<p>Does anyone know the difference? The first one is obviously FWS, the one employers want. But what is the second? Is that just something they you got to earn yourself and they just add it there to make your Financial aid look better?</p>
<p>I find it curious that working to earn money for college is called aid. When I went it was called working to earn money for college. Now if they would “aid” you in finding a job, well, that’s another story.</p>
<p>How does an employer (Starbucks say or the Multiplex) know a kid is using some of her wages to pay for school? How do they get reimbursed? Or is this on campus employment only - in which case its really just another federal handout to the Uni since it goes right back into their coffers? I guess I’m confused.</p>
<p>Work Study (which is what the OP is asking about) is a job where the government subsidizes the wages. It can be on campus but can also be off campus with non profit organizations (not commercial enterprises like Starbucks). For instance my daughter’s school has, in addition to on campus jobs, WS options like tutoring at local high schools, working at a domestic violence shelter, working at a USDA lab. My daughter worked at a USDA lab. It was a good job for her as she is a science major, but she does not have WS this year (got the SMART grant instead which is nice) and they don’t have the budget to hire her without the WS subsidy. </p>
<p>Lots of students get good work experience from WS jobs. They work a job and are paid a salary to do it. As the salary is paid to the student every two weeks based on the hours worked it is not generally used for direct college expenses but to cover personal expenses.</p>