Conducting Your Search
As with any employment opportunity, you'll improve your prospects if you are well prepared, presentable and enthusiastic about the position. Before you make a commitment, make sure the work schedule doesn't conflict with your class or study schedule, and that you are comfortable with the hours required.
Community Service Work and Carolina Reads
Students awarded work-study have an opportunity to work in community-based programs and agencies that provide much needed services to individuals and families within the Columbia area. Whether through providing reading tutors for children or any number of other special service opportunities within our community, these positions allow our students the opportunity to have intangibly rewarding experiences and to get paid for their contributions.
While strengthening the university’s partnership with local agencies and helping meet specific needs within the community, these work-study positions can also provide an excellent springboard toward Graduation with Leadership Distinction (GLD) in community service.
Carolina Reads
Work-study students may choose to work directly with elementary schools and the Midlands
Reading Consortium in an effort to help eliminate illiteracy.
Search for Community Service Work and Carolina Reads jobs
Work-Study Employment Tips
Both on- and off-campus work-study student are considered employees of the university, and you will be paid using the same processes and procedures as other hourly university employees. Here are some of the basics that you should know as you get started:
For an on-campus work-study job, your employer must complete a hire payroll form, so you do not have to obtain a payroll form from our office.
For an off-campus work-study job, you must come to our office and request your payroll form. During your visit, please identify yourself as an off-campus work-study employee.
While pay rates vary slightly between jobs, the amount you may earn (your award) is fixed. This total is on your award notification. Once you have earned this amount, you must stop working. That's why it's important to set up a work schedule at the beginning of each semester that allows you to spread your earnings over the entire period. Use this simple formula:
(Work-Study Award Amount / Hourly Pay Rate) / Weeks in Term = Hours per Week
The first step to getting a paycheck is to have your employer complete your hire paperwork.
Second, you must submit your hours:
- If you work on campus, you will enter your hours worked each week by logging onto HCM PeopleSoft.
- If you work off-campus, you will complete a weekly time card/sheet provided by the off-campus employer.
University employees are paid on the 15th and the last working day of the month. The Payroll Office, located at 1600 Hampton Street, requires all employees to complete direct deposit information using the PeopleSoft system. If the deposit information is not provided prior to printing the employee's first paycheck, the check will not be distributed.
You will not receive a check on the first pay date after you begin working because of the time required to process payroll forms. To avoid additional delays, please be sure to submit your paperwork promptly.
While we do not encourage students to hold multiple work-study positions, we do allow you to work more than one job at a time. However, you cannot work more than 20 hours in any week.
If you withdraw from the university during a semester or summer session, you may not continue working through the Federal Work-Study Program. Please visit our office to meet with a counselor about terminating the work-study job. You will also receive information about the effect of the withdrawal on other forms of financial aid.