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Ask these 10 questions before you sign
These questions are for an apprenticeship program or a trade school that you want to join. A program or a school can answer every question today, so ask for the answers in writing.
0 of 10 asked
- Question 1
What is my total cost, including tuition, books, tools, tests and every fee?
Tuition is only part of the cost. Tools, books, exam fees and registration can each cost extra, so you need the total to know what you owe.
Listen forOne total in writing, with a list of what the total covers.
- Question 2
What did last year’s students or apprentices pay with their own money?
A price list shows what the program plans to charge. Last year’s class can tell you what students paid after fee changes, tool lists and retakes, and the 2 amounts can differ.
Listen forAn amount that last year’s class paid, and not the price from the catalog.
- Question 3
Will I get paid while I train, and for which hours: on the job, in the classroom or both?
As a registered apprentice, you’re an employee and you get paid for the hours you work on the job. However, some programs pay you for classroom hours and some programs don’t. The hours you get paid for decide how much income you have while you train.
Listen forA yes or a no for each kind of hour.
- Question 4
Can I see the wage schedule in writing, with the date of each raise?
Federal rules require every registered apprenticeship program to have a wage schedule (the written list of the pay rate for each stage of your apprenticeship). When you ask for the wage schedule, you’re asking for a document the program already has.
Listen forA wage schedule on paper, with dates. An answer like “it depends on how you do” isn’t a wage schedule.
- Question 5
How many people applied last time, and how many started?
The 2 numbers show how hard it is to get a place in the program. The answer also shows whether the program keeps track of its own numbers.
Listen forThe number of people who applied and the number who started, for the same application period. A percentage alone doesn’t answer the question.
- Question 6
How many of the people who started 3 years ago finished?
The number who finished shows how many people complete the program. A trade school class that started 3 years ago has finished. A 4-year or 5-year apprenticeship hasn’t finished, so “still enrolled” is a real answer and you need the number of people who left.
Listen forThe number who started and the number who finished, for the same class. An answer about “graduates” leaves out everyone who left.
- Question 7
Do my hours count toward a license where I plan to work, and who records my hours and signs for them?
Each state sets its own license rules, and in some trades a city sets the rules. If nobody records your hours, or the wrong agency records your hours, the hours may not count where you plan to work.
Listen forThe name of the agency, the name of the person who signs and a record of your hours that you can look at.
- Question 8
If I work while I train, who is my employer? What happens if there is no work?
Your employer can be the program, a contractor or a partner company, and each employer treats you differently when there is no work. Work slows down in some seasons, so ask now what happens to your place in the program when work slows down.
Listen forThe name that goes on your paycheck, and a written answer about what happens when there is no work.
- Question 9
What happens to my money and my hours if I leave early, or if the program closes?
Programs close, and some programs close in the middle of a term. Ask for the refund policy in writing, and ask where your hours go. Before you sign is the only time you can make the answers a condition of signing.
Listen forThe refund policy itself and not a summary, and where your hours go.
- Question 10
Can I talk to 2 people who finished in the last 2 years?
People who finished in the last 2 years know what the program is like now. Asking to talk to people who finished is a normal request.
Listen forThe names of 2 people, given without a delay.
Find what your state requires
For each state it covers, SkilledLadder lists the licenses you need, the hours, the exams and the fees.
Source for the wage schedule rule: Code of Federal Regulations, 29 CFR 29.5.