Getting a Job
The primary resource for finding work-study jobs is the Work-Study Jobs section of the Work-Study website. Students can search for both on- and off-campus jobs. Job listings include the department, job title, a brief description, a list of desired qualifications, the pay rate, and contact information. When a student finds a job listing of interest, he or she should call or email the contact person listed to arrange an interview. If the interview is successful, the student may be offered the position. If the student is not hired, he or she may continue calling employers, or ask for assistance from the Work Study Coordinator or the Financial Aid Office staff.
Once a Student is Hired
Hiring Authorization Form
When a student is hired, the supervisor should complete a Work-Study Authorization Form. The student will return this form to the Student Financial Aid Office Work Study Coordinator. At this time the onboarding process through the College’s Human Resource Office can begin.
Work Study New Employee Onboarding Steps
FWS New Employee Requirements
Pre-Employment
- Fill out State Application
- Sign Offer Letter (will receive an email to sign from ats@ssc.vccs.edu)
- Fill Out Background Check Consent Form from Applicant Insight (will receive an email)
Onboarding
After a clear background check is returned and the offer letter is signed, the applicant is moved to “Hire Approved” and launched in our onboarding system, Avature. Then, an employee will receive emails from Avature to complete the following onboarding tasks:
- Personal Information
- Workers Compensation
- Work Study Agreement
- VCCS General Policies
- BRCC Policies
- BRCC Student Employees Social Security Taxes
- Upload Social Security Card
- Paycheck Options (which includes both Federal and State Tax forms, Direct Deposit COVA Form and uploading of supporting Direct Deposit Documentation. *Direct Deposit Supporting Documentation (ex. voided check) that is uploaded must show both the account number and routing number in full.
- Form I-9 (which includes going to BRCC HR office to show I-9 supporting documents). Section 1 of the Form I-9 must be completed via Avature on or before the employee’s hire date. To finish completing the Form I-9, the employee must bring I-9 supporting documents to HR; please bring documents on the hire date. (Student’s typically bring their social security card and driver’s license).
- Enroll in the Notification Alert System
- Mandatory New Employee Training (please see below)
Mandatory Training for All New Employees
- New Employee will receive an email from Avature 1-2 weeks after the hire date with instructions on how to complete the Commonwealth of Virginia Mandatory Training (COVLC Training) along with Title IX Mandatory Training. A new Employee has 60 days (from hire date) to complete the required training. Once this training is complete, employee should log into Avature and mark this task complete.
Taxes
Income earned through the Work-Study Program is NOT exempt from federal or state taxation. Students must complete state (Form VA-4) and federal tax withholding (W-4) forms. Questions regarding payroll forms should be directed to the Human Resources Office.
Confidentiality Agreement
All Work-study student employees will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement, which is kept with your HR documents. Regardless of whether you handle private or sensitive information in the performance of your jobs, you must be informed of the College policy on confidentiality.
VCCS Ethics Agreement
Work-study student employees who are granted access to the Virginia Community College System’s local and wide area computer systems will be required to complete this certification statement.
Electronic Time Sheet
All hours worked must be recorded on the Electronic Time Sheet. Pay periods are two weeks long. If the student begins working during the middle of a pay period, it is important to enter the hours in the correct week on the electronic timesheet. Supervisors are responsible for approving the hours; therefore, students must submit their time sheets when due to their direct department supervisors. Signed times sheets are due in to the Work Study Coordinator by 5:00 p.m. every Thursday. Late time sheet submissions will not be processed until the following pay period.
Checks
The Payroll Office issues checks biweekly on the Friday two weeks after the end of the pay period. Thus, any student starting at the beginning of a pay period will not receive a first check for four weeks. Direct Deposit is the recommended method to receive a paycheck. Other options students would need to discuss with HR office.
Wages and Benefits
The current wage rate is $12.00 an hour for on-campus positions and $13.00 an hour for off-campus community service positions. Work-study students do not receive benefits such as sick or vacation leave.
