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WORK-STUDY FOR FIRST YEAR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

As part of your financial aid package you were offered the opportunity to work on campus.

Work-Study Opportunity

Your official financial aid award letter offers you an opportunity to earn money at a campus work-study job. Students are not required to work if they do not wish to do so. However, the College will not replace the unearned work-study with grant aid.

First year international students are limited to an average of 8-10 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters. If a student remains on campus during Interterm she may work more than the standard 8-10 hours per week if she chooses. Once the break is over, however, the hour limitations again apply during the semester.

Obtaining Hours

Although you are offered the opportunity to earn through work-study, you are responsible for obtaining the number of hours you need.

New students find it very convenient to have work readily available to them in their houses while they are getting familiarized with the Smith campus. First year students have priority for all jobs offered in Dining Services and Building Services working in the kitchen or doing housekeeping. Upon your arrival at Smith there will be a job sign-up meeting at the Carroll Room in the Campus Center, date and time to be announced. If you plan to obtain a work-study job, you are expected to attend this meeting to obtain the hours you need. Representatives from Dining Services and Building Services will be there to schedule student work. There will also be shifts available in the Smith College Club, Catering, and in the Campus Center Cafe.

First year students do not have any priority for other campus jobs. The jobs listed on the Student Employment website (JOBX) are intended for sophomores, juniors and seniors on work-study. In addition, international students are not eligible to work at any of the federally funded America Reads or Off-Campus Work-Study jobs because they are not U.S. citizens and because of Visa limitations.

Assistance is available from the Student Employment Coordinator if a student has difficulty locating work due to medical restrictions or a class or athletic conflict.

When jobs are advertised in the spring of 2010 first year students will then be free to apply for a new position elsewhere on campus for the 2010-2011 academic year. Positions available then will include various internships, tutoring in the Jacobson Center, as well as a large variety of other campus jobs.

Payment Details

VERY IMPORTANT: Before you can legally work, you are required to complete Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, Form W-4 Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate, and Form M-4 Massachusetts Employee's Withholding Exemption Certificate. All three forms must be on file in the Payroll & Disbursements Office. They handle anything BannerWeb and Payroll related where Student Employment is involved only in advertising jobs and hiring of students. Representatives from the Payroll & Disbursements Office will be at Central Check-In to assist in the completion of these forms. Please be prepared to show the required documents necessary to complete Form I-9. Please be sure to have your passport and I-20.

You will also be applying for a U.S. Social Security Number when you arrive on campus. Once all requirements have been met, you can commence working and be paid.

The base campus pay rate for 2009-2010 is $8.25 per hour. International students are subject to U.S. taxes. The College does not accept tax treaty benefits for students. However, students can claim those treaty benefits when filing a U.S. tax return.

In order to be paid, you will be submitting online Time Sheets on Payroll’s Banner Web Time Entry system. Your supervisor is responsible for hiring you into the system so that Payroll can then build your job on BannerWeb. The Dining Services Coordinators in the houses are responsible not only for hiring & scheduling workers, but also for approving your hours worked and submitting them for payment in a timely manner. It is mandatory that you submit a Timesheet every pay period that you work and do not delay submission of your hours. Do not hesitate to inquire immediately with your Dining Services Coordinator and/or the Payroll Office if your pay is delayed so that the matter can be quickly resolved.

Applying Earnings to Your Tuition Bill

If you are responsible for a portion of your tuition bill, arrangements can be made in the Student Financial Services Office to direct all or part of your paycheck to your tuition account. In order to begin this process you must complete a Student Payroll Deduction Authorization Form. Please think seriously about the amount you choose to commit and limit changes to your decision to a minimum. Allow several days for the processing of this form, as it must be handled both by Student Financial Services and the Payroll Office before the deductions begin to take effect.

The amount pledged must be reasonable with regard to your work-study limit and the number of hours you have scheduled for yourself. The amount you pledge to pay toward your tuition account through payroll deduction will be protected from late fees. Each tuition bill you receive will show the payroll deduction credits made to your account.

Other Options

Direct deposit of your pay to a bank account in a continental U.S. bank can be arranged directly with the Payroll Office.

The College reserves the right to limit additional hours for international students. All students who have been awarded Work-Study must be given the opportunity to work on campus. The limitation of one primary job per student is to insure equity and opportunity for all students. For first year students this means a maximum of 10 hours per week, 12 for upper class students.

A 2009-2010 Student Employment Guide, mandatory reading for any student intending to work. A link to the Guide is found on the right. Further reading about work-study in general is located at: www.smith.edu/finaid/fao/studemp.php

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Student Employment Office by email at: vschumac@smith.edu or studemp@smith.edu.

Payroll questions should be addressed to the Payroll Office at payroll@smith.edu or phone at x2213 or x4401.

Information about Financial Aid
for First Year Applicants

America Reads
America Counts Tutoring

Student Employment
Guides

Payroll Information

CDO Help With Resume Writing

Contact Student Employment

 
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