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Student Employment

Sinclair offers students part-time employment in Regular Wage or Federal Work-Study opportunities. Regular Student Employment is available to any eligible student. Students must have a Federal Work Study offer to apply for work study positions. Students who do not have a Federal Work Study offer may contact a financial aid representative to see if they qualify.

Working on campus will not only provide income; it will foster responsibility, encourage you to budget your time wisely, and offer opportunities for learning and skill development. Students who choose to work on campus appreciate the convenience of job locations and the opportunity to become better acquainted with faculty and staff. They also like the fact that college employers are understanding and flexible about academic demands.

Federal Work Study Program

Federal Work-Study is a federal financial aid program based on need determined from information you provide on the FAFSA. Many departments prefer to hire work-study students since the employee's wage is drawn from federal funds.

Note: Federal work-study earnings are not credited to your Student Bursar account. For more information, please visit the Federal work study page.

Regular Wage Employment

Regular wage employment is for students who want to work on campus but who are not eligible for federal work-study.

Student Employment Classifications

Classification Accountabilities
Level I Student Employee 
  • Minimal (if any) prior knowledge or training required 
  • Routine responsibilities
Level II Student Employee/Interns
  • Prior relevant course and/or work experience required
  • Assignments require special knowledge, technical, or research or skills 
  • Moderate/Limited supervision provided; seeks guidance as necessary 
  • May serve as a leader or trainer to student staff 
  • Completion of specific relevant courses and/or work experience required (for interns)  
Level III Student Employee 
*Requires HR approval
  • Reserved for highly specialized, technical, or scientific positions 
  • Significant equivalent experience with substantially relevant skills required 
  • May supervise projects and/or other student staff 
  • Independent judgment; makes formal recommendations 
  • Complex data analysis and decision-making in design, experimentation, and construction 

 

Comparison of Federal Work-Study and Regular Wage Employment

Type Federal Work-Study Student Employee Regular Wage Student Employee
Hourly Rate Level I - $14
Level II/Interns - $16
Level III - $20
Eligibility Requirements Students who are U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens demonstrating financial need (as determined by the FAFSA) Any student eligible to work in the U.S.
How to Qualify/Apply (1) Submit FAFSA,
(2) Check aid offer for eligibility, or request review of eligibility if not part of initial aid offer,
(3) View job postings,
(4) Apply directly to campus department, or for off-campus organizations submit application to Financial Aid & Scholarships
(1) View job postings,
(2) Apply directly to campus department
Enrollment Requirements Must be seeking a Title IV eligible program Be enrolled in at least 6 Title IV credit hours (audits do not count)
Work Hours Students cannot work more than 20 hours per week.
SAP Requirements Must meet all SAP requirements N/A but students must maintain a 2.0 GPA
When do I get paid? Pay is distributed via direct deposit on the 15th and 30/31st of the month
 

Student Employee Responsibilities

The following are some of the responsibilities of a student employee. Upon being hired, please visit the HR website from your my.sinclair portal, and view the Student Employee Handbook for a full list. As employees, students represent the department and the college to other students, faculty, staff, and visitors to Sinclair. All students are expected to fulfill the following responsibilities:

  1. Maintain adequate credit hours for type of employment.
  2. Complete student worker new hire paperwork.
  3. Complete assigned duties on the job and not conduct personal business while at work.
  4. Report to work at the agreed upon time. 
  5. Maintain regular, efficient, and cooperative job performance.
  6. Work with a positive attitude. Good fellowship and a sincere desire to be cooperative and helpful are encouraged.
  7. In case of sickness or other reasons for absenteeism, notification should be given as early as possible and at least 30 minutes before your scheduled shift begins (excessive absenteeism or tardiness is grounds for dismissal). 
  8. Keep an accurate record of hours worked.
    • Federal Work Study students are restricted to working no more than an average of 20 hours per week when classes are in session.
    • Breaks - students who are scheduled to work four (4) consecutive hours may take a 15- minute paid break during those hours. Students working six (6) or more consecutive hours may, in addition to a break, take a one-half hour (non-paid) lunch break. Breaks and lunch should be scheduled/approved by the supervisor.
  9. Submit the completed electronic time sheet to the supervisor on the last working day of the payroll period.

The Job Search

Before beginning the job search, it is a good idea to check your Federal Work Study (FWS) eligibility. You can check your current Aid Offer to see if funds have already been awarded to your account. To check your Aid Offer, please sign in to my.sinclair.edu. Once there, click the “Financial Aid” button on the tile titled “Student Finance.” If you do not have FWS offered and you are interested in being considered for it, request and complete the Change of Award form on FA Online Forms. (If you qualify for the Federal Pell Grant, you will likely qualify for Federal Work-Study. You may also qualify if you have been offered a Federal Direct Subsidized Loan.)

  1. Students visit collegecentral.com/Sinclair
  2. Log in under "Students"
  3. First time users follow instructions on left-hand side to create account. Returning users login using established username and password.
    • Username: Last 6 digits of Tartan ID
    • Create Password
  4. Complete Registration
    • Job Location: select On Campus
    • Job Interests: ONLY select Student Employment and Work Study, deselect all other fields
    • DO NOT upload resume at this time.
    • Submit Information
  5. Search Jobs through Advanced Search on the far right, searching by the following fields
    • KEYWORDS: enter Sinclair Student Employment
    • JOB TYPES: select only Student Employment and Work Study
  6. Toward the bottom of each job posting, is the student application, and application instructions. Please review these carefully for each position, as application submission for each office is different.
  7. Using the dropdown under "Position Type", select "Student Employment: Federal Work Study" AND/OR "Student Employment: Without Federal Work Study".
  8. After finding a position you have interest in, follow the prescribed method of application contained in the position description. Typically the process to apply requires the submission for a Student Employment Application. 

The Hiring Process

  1. After submitting your application, you may be invited for an interview.
  2. If selected, you will be offered a position and the employer will complete the HR Action Form and submit it to the Financial Aid & Scholarships office.
  3. You may be contacted via your Sinclair email regarding FWS eligibility and interest, and must respond to this request before your HR Action form will be moved forward in the process. It is important to check your email daily, and respond to requests as soon as possible.
  4. After initial submission of the HR Action Form as Intent to Hire, and being checked by Financial Aid & Scholarships for FWS eligibility, Human Resources will notify the student and the hiring manager that the background check results are “clear”. HR will send the student a welcome email with necessary forms to print and complete before the first day. HR will schedule a time with the student to come in to the office and submit the completed forms. Once complete, Human Resources will notify the hiring manager that the student can begin work.
    **Students FWS eligibility can change from year to year, so please complete the new FAFSA early, and check FWS eligibility each academic year

Termination of Employment

Student employment is "at will". In other words, student employees are free to quit whenever they wish and the college is not restricted from terminating a student employee at any time as well. Hiring managers should submit the HR Action Form to the Human Resources office.

Department Hiring Managers

In order to post a student employment position, Hiring Managers must complete and submit the Job Description Form and submit it to studentemployment@sinclair.edu.