off for this.

If you have trouble with the release time problem, remember you have two people to go to for accommodations, your boss and your professor. If you can’t make a certain class, arrange for notes or call the prof beforehand. Need to reschedule a test? Suggest taking it at the university testing center, which most schools have now and which offers extended hours and test proctors.

Probably the most common release time falls at the end of the day. You may have a 4 pm class, but have a work schedule that goes until 5. Find out what the company usually does, and then offer your side. You can stay at your desk at lunch, come in early, work an extra hour on another day of the week, or come in on weekends. Simple offers, but they work wonders.

Also, you can volunteer for duties no one wants. Maybe your department has a party to plan and no one wants to touch it. Or a particularly messy job that no one likes. Offer to do it in exchange for the flexibility.

Another great example I have seen comes from the offer to teach. You may take a course that everyone in the department could benefit from. Offer to teach the class at work in condensed form. This can help you do better in the class, too.

Of course, in the best case situation, you don’t have to do any of that. You just get release time to go to school whenever you need to, and the company understands. I hope you find yourself with this type of situation, and with a great tuition reimbursement program as well.

The point is, you have tools and you can usually find a way to make it work. Look on the bright side and find a way to help your boss look good while also getting the flexibility you need.

Need more info? Come to Beat-Tuition.com and download my free short report on financial aid.