a lot of apps ask for if you’ve ever hard employment. i have never had the unfortunate situation where i needed money. i live in a well-off family and never had to worry about financial problems. how important is employment?
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<p>Work history is important because it shows responsibility and that the applicant wasn't born with a silver spoon in his/her mouth. In some ways it's an indicator of socioeconomic status, and will have an effect on how the application is viewed overall. Student A who has to work 30 hours a week on top of a full course load isn't going to be met with the same expectations for ECs and even test scores as Student B who has never worked a day for anything and has access to all the best education and leisure time for in-depth ECs.</p>
<p>Since you're obviously a Student B, I hope you've got an impressive academic/EC resume for colleges. They won't be impressed if you haven't taken advantage of the opportunities available to you.</p>
<p>I don't need to work to support the family, but i work anyway...extra cash, good experience.</p>
<p>How many hours a week does one need to work in order to have it count as a job? For example, comparison between a person that works 7 hours a week to someone that works 20 hours a week. Would it look differently?</p>
<p>i work at the library, but not for money. i don't see the need to drain my government of money, when i don't need it.</p>
<p>hey if you did "chores" for your parents and they paid you, would that count as a job?</p>
<p>employment:</p>
<p>chores</p>
<p>probably not</p>
<p>College don't seek out work experience in particular. They just want to know how you've spent your time. If you've had to work to help your family then this will explain why you can't participate in as many EC's, and will give a bit of perspective on the odds you have to overcome. So employment in and of itself is not important. It is all about context of how you spend your time. </p>
<p>If you don't have to work, it's a pretty good idea to involve yourself in some EC's or extra academics. It is ideal, really, if you don't have to work and have the opportunity to persue all your passions and interests.</p>
<p>If you do work and don't have to support your family, it's a good idea to be sure to do something that advances your academic interests and passions as much or more than EC's would. For example, it would be more productive to be an Editor of your school newspaper unpaid, than to do some basic retail or clerical job.</p>
<p>I take it that's a joke about paid chores at home, lol! Unless, of course, you must provide childcare for siblings while parents work.</p>
<p>What about a unique job? Like, I DJ for a company that does Bar/Bat Mitzvahs on saturday nights. Is that like...bonus point worthy?</p>
<p>(~)-(~): if it's paid, it's a job (well, except for stuff like chores... hahah, childcare). if a college asks for employment experience, they'll have a column for hours per week. obviously, someone who works 5 hours/week and someone who works 30 hours/week should have different expectations in terms of involvement in other activities.</p>
<p>i work as a "tutor." sounds academic, eh? well, i work at kumon. if you know what that is, or have one near you, try your best to shut it down. kumon doesn't work. and buy tons of stickers and 'accidentally' leave them scattered on the ground outside the center. hehe. well i only work 6 hours/week during the school year and 9 hours/week during the summer. it's not like it interferes with my activities or anything, so i don't mind it. but i definitely wouldn't ask for more hours. i don't need the money.</p>
<p>I don't know why you guys thought the chores employment was a joke. I'm kinda desperate lol.
So only if it's babysitting does it count?
What if you helped out your parents in their office and they paid you?
Would that be employment?</p>
<p>Babysitting: hehehe, I know employers hate this one; they tend to disregard it when someone hands in an application with "babysitting" on it because it's not a real job to them..I don't know about colleges, but I guess it would be similar..</p>
<p>Your Parent's office: It really depends on the situation. If you work for your parent's in say...a family-owned restaurant or coffee shop, yes that is a job. If you are from a well-off family, and you help in your dad's law office by cleaning out the trash bin and typing up a couple of sentences, I guess it isn't worth mentioning..again, it all comes down to socioeconomic status</p>
<p>Does employment count as giving clarinet lessons to middle schoolers? I have had five students; I currently have only one, but will probably get more in the coming school year. </p>
<p>Also, what about having a paid position as a tutor at a middle school homework center? (which I am planning to do this year)</p>
<p>thanks iwantfood for the explanation :)</p>
<p>change the terminology from "babysitting" to childcare provider. That is a legitimate job.</p>
<p>So would having ECs such as volunteering at a hospital look better to colleges than working at McDonald's when you and/or your family doesn't need additional income?</p>
<p>volunteering is not considered work experience.. it shows that you give back to the community.. its like you caring for your community.. the more creative the better(also lots of hours are a plus). working is good if you explain how you got more responsible caus of it etc. mention in it in a short answer or in ur essay somehow(squeeze it in as an anecdote)</p>
<p>So working is better? I still can't distinguish between them.</p>
<p>either is good. working is good if its significant hours.. and if u need money or if ur doing for personal interest(not paperfiling at a compnay intern deal.. they can recognize those if you don't go into detail). obviously if ur working at like a freddie mac they know ur just working for ur dad filing papers cause they won't let u handle clients etc as a high school student.. basically something that doesnt look like a collegeadmissions-pleaser. </p>
<p>If you're in a situation like me you might have to explain what u did in depth. I am researching at U.S. Naval Research Lab in D.C. but I'm actually doing real research with other mentors, but with my own goals in mind. I'm writing my own paper etc so I will explain all that to them by sending my paper so they know its more than paper-filing.</p>