<p>Okay, I have a Work Study contribution of about $3,000 a year. That's about $250 a month. What if I wanted to get another part-time job that would help with .. let's say.. personal expenses. Is that possible? Or can I only have one job?</p>
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Current Hoyas:</p>
<p>I know that undergraduate fed/work study students receive an hourly wage. How much? I've heard different numbers..</p>
<p>Is it possible to have your federal work/study job and at the same time hold another part-time job to you know, earn some money for personal expenses? Or is that completely out of the question?</p>
<p>Also, what sort of jobs are available for fed/work study students? </p>
<p>I have about $3,000 to pay off under work study, which equates to about $250 a month. The way I figure, under DC minimum wage, that's about 37-38 hours a month. (This is under the assumption that they don't tax work-study profit.. if they do, I figure about 45 hours a month..)</p>
<p>That's about 10 hours per week. (under a 40 hour work-month).</p>
<p>Is it possible?
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<p>I posted that on the GU board. Cross-posting here for reference.</p>
<p>As far as I know, you can take an off campus job (or maybe on campus if there are openings). As far as what kind of jobs - all kinds. I would go to the college website & see what it says. I am not so sure that I would work more hours than your work study is for (at least for the first semester) until you get familiar with the college's work load. Good luck.</p>
<p>You can do whatever you want. When I was in college, I did work study jobs plus extra jobs, which I found through temp agencies off campus. No one cares.</p>
<p>you may be able to get your workstudy contribution raised if you really need the money- it is to your benefit for finaid- as workstudy money is not added to income for their calculations but income from another job would be.</p>
<p>The deal with work study is this - The student is qualified to earn UP TO a certain amount for an aid year....the max amount possible is 4000 per year. This doesn't mean that's what the student will earn. They must find a work study job and apply and interview like finding any normal job, except these jobs are reserved for work study students so it shouldn't be difficult. The job sites may be on-campus or off-campus, any business really that participates in the program (though I'm inclined to believe that the "Campus Work" would apply only to jobx on-campus...they are probably the same in every other aspect).
They usually pay a little above minimum wage, and cannot require a student to work more than 20 hours a week, even less during midterms and finals week. So, a student may work only 10 hours a week and only earn $3000 in an aid year of their total $4000 work study award. That's it then. The ability to earn that other $1000 cannot be carried over for the next year.
The advantage of earning money through "work study" over getting a regular part-time job is this: The money earned through work study is not calculated as income for the next aid year! In other words, it's a way to earn some cash from a job and not have to report it on the fafsa for next year.
A regular part-time job that pays, say 20% more than a work study job would then have about the same effect on total cost for college, since a slightly higher EFC would eat up that 20% higher wage. Still, if a student finds a SWEET paying part-time job that pays a good deal more than a work-study job, it may be better for the student to decline work study.
Another thing, if a student's work study award is only $3000 and they are awarded direct loans as well, they may request the Financial Aid Office to increase the work study amount up to the max of 4000 if they want to decline a portion of a loan award. This would keep the overall package total the same.
The need for funding by the federal government or the campus itself can be explained this way: A student earning 4,000 grand a year would, of course, raise their EFC by maybe, $200-$1000, depending on each situation (just a guess). With the work study program, the govt. or the university COVERS that additional EFC money that would have been required from the student if they had a regular part-time job that paid the same.
Sorry for the long post, but I know how hard it is to find the "right" info or a helpful FA officer to tell you everything the first time.</p>
<p>Well, I was under the impression that work study money went directly to pay for tuition and such.. if that's the case, I would think I need another job for personal expenses..</p>
<p>What I'm trying to do is.. I'm trying to minimize my parents' contribution. They are probably going to retire soon (my dad is 62, my mom.. well, she'll still be working) .. and I don't want to take any excessive parent loans. </p>
<p>Also, a Perkins loan wasn't indicated on my Finaid statement -- does that mean I can't take out Perkins? What other STUDENT loans are there available, even though my parents have to co-sign?</p>
<p>Nope - as the posts above state - generally, work study goes towards personal expenses, not tutition/room and board. At Georgetown, which also offered me work study, it does go toward personal expenses.</p>
<p>Maybe it is different at every college, but at my son's college he got a work study allowing him $2,500. That means that he is just eligible and does not mean that they will guarantee that he will be able to make $2,500. We have to pay the $2,500 and then he can either pay us back or use it for personal expenses. He will make a min. of $8.35 (?) up to $12.50ish depending upon the job at his particular college (all are probably different). Bottom line, read the fine print.</p>