Curious about Guild Education

[Vle045]

I am curious if anyone here has some in-depth knowledge about Guild Education.  My son just got his first job and they provide debt free options through Guild.  He’s still got another year of HS, so he’s not quite ready for that yet, but it does have me curious….  I always like to know variable options.

So here are the things I am curious about.

1. If he changes jobs while using Guild, assuming the same programs are available, can he easily transfer that benefit as well?
   
2. Can you go part time?
   
3. Let’s say he works two jobs that both use Guild, can he mix and match - assuming he meets the employers’ minimum hours, etc.?
   

He is still very undecided on everything.  I just want to help him figure out options.  I think if he is undecided, it might be wise to use the benefit on at least a part time basis and collect some credits on their dime while he’s figuring it out.  He doesn’t have access to anything yet, but I would love to see Sophia or Study on there for free so he can grab those in the meantime too.  They also have a reimbursement option up to $5250 a year outside of Guild, which would be very helpful if he decides to go to community college first.

Of course, before he signs up for anything, I will help him look for any requirements, like if he has to stay for a certain amount of time afterwards or anything like that.  Just curious what options he might look for to maximize his benefits.

[bjcheung77]

Wow! I really wonder how much you can get from this, have Guild Education pay for all the Penn Foster (ACE recommended credits) Sophia.org/Study.com courses in addition to the 7 credits for an Excelsior University BSLA with some courses in whatever you're doing, plus a PUG Excel-track or SNHU, UMASS Global, degree by transferring 75% into either of these programs.  Here are the providers and schools they partner with.  Link: https://schools.guildeducation.com/

Again, You should note the names of the schools in this list, at least most of them, are part of that...You should review the degree/program and school options from Guild Education here: https://schools.guildeducation.com/ - You have Outlier.org, Sophia.org, Study.com and many more paid for with Guild Education partnership, you should verify that though.

There are many institutions also covered, even though TESU isn't in the list, you have over $5K to use each year. I think you're good with a TESU double Associates (Bio/Math) degree and double Bachelors BSBA CIS/BACS, it can all be paid for... If you're looking just at finishing faster, find out what programs/schools interest you from the link.

Note: The above 3 paragraphs are 'copy/paste' of answers I had in previous Guild related threads, older than 6 months. Here's a thread from about 6 months ago, there are a few posts/thread in regards to Guild but this is the newest one, you may want to review my post #11: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Completion

1) If Guild is part of the second company, technically, it should be possible as the provider still works with Guild on providing subsidized education. Most companies have the same policy.
2) If the company works with Guild and has a part-time staff benefit to use Guild, that should work as well, they may have a requirement of working X hours as part-time though.
3) You need to get in contact with company HR or Guild education coach to see what is offered at each company, and what the hours are for part-timers, the benefit should be exactly the same for each.

[Vle045]

Thanks. I’m kind of excited for him. It’s generally a crap job for some, but for a first job, I’m hoping he will like it. Most of us have had food service jobs in our teens. He is starting at $15 an hour which is good for a 17 year old with no experience at all. One of his reasons for not going to college is that he doesn’t want debt. This gives him a debt free option. I’ve told him we can afford to pay some tuition, so don’t rule it out. If my food service years would have paid my tuition, that would have been amazing. My low cost state school took me 20+ years to pay off.

[bjcheung77]

How many kids do you have? It's great he's starting a first job, there's no pressure at all for him to start college, at the very least, he can take his time to accelerate & compact his education with all the ones I mentioned in the copy/paste.

Let's say he stays at the current job for some experience for two years... Technically, he can finish his degree before he decides to change jobs to a better paying one even if he's working part time by making sure to max the alternative credits.

If you review the link for Guild, there are so many institutions he can get a degree from, he can decide later on. If he's really undecided, he can take up to 113 credits with the freebie credits, then finish with 7 credits at Excelsior, all FREE!

[Spyrine]

I'm glad your son got this opportunity. I've never heard of Guild; it seems pretty solid and has big names that we discuss here frequently.

Also, there is no shame in having any job! Here's a couple more food service jobs with tuition assistance:

- KFC covers 100% of WGU's tuition:
https://kfcfoundation.org/wgu/

- Starbucks covers 100% of ASU's tuition, and up to $1000 a year
https://www.starbucks.com/careers/workin...education/
https://www.starbucksbenefits.com/en/hom...bursement/

[Hotdogman1]

I am curious if anyone here has some in-depth knowledge about Guild Education.  My son just got his first job and they provide debt free options through Guild.  He’s still got another year of HS, so he’s not quite ready for that yet, but it does have me curious….  I always like to know variable options.

So here are the things I am curious about.

1. If he changes jobs while using Guild, assuming the same programs are available, can he easily transfer that benefit as well?
   
2. Can you go part time?
   
3. Let’s say he works two jobs that both use Guild, can he mix and match - assuming he meets the employers’ minimum hours, etc.?
   

He is still very undecided on everything.  I just want to help him figure out options.  I think if he is undecided, it might be wise to use the benefit on at least a part time basis and collect some credits on their dime while he’s figuring it out.  He doesn’t have access to anything yet, but I would love to see Sophia or Study on there for free so he can grab those in the meantime too.  They also have a reimbursement option up to $5250 a year outside of Guild, which would be very helpful if he decides to go to community college first.

