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Participating in a Work Study Program at your University of Choice

Jun 18 '04 (Updated Jan 26 '05) Write an essay on this topic.

The Bottom Line I highly recommend signing up for a work-study program at college, because not only does it provide you will bill-paying money, but with much needed job experience.

When going to college, one of the most important things to consider, is how you are going to pay your way through college. Some people are lucky enough to have their parents pay the full way through, and others are able to get scholarships that make paying for college a breeze. For the rest of us, we are forced to rely on Financial Aid or on getting a job that will pay all of the bills for us. With Work-Study, it combines a little of both worlds, and you are able to not only make the money, but get some work experience out of it at the same time. My intent here, is to show the benefits of work-study, and exactly what it takes to get it.

Federal Work-Study and what it entails.

The Federal Work-Study Program helps to provide jobs to undergraduate and graduate students who have financial needs. It gives all students the chance to earn money to help pay for any education related expenses that they might incur. The programs encourage work within the community, and try to provide work that is related to each student's course of study. The whole point is that you are able to find a job that interests you in your field, and gain some experience while making money.

How much will I / can I make?

The amount of money that you can make ends up being determined by the job that you take. You'll earn at least the current federal minimum wage, but the amount might be higher depending on the type of work you do and the skills required. Of course as with any job, the better or harder you are willing to work, the more that the job is going to pay you to do it. The total amount of Federal Work-Study that you are given depends on how early you apply, what your level of need is, and the funding level of your school. To put it bluntly, some jobs are going to pay you more than others, and it will all depend on the department that you end up working for at you given institution.

How does the money get paid to me?

If you're an undergraduate, you'll be paid by the hour, or on a piece-rate. On the other hand, if you're a graduate student, you can either be paid by the hour or you might receive a salary, depending on the work you do. The way it ends up working, is that you are quoted how much you will make per hour, and then you are paid based on how your college does it. At Washington State University, where I attended, they paid out on the 10th and the 25th of each month, based upon the hours that we had worked up until that point. Sometimes you can have your money diverted towards your accounts that are going to pay for tuition or dining expenses directly, and that way you do not have to worry about not paying a bill on time. A nice thing that they do offer, is allowing the money to be directly deposited into the account of your choice.

Where are these work-study jobs located?

The jobs end up being located either on or off campus. If you work on campus, you'll usually work for your school, doing anything ranging from office work to service work depending on your department. If you work off-campus, your employer will usually be a public agency, and the work performed must be in the public interest. Some schools might have agreements with private "for-profit" employers for Federal Work-Study jobs. These jobs must be relevant to your course of study (to the maximum extent possible). This means that there will be jobs within your city that have the work-study program, but have agreed with your college on how they will do it. More times than not, there will be plenty of on-campus jobs that are set up for work study. Normally you can easily find opportunities in Dining Services, or at campus book stores if you are interested in those types of jobs.

Are the hours unlimited under work-study?

Unfortunately, the answer to that question is no. The amount you earn can't exceed your total Federal Work-Study award. You will get as many hours as is allowed under your work-study. The best way to figure it out, is if you are assigned X amount of money, divide that by the number of weeks that you will be able to work in a given Semester. Then divide that number by how much you will be making per hour, and you will have the average number of hours that you are able to work on a weekly basis. For some students this number may be a little low, but for others who have received a substantial award, it may be a lot of hours.

Important Facts about Work Study

The most important thing to know about your work study, is that it can run out. When you apply for financial aid, or for the work study waiver, you are given a maximum amount of money that you will be able to earn through the work-study. This amount is generated from information you have provided concerning how much money the state is paying for your education, and how much your parents have been able to put towards it. Sometimes the number can be quite high that you receive, and it can end up being a real benefit to you. Also, work-study wages tend to be higher than other positions, because the department or business that you are working for ends up getting compensated for your employment. If you are making $12 an hour, your place of work will only pay around 25% of your salary, or $3 an hour, and the Government will be covering the other $9 per hour allocation. This tends to make people more willing to hire more people, and the jobs end up not being quite so difficult either.

Work-study is a very easy way to earn money when at college, and by being able to do it in a field that you are interested in moving on to after college, you will have a head start on everyone else trying to get that same job. There are only benefits when it comes to getting work study, because the Government looks at it like this: If someone is willing to work for their education, we are willing to help foot part of the bill.

Because work-study jobs tend to be higher paying, they are more competitive to get than a normal job. This is why it is very important to make sure and apply to be work-study approved before you come to college. Then, take the initiative to acquire a job in that city, or even on the campus, prior to school starting up, so that you avoid the big rush of students coming back to town. By being one of the first people to apply for a job, you stand a better chance of getting a job that you will be happy with, and hours that will make it easy on your schedule. With no negative aspects of work-study, I highly recommend you take any chance that you have to sign up, and benefit from this Government Assistance Program.

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