On-Campus Jobs
Eligibility
Students with "Federal Work-Study" or "Smith Campus Job" in their financial aid award have priority for all jobs on campus. Students who are enrolled less than half-time (fewer than 8 credits) are only eligible to apply for casual positions through the Office of Human Resources. Non-work-study applicants should not be considered until after October 1 and the position must then be readvertised for work-study students the following year to reopen it to those work-study students with priority.
Graduate students do not receive work-study as part of their financial aid and are therefore not eligible for campus jobs until after the work-study priority period has ended. Graduate students are never eligible for CFCD funded research assistant positions or OCIP internships.
Base Campus Pay Rate
The Massachusetts minimum wage rate rose to $15.00 per hour as of January 1, 2023. Therefore, the base pay rate for students is now $15.00 for on campus jobs and $15.50 for off-campus work study.
Hour Limits
Academic Year
Students may not work more than ten hours per week, but may hold more than one on-campus position to meet this allowance.
Academic Year Breaks
Students may work up to 35 hours per week during breaks but students should review the impact on their work study award.
Summer Employment
Current students continuing enrollment in the fall are eligible for summer student employment. Summer employment begins the day after exams end in May, and ends the day before classes start in September. Students can work up to 35 hours per week.
| Students | Hours Per Week |
| First-year Students | Up to 8 |
| Transfer Students | Up to 10 |
| Ada Comstock Scholars | Up to 10 |
| All Returning Students | Up to 10 |
Work-study students may hold an additional on-campus position to meet this allowance.
Non-Work-Study Waiting Period
Students without work-study should not apply for jobs until October 1 in the fall, and wait two weeks after classes start in the spring to apply for on-campus jobs.
Graduate students do no receive work-study as part of their financial aid and are therefore not eligible for campus jobs until after the work-study priority period has ended.
Requests for Non-Work-Study Hire
Employers must provide a reason why the student is best suited for the job, and must have advertised the position and considered work-study applicants first. Exceptions will only be granted under very special conditions. The position must be reopened the following semester to work-study students. Requests can be submitted to studemp@smith.edu.
Rehiring Students Without Work-Study
Non-work-study students who have obtained jobs are not eligible to be rehired into those positions. The positions must be re-advertised for as long as possible to attract work-study eligible applicants. Non-work-study students may not apply or be considered until after October 1 in the fall and after the first two weeks of classes in the spring.
Paperwork
Before a student can work and be paid, the following paperwork must be submitted in Workday.
- Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification (Section 2 must be completed in person, and with appropriate identification)
- Form W-4 Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate
- Form M-4 Massachusetts Employee's Withholding Exemption Certificate
- Direct Deposit
- An additional form is required by the IRS from students planning to work on campus during the summer, and must be submitted to Human Resources before the student can be hired or begin work. For more information, see Summer Employment.
Students should not apply for jobs until they've completed these forms. Employers must not schedule any student without first hiring the student and verifying that these documents have been completed.
Budgets
In order to hire a student, a department or professor must request a specific amount to be allocated for student wages. Contact the Budget Office with inquiries regarding budgets for student employees and the associated SP (Student Position) numbers where the hours will be charged. Students on financial aid with work-study have first priority for your job, no matter where funding comes from.
Graduate students are never eligible to work under a faculty member's CFCD grant.
Requests for Increased Budgets
Requests for increased student budgets should be directed first to the department head. If departments cut their student work budget, this will result in a decrease in the number of jobs available to eligible students.
Federal regulations mandate that student workers may not be used to replace staff.
Training
Employers must provide students with the tools and knowledge they need to do their jobs well. You are responsible for communicating expectations, making yourself available for questions, giving students frequent feedback and recognizing contributions.
Timesheets
In accordance with federal regulations and Smith College agreement, the college acts as paymaster, keeps all records and issues W-2 forms.
Approve Timesheets
During the academic year you will be logging in biweekly to approve your student worker's timesheet.
By law, employees must be paid within one month of performing their duties. Please ensure that your student worker has submitted her timesheet to you for every pay period she works.
All timesheets are approved in Workday by following this job aid.
Payroll is biweekly. Missing a payroll means the student will go without a paycheck for two more weeks.
Lost Password
Contact ITS User Support, at 413-585-4487.
Do not miss timesheet approvals; if you do, you will go unpaid and must submit a retroactive timesheet in the next payroll.
All payroll processes, including time entry and approvals, are handled by the payroll office in the Office of the Controller, 413-585-4607 or payroll@smith.edu.
Confidentiality
If a student has access to confidential information as part of her job, this information is not to be shared with anyone outside the department. Failure to comply will result in termination of employment as well as action by the Dean of the College and the Judicial Board.
Comprehensive Information Security Program
Employee Information Security Policy
Unexpected Departures
If a student ceases working before originally planned, you must terminate their employment online as of their last day of work. Students will be not be able to get another job until this has been done.
Unsatisfactory Performance
If assistance is needed in dealing with a student concerning job-related problems, please contact us.
If a student's job performance is unsatisfactory, you must first discuss the situation with them. You must make an effort to assist the student in improving their performance by clearly communicating expectations. A verbal warning is appropriate at this point.
If the situation does not improve, employers must describe, in writing, problems with the student's job performance and maintain written records.
Termination & Dismissal
Employers are not obligated to retain a student if they do not meet the standards set upon employment or if they abuse any privileges; however, it is important to allow them to improve once they have been informed of any concerns with job performance.
A student may be terminated immediately in cases of:
- falsifying a timesheet
- stealing
- insubordination
- breach of confidentiality
- physical or sexual abuse
If a student is terminated, a copy of the termination letter must be sent to the student employment coordinator.
Worker Recognition
Student assistance is very important to the operation of nearly all areas of the college, and the work experience students gain can be invaluable as they build career-level qualities such as honesty, diligence, ambition, time management and communication skills.
Letter of Recommendation
Students will ask you for letters of recommendation for their files at the Smith College Lazarus Center for Career Development, so your honest feedback is important and valued. In addition, the Student Employment Office frequently receives requests from companies asking for employment backgrounds of Smith graduates under consideration.