Off-Campus Work-Study

Eligibility

Off-campus work-study positions are open only to students with federal work-study in their financial aid award. Check the award  for the amount and type of award granted.

Ineligible

Students with campus employment as their work-study award, international students and graduate students are not eligible for off-campus work-study.

Pay Rate

The Massachusetts minimum wage rate rose to $15.00 per hour as of January 1, 2023. Therefore, the base pay rate for students is now $15.00 for on campus jobs and $15.50 for off-campus work study.

Smith pays 90 percent of the student's earnings. The agency is responsible for 10 percent plus FICA and Workers Compensation. Smith acts as paymaster during the academic year and will bill your agency in June.

Hour Limits

Students may not work more than nine hours per week.

Apply for Funding

A variety of off-campus work-study jobs are available to Smith students with federal work-study each year at local approved nonprofit, nonsectarian agencies. Agencies must apply for funding and funding is not guaranteed from one year to the next. Off-campus work-study focuses on nonprofit agencies serving the community, particularly its low-income citizens.

  • Pamphlet about your agency
  • Brief letter that outlines how having a Smith College work-study student would impact the agency and community
  • IRS Form 501-C-3 to prove nonprofit, tax-exempt status
Off-Campus Work-Study Agency Information (32.41 KB)
Off-Campus Work-Study Contract (MS Word) (90.41 KB)
Agreement for Participation in the Federal Work-Study Program (MS Word) (34.5 KB)

The Agreement must be renewed every year and a Contract is required each year for students to be employed by the agency.

Submit all forms and documentation to:

Student Employment Coordinator 
Smith College 
College Hall 
Northampton, MA 01063

Or email attachments to studemp@smith.edu

Once all materials are received, they will be reviewed. If approved, the agency will be assigned a budget and the supervisor given access to JobX to post jobs.

You will receive an ID number and temporary PIN. You will use this to authorize payments on BannerWeb. Read the Advertise & Hire Students section for further information on JobX access and contracts for hired students.

Please let us know if you have ever worked for Smith College or if you are a previous student; you may already be in our system.

Advertise & Hire Students

All students must have federal work-study, have been hired on Workday, and have completed all required documents before working.

Contract

Students must always be hired in JobX. When you hire a student, you must both meet to sign the contract below. Return the contract to us immediately upon hiring. Your student may not work until we have received the contract and she has been hired on JobX. Students must be hired yearly and Contracts must be submitted every academic year and are not automatically renewed.

Off-Campus Work-Study Contract (MS Word) (90.41 KB) 

Training

Employers must provide students with the tools and knowledge they need to do their jobs well. You are responsible for communicating expectations, making yourself available for questions, giving students frequent feedback and recognizing contributions.

Timesheets

In accordance with federal regulations and Smith College agreement, the college acts as paymaster, keeps all records and issues W-2 forms.

During the academic year you will be logging in biweekly to approve your student worker's timesheet.

By law, employees must be paid within one month of performing their duties. Please ensure that your student worker has submitted her timesheet to you for every pay period she works.

All timesheets are approved in Workday by following this job aid.

Payroll is biweekly. Missing a payroll means the student will go without a paycheck for two more weeks.

Lost Password

Contact ITS User Support, at 413-585-4487.

Unexpected Departures

If a student ceases working before originally planned, you must terminate their employment online as of their last day of work. Students will be not be able to get another job until this has been done.

Unsatisfactory Performance

If assistance is needed in dealing with a student concerning job-related problems, please contact us.

If a student's job performance is unsatisfactory, you must first discuss the situation with them. You must make an effort to assist the student in improving their performance by clearly communicating expectations. A verbal warning is appropriate at this point.

If the situation does not improve, employers must describe, in writing, problems with the student's job performance and maintain written records.

Termination & Dismissal

Employers are not obligated to retain a student if they do not meet the standards set upon employment or if they abuse any privileges; however, it is important to allow them to improve once they have been informed of any concerns with job performance.

A student may be terminated immediately in cases of:

  • falsifying a timesheet
  • stealing
  • insubordination
  • breach of confidentiality
  • physical or sexual abuse

If a student is terminated, a copy of the termination letter must be sent to the student employment coordinator.

Worker Recognition

Student assistance is very important to the operation of nearly all areas of the college, and the work experience students gain can be invaluable as they build career-level qualities such as honesty, diligence, ambition, time management and communication skills.

Letter of Recommendation

Students will ask you for letters of recommendation for their files at the Smith College Lazarus Center for Career Development, so your honest feedback is important and valued. In addition, the Student Employment Office frequently receives requests from companies asking for employment backgrounds of Smith graduates under consideration.