The same principle applies to individuals whose families have saved money to pay for college tuition: this does not necessarily prohibit you from receiving a work-study position. [3] X Research source Even if you’re only attending college part-time, you may be able to qualify for a work-study position.
You will need to complete a FAFSA form for every year that you need student aid. Even if you have been awarded a work-study position for one school year, you must fill out the FAFSA again for each subsequent year.
If you have previously started filling out the FAFSA form, you may continue your current application as a returning user. Otherwise, start a new application if you have never applied for financial aid before. If you’re returning to the FAFSA form, you’ll be asked to enter your 4-digit Save Key. This is another personal identification measure. Then click “NEXT. ” If you have not logged on to the FAFSA form before, you’ll be given a 4-digit Save Key. Write this number down so that you’ll have it if you need to login to the FAFSA page again.
Complete the necessary questions and then select “NEXT. ”
Review the drop-down list of colleges and universities that accept financial aid. If you are applying for financial aid before making your decision about which college to attend, you can select up to five schools. You must click the “ADD” button to officially select the school as a FAFSA recipient, or an Error message will appear.
Answer the questions under the financial information tab, relating to annual income. After you complete the questions don’t forget to click “NEXT. ”
Make sure you save your confirmation number. This number should also be sent to you in an email.
If you have applied for a work-study but haven’t received permission to register by August 1st, contact your school’s Financial Aid department.
If you’re struggling to find a list of open work study positions, contact your school’s Financial Aid office. It’s best to look into these positions early—popular jobs will fill up more quickly than less desirable opportunities. Keep in mind that the overall amount of money you can earn in a year will be set by the federal government as a result of the FAFSA process. Your hourly rate may be set by your work-study supervisor, and some positions will pay more than others. [9] X Trustworthy Source US Department of Education Federal government agency in charge of U. S. education law and policy Go to source
Examples of on-campus work study positions include: administrative assistant, bus driver, research assistant, and janitorial staff/cleanup crew. Examples of off-campus work study positions include: tutoring local elementary school children, working the reference desk in a public library, or serving as an administrative assistant at a nonprofit organization.
You should always apply for more than one position, in case the first position fills up quickly. If you’re at a large university, there will be thousands of students applying for work-study positions. Apply for several to increase your chances of employment.
You may be asked to fill out an individual application for each work-study position, or to upload your resume to a web page from which various potential employers can access it. It’s always good to apply to a handful of things to see how many you get, since the decision is not really up to you. Apply to at least three or four so that you can have a few options to choose from if you’re approved.
During the interview, you should also have the opportunity to discuss your work schedule. Figure out how many hours you can work per week, and make sure that your work schedule fits in with your academic schedule. [12] X Trustworthy Source US Department of Education Federal government agency in charge of U. S. education law and policy Go to source Repeat this step as necessary. The first employer that interviews you may decide not to hire you. Alternatively, if you’re invited to interview for multiple work-study positions, you may want to take as many interviews as possible and then weigh each position against the others.
Be ready to take advantage of opportunities that arise in your academic department or that you hear about through friends. Don’t hesitate to ask professors if they know of any open work-study positions, and ask already employed acquaintances if there are openings in their workplace.
