Repayment of training fees

[Lizzie3213]

I know there are a few of these but none seem to match my situation.

My previous employer wants me to repay training costs that include accommodation, transport, van, fuel and ‘non-productive time’.

When I joined the company i signed a contract stating I had to repay the costs mentioned above. I have no problem paying back the cost of training but can they legally make me pay the ‘non-productive time’ cost?
This was 2 weeks to spent shadowing a more senior engineer to get to grips with the job. Surely this doesn’t count as actual training. They’d paid me a trainee’s wage the whole time I worked for them, so I would’ve thought this accounted for this?

I was looking for advice on wether I can dispute this cost or do I have to pay it as it is mentioned in my contract?

Finally, they have offered a monthly payment plan up to a maximum of 12 months. This would mean a monthly payment of nearly £450, of which I cannot afford.
Can they demand I pay back the costs within 12 months?

[atticus]

Were you asked to do the shadowing? Was it beneficial - that is to say productive?

[Lizzie3213]

Every trainee does the shadowing when they start so you are more told than asked.
Yes it was productive as you don’t just watch the other engineer, you complete the tasks with them.

[dslippy]

I doubt it was non-productive time. I would continue to resist the request for repayment until convinced otherwise.

Repayment over a year is reasonable, but the better question is what is realistic.
I assume that you resigned from the company, and were not dismissed.
This is subject to confirmation also that the contract is appropriately phrased to achieve all this.

[ULA]

If non-productive time was detailed in the contract as something that is considered part of the training cost then the employer can include this. However given what you have said about how this worked in reality, then you can potentially argue that these two weeks should not be included, as you were actually completing tasks and therefore productive.

Was there anything detailed in the contract regarding the repayment period on leaving the company? If not then I would suggest that you try and negotiate a longer period to repay the costs if what has been suggested is going to cause you a financial issue. Better the company has you repay the amount over a longer period than have you default on payments during the 12 months because of financial difficulty.