Developing the Job Position

To create a work study position, there are guidelines that must be followed.

Job Description Requirements

Each Federal Work Study (FWS) job description needs to include the following:

  • the name and address of the student's employer;
  • the purpose of the student's job and their duties and responsibilities;
  • the job qualifications;
  • the job's wage rate or range;
  • the beginning and end dates of the student's employment;
  • the name of the student's supervisor.   

The job description has several purposes: it clearly defines whether the job qualifies for the FWS program; it provides the information needed to explain the position to a student and to help him or her select the type of employment most closely related to his or her educational or career objectives; and it establishes a written record, for both student and employer, of the job's duties and responsibilities so that there is no misunderstanding.

Guidelines for Establishing Wage Rates

In accordance with FWS Guidelines, the following must be considered and taken into effect when establishing wage rates:

  • the skills needed to perform the job, how much persons with those skills are paid in the local area for doing the same type of job,
  • rates the school would normally pay similar non-FWS employees,
  • any applicable federal, state, or local laws that require a specific wage rate, and it is not acceptable to base the wage on need or any other factor not related to the student's skills or job description.

Billing Procedures

FWS funds 75% of a students' gross wages, and the employer funds the remaining 25%. Eligible jobs through the America Reads Challenge initiative can be funded at 100%.

The university bills agencies for their percentage of each student's gross wages as specified on each student's hiring addendum. Academic year bills are sent at the end of each semester (mid-January and the beginning of June), and summer bills are sent at the beginning of September. We cannot post jobs or process appointment paperwork for agencies with outstanding bills.