Of course, before he signs up for anything, I will help him look for any requirements, like if he has to stay for a certain amount of time afterwards or anything like that.  Just curious what options he might look for to maximize his benefits.

Guild is used at a lot of big companies, including Target, Walmart, PepsiCo, Chipotle, Lowes, Taco bell, and Discover. If you're looking for free sophia, I believe Dollar General offers it for free for full time employees.

I do know it is possible to receive this benefit part time, but the specifics are different per company.

I do not know if you can mix and max as specific programs can differ per company. For example Lowes is trade oriented. A friend working at Chipotle HQ mentioned his programs was geared more towards agriculture, though it might be different at the restaurant level. When I interviewed at Discover, the recruiter mentioned the programs being more tech focused. Because of this, I'm not sure if you would be able to "transfer" programs, but worst case scenario, you will be able to utilize the $5,250.

[bjcheung77]

That's correct, with the tuition assistance and reimbursement, you'll be pretty well compensated for completing any alternative credits, along with RA credits that are reimbursed by Guild. So, essentially, you can do 90+ credits for PUG, SHNU, UMPI, WGU, etc, or even up to 113/114 for Excelsior/TESU. I would also investigate the institutions other than the ones we usually recommend, just in case he may be interested in something different, such as transferring 90 ACE credits into the UMASS Global BSIT (Data Science or another concentration) Mypath option...

[Vle045]

How many kids do you have? It's great he's starting a first job, there's no pressure at all for him to start college, at the very least, he can take his time to accelerate & compact his education with all the ones I mentioned in the copy/paste.  

Let's say he stays at the current job for some experience for two years... Technically, he can finish his degree before he decides to change jobs to a better paying one even if he's working part time by making sure to max the alternative credits.

If you review the link for Guild, there are so many institutions he can get a degree from, he can decide later on.  If he's really undecided, he can take up to 113 credits with the freebie credits, then finish with 7 credits at Excelsior, all FREE!

I just have the one kid.  It’s nice to hear him thinking of options for his future.  He’s interested in their tuition option.  But I think he still doesn’t have a clue what he wants to do…. Or where.

---

I'm glad your son got this opportunity. I've never heard of Guild; it seems pretty solid and has big names that we discuss here frequently.

Also, there is no shame in having any job! Here's a couple more food service jobs with tuition assistance:

- KFC covers 100% of WGU's tuition:
https://kfcfoundation.org/wgu/

- Starbucks covers 100% of ASU's tuition, and up to $1000 a year
https://www.starbucks.com/careers/workin...education/
https://www.starbucksbenefits.com/en/hom...bursement/

Those are nice options too.  They are a little bit limited.  Starbucks only covers a first bachelors and KFC is only WGU.  But both are fantastic.  None of these were options when I was younger.  I think it was Arby’s that also extends some tuition benefits to immediate family too. https://arbys.corporatelearning.com/

---

I am curious if anyone here has some in-depth knowledge about Guild Education.  My son just got his first job and they provide debt free options through Guild.  He’s still got another year of HS, so he’s not quite ready for that yet, but it does have me curious….  I always like to know variable options.

So here are the things I am curious about.

1. If he changes jobs while using Guild, assuming the same programs are available, can he easily transfer that benefit as well?
   
2. Can you go part time?
   
3. Let’s say he works two jobs that both use Guild, can he mix and match - assuming he meets the employers’ minimum hours, etc.?
   

He is still very undecided on everything.  I just want to help him figure out options.  I think if he is undecided, it might be wise to use the benefit on at least a part time basis and collect some credits on their dime while he’s figuring it out.  He doesn’t have access to anything yet, but I would love to see Sophia or Study on there for free so he can grab those in the meantime too.  They also have a reimbursement option up to $5250 a year outside of Guild, which would be very helpful if he decides to go to community college first.

Of course, before he signs up for anything, I will help him look for any requirements, like if he has to stay for a certain amount of time afterwards or anything like that.  Just curious what options he might look for to maximize his benefits.

Guild is used at a lot of big companies, including Target, Walmart, PepsiCo, Chipotle, Lowes, Taco bell, and Discover. If you're looking for free sophia, I believe Dollar General offers it for free for full time employees.

I do know it is possible to receive this benefit part time, but the specifics are different per company.

I do not know if you can mix and max as specific programs can differ per company. For example Lowes is trade oriented. A friend working at Chipotle HQ mentioned his programs was geared more towards agriculture, though it might be different at the restaurant level. When I interviewed at Discover, the recruiter mentioned the programs being more tech focused. Because of this, I'm not sure if you would be able to "transfer" programs, but worst case scenario, you will be able to utilize the $5,250.

Thanks.  My son initially really wanted to work at Target, but didn’t get an interview there.   I suggested he expand his search so he can start getting some experience so he’s at Chipotle now.  Too soon to tell if he will like it, but in case he ever tries for Target again… or if he grabs two jobs at some point in the future, it would be interesting how that might work out for him.

[bjcheung77]

Very interesting, here's a thread from a couple of years ago, it mentions Chipotle, the article has a video for Chipotle too, up to 100% tuition reimbursement: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...t-Programs