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How to Get Tuition Reimbursement by Working at Chipotle
Full-time and part-time Chipotle employees can greatly reduce their college costs by taking advantage of tuition reimbursement benefits. Chipotle’s tuition reimbursement program can be applied to a variety of educational programs. These include undergraduate and graduate study, GED programs, and English programs for non-native speakers.
Let’s break down how you can get tuition reimbursement by working at Chipotle. We’ll start with a step-by-step guide for getting tuition reimbursement. Afterwards, we’ll discuss more of the benefits of tuition reimbursement for employers and employees. Finally, we’ll discuss your options if there is no Chipotle close to your college.
Related: Scholarships360’s free scholarship search tool
Step-by-step guide to get tuition reimbursement at Chipotle
1. Find a job at Chipotle (All positions are eligible)
You can start your search for a Chipotle job on their jobs portal. If you input the approximate location of where you want to work, it will provide locations and open positions. Positions can include restaurant crew, management, or support roles. Any of these are eligible for tuition reimbursement.
Even if there are no open positions in your area, you have options. Through the jobs portal, you can sign up for updates when positions become available. This means you won’t have to keep checking back on the website. Being notified right when the opportunities are posted can put you ahead of the crowd.
2. Work a minimum of 15 hours a week for 4 months
Tuition reimbursement is available for both part-time and full-time employees at Chipotle. However, they do have a set of requirements for eligibility. Although employees are eligible for most benefits after 30 days of employment, tuition reimbursement takes longer to kick in. An employee must work for at least 15 hours per week for 4 months before they become eligible.
This helps ensure that employees are a good fit at the company before Chipotle invests in their education. If you are aiming to get tuition reimbursement for an upcoming school year, try beginning work in the summer. You can put in your time to become an established member of the team without the distraction of school. This way, once school starts, you will soon be eligible for tuition reimbursement.
3. Choose your program of study
Chipotle offers a few different types of tuition reimbursement. The first is a debt-free degree from approved programs. These programs are relevant specifically to furthering a career at Chipotle. These can be a great opportunity for someone interested in the service industry, in business, or in agriculture. Through their partnership with Guild Education, Chipotle is able to offer these programs at no charge to employees.
If you are not interested in the debt-free programs, you can still take advantage of tuition reimbursement. Chipotle will pay up to $5,250 per year for any approved educational program. These programs include undergraduate, graduate, and trade school degrees. They also include GED programs and ESL programs.
So, the amount that you can benefit from tuition reimbursement varies based on what program you are pursuing. If you find a good fit in a debt-free degree, you can receive an education for free. If you have another program in mind, you can still receive up to $5,250 per year. Keep in mind, this is all on top of your regular salary!
4. Check if your family is eligible
Chipotle also extends some tuition reimbursement benefits to the immediate families of employees. These include reimbursement for GED and ESL programs.
What is Guild Education?
Guild Education serves as a sort of middleman between corporations and educational institutions. They have a list of corporate partners, (Chipotle is on the list) and a list of educational providers. Given your geographic location, your educational aspirations, and any other factors you want to consider, they will help match you with an educational provider and program.
As an employee with Guild Education partnership, you’ll have a wealth of resources at your disposal. It is Guild’s primary mission to provide success to their students, so they make sure to offer you whatever support you need.
Why does Chipotle offer tuition reimbursement?
Chipotle offers tuition reimbursement to help its retention rate and train its workers. The company has found that its employees in the program have a 3.5x higher retention rate. Employees in the program are 7.5x more likely to move up to management positions. Maintaining skilled employees is beneficial for Chipotle and saves them hiring costs.
Additionally, Chipotle is able to write off their tuition reimbursement on their taxes. This gives Chipotle a huge incentive to put its money towards employees’ education. Their tax benefits are maxed out at $5,250 per employee per year. This is why they set their reimbursement limit at $5,250 annually.
Other companies that offer tuition reimbursement
It’s true that Chipotle is known as having some of the most generous tuition reimbursement benefits. But they are far from being the only company that offers tuition reimbursement. Companies like Starbucks, Home Depot, Amazon, and UPS all offer tuition reimbursement. So, if there is no Chipotle near your school, don’t give up on tuition reimbursement. There are many other options out there!
Next Steps
Related: College Alternatives: Bootcamps, Apprenticeships, Online Learning, and more!
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