Taco Bell Free College

[dfrecore]

This is one I've been researching (Guild Education is the same company that does it for Verizon, Walmart & Chipotle). For a recent high school grad with little to no work experience, this would be an ideal situation:

1) minimal work requirements (20 hours/wk), starts on day one

2) for the "fully funded" degrees at Bellevue U, SNHU, Wilmington U, and Brandman U, this means no out-of-pocket costs - the company pays the school directly, and there doesn't seem to be a limit to how much they'll pay in a year

3) no limit to what type of degree you can get (so not limited to IT, Business, etc.).

One of my daughter's friends may come to live with us, she'll be 18 and won't have any money other than what she can make working, parents who won't fill out the FAFSA for her, and she can't get the job she really wants until she's older (she wants to be a flight attendant). So we've talked, and she is very open to getting 90cr of ACE and working at one of these places for the free tuition, getting her degree in a year, and then moving onto another job to get some good experience under her belt.

For someone in her circumstances, it's perfect. If she needs a job anyway, why not one that will pay for her college.

But I can certainly see that this is not idea for everyone. Really, it's not meant to be ideal, and most people at these companies are not going to take advantage of this (or stick around long enough to do more than a few courses).