student employment

SUPERVISOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • How does Work-Study work?
    • Federal Work-Study is a campus-based employment program that is subsidized by federal funds. Students that are eligible are allocated a specific amount of work-study that they can earn and apply to the cost of their education. 50% of a student's wages are paid by these federal funds. So, for example, if a student is paid $9.00/hour, you would be responsible for $4.50/hour and the federal government would pay the remaining $4.50/hours up until you exhaust your work-study allotment. As you can see, as an employer, it is beneficial to hire students with work-study eligibility. 
  • What is Term-Time Employment?
    • Term-Time is a campus-based employment program that operates exactly the same as Federal Work-Study, but with institutional funding. Term-Time employment is awarded to students that are not eligible for federal funds for a various reasons (e.g. international students).
  • How much should I pay for my student position?
    • Employers are given the flexibility to pay whatever amount they want for their position, provided it is above the State of Connecticut minimum wage ($8.25/hour). Wesleyan has established a recommended pay rate that is a scale based on number of years of service in a particular position. Employers can pay above this scale if they feel the position warrants such an increase. Jobs that require special training/skills (such as lifeguards and ITS jobs) often pay more than the minimum pay rate. 
  • Can students have more than one job?
    • Yes, students can have multiple jobs. It is important to know that with any job that a student has on-campus (or off-campus with our Community Service partners), all of their earnings will draw against their individual allotment. For this reason, it is important that you know whether your student workers have multiple jobs or not. By doing so, you will be able to better monitor their hours and work-study eligibility.
  • Do hours worked during school vacations/breaks count toward a student's allotment?
    • Yes, all hours worked during the academic year will draw against a student's work-study allotment. This includes Fall break, Thanksgiving break, Intersession and Spring break. Hours earned during Intersession/Winter Break would draw from a student's spring allotment (i.e. the fall semester ends on the last day of exams during the fall semester). Earnings following the last day of exams in the spring semester would not draw from a student's spring allotment, since this date signifies the end of the academic year.