Becoming a Repair Tech--Who Pays?

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I agree...pay for it yourself, learn and get a cert if so awarded to become a certified repair tech.

Then, when they ask you to fix a reg, quote them a rate you feel appropriate for your time. If they don't want to pay for your services, so be it.


I would suggest you pay for it yourself. That way the shop doesn't think they have an indentured servant and pay you peanuts. If they do then you are free to take your talents elsewhere.
Knowledge is power.
 
However, it's not uncommon for employers to levy employement length of time employed on training. Such as if you leave the company before one year after the training that you have to pay it back. This is important to ask. My past employer (not scuba related) had a 2 year requirement and had me going to take a class that the government required for my job. I didn't want to get locked into paying it back as I thought 2 years was a long time to levy and the government required me to go to the class for certificaiton for the job. In this case, my management approved the waiver.

in the US at least withholding cost of training from last paycheck or requiring the employee to pay it back is not legal (except possibly under collective bargaining agreements but I doubt it).
 
Based on the OP information, waiting for DEMA is not a good idea if it involves SP. As far as I recall, SP did not conduct repair tech classes at DEMA. I don't think they even attend anymore. They had some seminars in the past, but that is not the same as certification which is usually over a couple of days minimum. I do know you can get certified in about 3 hours on another brand I won't mention. I experienced that a few years back.

Mine pays but we try and work it so they are not out anymore than needed....plus I will pay what I think is my part....perhaps you could wait till DEMA and hit several clinics...books from Airspeed press (Oxyhacker) and Scuba Tools (when they get going again) will put you several steps ahead in learning how all regs work. I've been working on regs for 12 years and I'm still learning.
Yarg
 
in the US at least withholding cost of training from last paycheck or requiring the employee to pay it back is not legal (except possibly under collective bargaining agreements but I doubt it).

Do you have any references to that law?

Or is it just not legal if they don't tell you up front and withhold later?


Most any place that I've worked that had the "repayment requirement" either had you sign an seperate agreement as part of your "first day" new hire procedures or it was included in one of the policies of the "employee handbook", which you also had to sign an agreement that you had read/understood/etc at the same time. So they have this covered in their corporate legal documents. ( I doubt that most dive shops have such as most are small mom/pop type businesses.)


I understand why employers do this. I've been required to take some training classes that cost $8,000 and $12,000 each class, not including travel costs and payroll/benefit cost for that time period. So they don't want someone taking the class and then leaving for another job imediately afterwards. Now in my case with these courses, they were paid for by the contract I worked on and not the employer overhead, so I was able to get a waiver for the corporate repayment agreement. But I made sure I had that waiver in writing before I took those courses.

What I'm saying here is that the employee, regardless of where you work, needs to educate themself on what liability they have when they take any course that is paid for from someone elses pocket. Whether it's a college course, a technical certification course, or a scuba regulator course.
 
Do you have any references to that law?

Or is it just not legal if they don't tell you up front and withhold later?


Most any place that I've worked that had the "repayment requirement" either had you sign an seperate agreement as part of your "first day" new hire procedures or it was included in one of the policies of the "employee handbook", which you also had to sign an agreement that you had read/understood/etc at the same time. So they have this covered in their corporate legal documents. ( I doubt that most dive shops have such as most are small mom/pop type businesses.)


I understand why employers do this. I've been required to take some training classes that cost $8,000 and $12,000 each class, not including travel costs and payroll/benefit cost for that time period. So they don't want someone taking the class and then leaving for another job imediately afterwards. Now in my case with these courses, they were paid for by the contract I worked on and not the employer overhead, so I was able to get a waiver for the corporate repayment agreement. But I made sure I had that waiver in writing before I took those courses.

What I'm saying here is that the employee, regardless of where you work, needs to educate themself on what liability they have when they take any course that is paid for from someone elses pocket. Whether it's a college course, a technical certification course, or a scuba regulator course.

I don't have any references handy. I know many, many companies have policies and make you sign things. however it doesn't hold any water. something about "indentured servitude", its been a few years since I was involved with this. I understand why companies do it, I've been on both sides of the table with this issue. I went through all of this suing Computer Task Group (CTG) a few years ago when they screwed my out of about $12k of salary (no, I wasn't trying to get out of paying for training, they didn't pay for any, I just got up to speed on the issues, they were just a crap company to work for).
 
I don't have any references handy. I know many, many companies have policies and make you sign things. however it doesn't hold any water. something about "indentured servitude", its been a few years since I was involved with this. I understand why companies do it, I've been on both sides of the table with this issue. I went through all of this suing Computer Task Group (CTG) a few years ago when they screwed my out of about $12k of salary (no, I wasn't trying to get out of paying for training, they didn't pay for any, I just got up to speed on the issues, they were just a crap company to work for).

Interesting..... how did the court system rule on that outcome?
 
Interesting..... how did the court system rule on that outcome?

when CTG saw I had competent representation and was serious about it they settled. I did have to threaten to go directly to the client to collect though - which would have given them a black eye as I am well respected at the client. The dirt bag in charge, Scott Ramsey has subsequently been fired, though probably not over this incident.
 
I know you have to go to the various repair clinics to become a technician for a certain brand of gear.

However, who typically pays for this course? I just started working recently for a LDS and they almost immediately asked me if I would go to a Scubapro repair clininc in May. I said "sure", since I have always been interested in the repair technician part of this sport and I thought it would be another feather in my cap.

Then they told me the tuition would $200 and I would need to travel to Houston on my own dime and pay for a hotel, etc., etc. I still would like to attend the clinic, but I started wondering if this is the way it's usually done, or if other LDS pick up the tab or at least a portion of it normally.

Perhaps I've just been in the military too long and I am used to training being paid for by our tax money. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks in advance.

Since they asked you if you would go they should upfront the bulk of the cost.
Every dive shop is different in how they approach this but if you are a tech working on a specific brand of regulators then you need that certification for both the stores and your own liability protection. In that case they pay all costs including wages while you are at the clinic. If they aren't asking you to service regulators then it is a different story.
 
I've had various different experiences all through the same shop. Some of the courses I needed to pay for, like ScubaPro, and others like Tusa and Poseidon were free... For the Tusa and Poseidon courses the people that did the courses even took us out for lunch which didn't cost me a dime...

By the way the ScubaPro course was the most thorough of all the courses I've done. I would definately do the course if you have the money. Also you can only do the ScubaPro course while you are affiliated to a ScubaPro LDS so this should be a good opportunity even if you are paying for it.

For all the courses I had to get my own transport... some were close to us and others I needed to travel to.
 
Do you have any references to that law?

Or is it just not legal if they don't tell you up front and withhold later?


Just because a company does something does not make it legal.

I asked my sis in law about this a while back (she's a partner at a law firm whose area of expertise is employment law). Basically, if the company requires the training for your job, they have to pay all expenses.

If you're just trying to get more training for a position that you might work into later, you'd have to pay.

This all assumes that there isn't a collective bargaining agreement with a bona fide apprenticeship (state approved), where you are basically an indentured servant.

Obviously there are other factors, such as jurisdiction, but you get the drift.

I'm sure somebody with more knowledge that me will chime in, too. :wink:
 
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