Unless explicitly stated in your contract with your employer, your professional license is your responsibility, not your employer's. It’s important to understand this distinction as this sort of thing can get messy. 

If you are working towards earning your license—in any field—you likely need to meet certain requirements before your are eligible. For instance, you may need a specific amount of hours in the field, another specific amount of time under supervision or in training, and more. While all of those hours may be earned while working, and actually through your work assignments, the company is (unless otherwise noted) not responsible for your ability to earn all of those hours and acquire your license. Rather than have expectations for the company, recognize the value of the training and experience you are getting during this pre-licensed time in your career. 

If earning your license by a certain time is a requirement of keeping your job, like passing the bar is often a requirement of keeping one’s job as at a law firm right out of law school, your company has already taken the risk of taking you on pre-license. Actually getting the license, and doing whatever is required to be eligible for it, is entirely on you. 

If your work schedule makes it difficult to find time to study for a licensing or continued license exam, this means you need to develop new study habits that work within the limits of your free time. Your company should not be expected to arrange your role and schedule to meet your own professional needs. Of course, some companies are more supportive than others, but the thing to remember here is that your professional license is yours—it’s not the company’s. You take that license with you when you leave the company; it is unique to you, not to the company. While some companies are very supportive of employees in getting professional licenses in exchange for a certain number of years of service, this varies by field and by company. Generally, you should know that your license is yours, and therefore is your responsibility. 

How does your company approach professional licensing for employees? Share you experiences with us below.