Employer demands new hires finance their own travel expenses for a 2-week training out of state, leading employee to reconsider accepting the job: ‘I guess that’s the catch’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jul 9, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

We've all experienced the soul-crushing feeling when you realize that something that was too good to be true was indeed too good to be true. It can be so frustrating to uncover the deal-breaker that reveals what you have been suspecting all along, and having to say goodbye to the dream life you have pictured since the moment you started to get your hopes up.

Coincidentally, this happened to my husband just last week, after he interviewed for the perfect job. It was so perfect that we kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for the employer to reveal something that would break the entire illusion… but nothing happened. My husband eventually got the job, and he was hours away from handing in his notice to his current job.

Then, he got the contract for his new role–30 pages of the most monstrous contract we have ever laid our eyes on. It was a list of rules and regulations no employee in their right mind would ever sign, and as we read through it, we realized we had finally found the deal-breaker.

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  • Safe to say, my hubby didn't take that job, as heartbreaking as it was walking away from something so good.

    Will the employee in the story below do the same, after they found out their own version of a 30-page contract? Keep scrolling to read the full story and find out…

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    100 FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE MB 73395650R B2 los benstates his er of the Unit 1DXD DOU SHVPIO DOB SHYTION 100
    via Jonathan Borba

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02

    Is it a red flag that my new employer expects new hires to finance our own stay and travel out of state for 2 weeks of training?

    Recently got a tentative offer for a job that sponsors for a secret clearance and pays pretty well so it seemed great but then I found out that during training we need to go
    via Singing-Shark2121
  • 03
    out of state and train at a facilities for 2 weeks straight during that time they will pay us $12 per hour that we train so it's not like I'm doing all
    via Singing-Shark2121
  • 04
    this for free but $12 isn't gonna count for much in this economy... I have some money saved up and the regular pay is very good but since I only got a conditional
    via Singing-Shark2121
  • 05
    offer so far I feel like burning through my savings to travel and stay there is a big risk if it doesn't work out. On the other hand this job pays
    via Singing-Shark2121
  • 06
    $18,000 more than what I make at my current job (that I'm debating on if I should put my 2 weeks notice in btw).
    via Singing-Shark2121
  • 07
    Idk that part about having to travel out of state and stay there for a prolonged time and having to finance it all was a very shocking moment
    via Singing-Shark2121
  • 08
    like "oh so I guess that's the catch". Still though that chance of getting a secret clearance has me finding it hard to walk away
    via Singing-Shark2121
  • 09
    ShyLeoGing If the company requires you to travel, for business, the company should have at least a reimbursement plan. If that isn't available then definitely don't do it.
    via Singing-Shark2121
  • 10
    SetoKeating When does the security clearance part come in? Cause it's odd that you would be doing training already without the clearance already having been done.
    via Singing-Shark2121
  • 11
    I don't know your finances or situation or how it all adds up but I would likely have stuck with it until the clearance was completed and then start looking for work elsewhere with my new clearance lol
    via Singing-Shark2121
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    Singing-Shark2121 OP They make you sign an agreement that you will work for them for at least 2 years so that you don't just get the clearance from them and dip out on them lol
    via Singing-Shark2121
  • 13
    thatburghfan Did they specifically say you have to pay for lodging and meals?
    via thatburghfan
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    Singing-Shark2121 OP Yep. That was made pretty clear but I guess the $12 dollars per hour would cover a fast food kids meal so you can not starve to d th I guess lol
    via Singing-Shark2121
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    Cheezburger Image 10526038272
    via yuriz

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 16
    tuff gong Not a red flag- a deal breaker
    via tuff_gong
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    Investigator516 It's a red flag. Tell them you're not going anywhere unless they book it in full. The days of paying ahead and expecting to be reimbursed are over.
    via Investigator516
  • 18
    principium_est Two concerns here for me: 1. Pay. 2. Job stability. Sounds like they have a lot of turnover during training if they're that adverse to investing in onboarding.
    via principium_est
  • 19
    If you're looking to get into government contracting it might be worth the risk for TS clearance since a lot of contracting companies only hire for existing clearance.
    via principium_est
  • 20
    Singing-Shark2121 OP 1. So the pay would be $43 per hour but then I found out when the recruiter admitted that I would only be working 35 hours per week at most not a full 40 hours so yeah... but still I could get another part time or just more free time in general so I wasn't that concerned
    via Singing-Shark2121
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    2. yeah I was suspicious of that also because they make you sign an agreement that you agree to work for them for at least 2 years so you don't just use them to obtain the clearance and then dip out on them. The only other time I've heard of something like that where they try to lock you in for 2 years
    via Singing-Shark2121
  • 22
    is when I was thinking about working in a jail and realized I would be miserable as f working in that kind of environment every week and turned it down.
    via Singing-Shark2121
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    But yeah I've noticed that as well. Most job openings in that realm want you to already have an existing clearance so for a regular Joe like me that isn't prior military and has never worked for the government before at all it seemed like a golden opportunity
    via Singing-Shark2121

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