>>>It's come clear to me recently that it's time to move on from my current job. I've started my job search but I don't want to relocate and with the current job market might take me time to find a new job. My problem is my employer wants to send me to training - it's offered several times a year -my work has a training repayment agreement that if you quit with in 9 months of taking training you owe back 90% of the training. I've never signed the agreement because I never agreed with it. If I get training so I can do my job for you that to me is the cost of hiring. If you are paying for part of my school or I want to learn a new program language and they want to pitch in I'm all for the agreement. I'm very truthful, which has caused issues in the past. If I'm directly asked something I'll tell them the truth. I don't want to go and tell them I don't want training because I want to leave and I don't want to repay the training (which I'm not sure I would because I never signed the training agreement, but I don't want to screw them out of money either). The repayment amount would be over $1,500.
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>>>Anybody have advice for me?
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>>Is the training something you could use in another job? Would it be worth your while to attend the training so that you could use those skills in future employment after completing the 9 month retainment requirement? Would it make more sense to postpone your job search for 9 months?
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>The first training is Transitioning from Waterfall to Agile Conference. Which seems more of an conference to see the benefits of switch to agile but not directly related on how to switch to Agile. From there they want to send me to Scrum Master training. Both cost $1,250 each. I could maybe justify to myself the Scrum Master but not a conference on the pro's and con's of switching. Again I'm not sure if I would need to repay or not but if they just withhold it from my paycheck besides suing I don't think I would have much recourse - besides the threat of airing some of their dirty laundry :)
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>I want to get out of FoxPro and more into .NET so if the training was for C# I wouldn't have too much of an issue and I do think Scrum Master training would be helpful in a job search I'm not sure the conference would be.

I was fortunate to attend the SCRUM Master training and I highly recommend it. It is something you can use at future employment and may actually be of help in your obtaining employment down the road. I program in VFP and C#. My recommendation would be to attend the training and stick it out with your employer. That way you both benefit. (I'm writing that without sufficient knowledge of why you find it absolutely necessary to switch employment)