Schedules & Breaks
Students and employers should establish a work schedule that is convenient for both parties. To ensure that a student meets but does not exceed his or her earnings limit, it is best to divide the student’s limit by the number of weeks to be worked and the wage rate. The result will be the approximate hours per week the student should work. The Financial Aid Office will provide the student worker with their wage rate and the average number of eligible employment hours that may be worked each week. Once this schedule is established, the student is responsible for working those hours. A new schedule should be revisited at the beginning of each semester. Students should not work more than fifteen (15) hours per week, and should not work over thirty (30) hours per pay period. Work during scheduled breaks is permitted if mutually agreed upon by the student and supervisor. However, remember that the income earned during these vacation periods will count towards the student’s work-study award limit. If you work six or more hours a day, you are entitled to a 20-minute break and/or lunch.
Changing Jobs
The Financial Aid Office encourages students to remain in their positions the entire academic year. We realize, however, that schoolwork is the student’s primary responsibility. Should a conflict arise between classes and work schedule, or the job does not allow sufficient time for studies, the student may terminate his or her employment, or transfer to a different department. Students dissatisfied with their positions should attempt to work out the difficulties with their supervisor before requesting a transfer. The Financial Aid Office can provide counseling for anyone having trouble. In the event you decide to transfer, you must give two weeks’ notice to your present supervisor.
Additional Work-Study Jobs
Supervisors and students alike are asked to implement a work schedule that will ensure that students reach their earnings limit by the end of the award year. For this reason, students may not be employed in more than one department at the same time without prior permission from the Work-Study Coordinator. Any student desiring such authorization should contact the Coordinator in person. Permission is granted if the student cannot reach their award limit through his/her present job alone, or if the second position is more relevant to his career interests.
Job Termination
Student-initiated
Students are expected, although not required, to work a minimum of one semester before changing jobs. It is preferred that students change jobs between semesters, if possible. A student must give the supervisor two weeks’ notice when terminating; however, it is acceptable for a supervisor and student to agree upon a shorter period of notice. A student must have their supervisor complete a Job Termination Form and an Employee Performance Evaluation Form before leaving the job. These forms must be received by the Work Study Coordinator before the student may obtain a new Authorization Form for another job.
Supervisor-Initiated
Supervisors may terminate a student’s employment for any of the following reasons: 1) the student is unable to perform tasks in an acceptable manner or 2) dishonesty or other activities requiring immediate dismissal. If an employer is not satisfied with a student’s performance, the following steps should be taken:
- Discuss the problem with the student;
- If the problem continues, write the student a letter/email describing the problem, the previously held verbal discussion(s), and a statement of consequences if the behavior is not corrected. (You may wish to give the student a particular time frame in which to correct the problem.) A copy of this letter/email must be forwarded to the Work-Study Coordinator; and
- If there is no correction of the behavior, the student’s employment should be terminated. The supervisor should notify the student and should complete both a Job Termination Form and an Employee Performance Evaluation Form, being sure to state the reasons that the employee was terminated. Problems such as dishonesty or theft call for immediate dismissal from the Program. Supervisors should contact the Work-Study Coordinator as soon as possible in such instances.
When the Financial Aid Office receives a poor evaluation and/or termination, the Work-Study Coordinator will contact the student and provide counseling regarding the situation. If a supervisor initiates a termination for a non-negative reason, such as the completion of a project, the termination should be handled similar to a student-initiated termination with the supervisor giving the student at least two weeks’ notice. The Work Study Coordinator will make every effort to assist in placing a student terminated for such reasons.
Falsification of a time record by a student is a serious offense. The consequences are:
- Immediate removal from the Federal Work-Study Program
- The amount of Federal Work-Study awarded will be cancelled and will not be replaced with any federal or institutional assistance.
- Termination Notice placed in the student’s file indicating the reason for removal
- Referral to the VP of Student Services for appropriate disciplinary action
- Payroll will be notified of the correct hours worked.
- The Virginia State Police will be notified regarding a possible criminal investigation.
- Since federal funds are involved, the United States Office of Inspector General must be contacted concerning the offense.