<p>My son has a sizeable work study grant as part of his finaid package ($1100 a semester). He has applied for close to 20 positions, and has only received one, which is only 6 hours a week. At $7.50 an hour, that will not come close to meeting $1100 for the semester. He did receive another offer of employment, but that was rescinded once it was determined that this academic schedule would conflict with the hours they had available. I have counseled him to speak to the student employment office, which he did, but they told him there was nothing they could do for him.</p>
<p>Before I call, I was wondering the following:
1. What is the school's responsibility in securing employment for the student, especially since he has applied for so many positions? (They are instructed to apply online, and he has saved his emails proving that he applied for many positions.)
2. What happens to the money if he does not earn enough to meet his award?</p>
<p>I am extremely frustrated, as he applied for several positions before he even left for school in late August. He did this at the kitchen counter, so I SAW that he applied. He was counting on this money, and so was I, quite frankly.</p>
<p>It seems unfair that he would be granted work study, follow the procedures to secure employment, and be told "tough luck" when employment is not offered. </p>
<p>Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated...</p>
<p>No advice to offer but I can tell you the same thing happened to my neighbor's D last year. She qualified to make about $750/semester in work study last year but got a job that was only about 5 hrs. per week so basically just lost the rest of the money. I will say though that this girl didn't try as hard as your S has. She's a theater major and was concerned that any job outside the theater dept. would not fit her schedule so took a job offering less than desired hours. Then the hours she was promised didn't really materialize. Sounds like you S has more than done his part with the applications. </p>
<p>When you say he spoke to student employment , was that specifically for work-study jobs or any job on campus? At my kids' schools there are on campus jobs for students that are not earmarked for work study students. If the work study thing just won't work out, maybe he can get a reg. job.
Hope something works out for you. I know how frustrasted my friend was last year when her D's money was just lost.</p>
<ol>
<li>What is the school's responsibility in securing employment for the student, especially since he has applied for so many positions? (They are instructed to apply online, and he has saved his emails proving that he applied for many positions.)</li>
</ol>
<p>The school really has no responsibility to find the student the work study job. They have the funds to pay for this if the student finds one. I agree that he should talk to the someone about other job possibilities. But really, having a six hour a week job is probably not a bad thing for a freshman.</p>
<ol>
<li>What happens to the money if he does not earn enough to meet his award? </li>
</ol>
<p>He just doesn't get that money.</p>
<p>DD has a $3000 work study award. She works 10 hours a week at a $12 per hour job. She won't earn $3000 during the school year. AND we don't want her working more than 10 hours a week.</p>
<p>I agree that this is frustrating. My D was "awarded" $1200 each semester. I put this in quotes, because it really doesn't feel like an award to me. She did get the job she wanted, mainly because she invented it, and the school agreed. But she will not come close to earning the full amount, and I guess I am OK with that, as we already paid the bill. I would rather she focused on her studies than on worrying about earning this money. I feel like it's basically pretty much find a job and earn money, like any job. I don't think the students will get the money that was promised them unless they work the hours that would earn it for them, so the money just goes from the Feds (you and me...) to the school. How is that financial aid??</p>
<p>Thank you for your replies. My son is a senior and can easily handle more than 6 hours a week. </p>
<p>I am not okay with him not earning his award. And if what franglish said is true, the school gets to keep the money that is not earned. This seems "fraudulent" (for lack of a better word) to me. I would think the school SHOULD have enough work study jobs available to match the number of grants they have awarded as finaid. Otherwise, all schools could basically use work study as a part of their finaid packages knowing full well that if there are not enough jobs for all the awards, there will be unearned grants that they get to keep. I certainly hope this is not the case! Could this possibly be true? Because he followed the procedures to secure employment, I feel they need to come up with a solution. </p>
<p>Am I wrong in my thinking? I realize that many students do not secure work study positions for various reasons. This is not the case here. </p>
<p>I don't think I am going to let this drop. He said the woman in the student employment office (for work study) basically blew him off. He then asked to speak to someone else who "perhaps might be able to help him" and was told there was nothing that could be done. </p>
<p>My son worked 2 jobs for the past few summers (and has been working since age 17) and is no stranger to the work force...He has a lot of work experience--even did a paid internship two summers in a row--they have offered him full time employment upon graduation. We are not talking about a slacker here...</p>
<p>Talk to financial aid as well. They should be notified if there is a disconnect between what they are awarding and what can be obtained. Also the Dean of Students.</p>
<p>I agree you should talk to the financial aid office. (They should know, and hey, maybe they can find him a work study job in the financial aid office.)</p>
<p>Your senior son should pursue this further up the Financial Aid department. </p>
<p>You can be supportive of his pro-activity by searching out the names of the individuals he should contact. If you do so by calling the department, please do so anonymously. </p>
<p>By this point in his life, your involvement will be perceived as meddling.</p>
<p>Once things reach a certain stage, I would still get involved. The parent is primarily responsible for paying for college and it is a very expensive responsibility. If something is roadblocking the financial end of the process, it is very much the business of the parent to get involved. There have been a number of times that my kids have been pushed aside because they were just too young and inexperienced to deal with some issues, and the matter was very quickly resolved when I meddled. I usually make my kid pursue stuff initially because I want him to know the process and get the experience but if it becomes clear that he is being roadblocked because he just does not have the age and abiility yet to satisfactorily resolved something, I will get involved. Especially when it is costing ME money.</p>
<p>You stated that your son is a senior. Has he held work-study positions in the past. If so, perhaps he can take advantage of contacts he's made in those positions to secure the same job. </p>
<p>Also, before you contact the financial aid office, or have him talk to someone there, I suggest that you make sure that he's also applied to what are perceived as the "less desirable" positions where there may be multiple openings, and has followed up on these positions. </p>
<p>Many schools have a website that lists the workstudy positions. If he has applied to 20 positions that only had one opening it is certainly understandable that he has had difficulty securing employment. However, if he has applied to dining services (typically a ton of positions that no one wants) or housing (front desk security) or the recreational department and still hasn't heard then he should attempt to speak to some one in those departments before contacting financial aid. </p>
<p>I just spoke to my son the other day, and he hasn't heard anything yet, and I suggested that before applying for additional jobs he should make a visit to housing (front desk security positions he applied for) Hopefully something will come of it. Unfortunately dining services does not seem to have positions for work study at his school which I find odd (over the summer I would tease him about how awful it is to be a dishwasher in the dining commons)</p>
<p>It is a problem if FA is giving out work study awards and a kid has to work several jobs to get those hours, and there never was a propect for it be otherwise. FA needs to know what is out there when it gives out work study as part of the award process. Though I think WS is valuable, it has its limitations in that some kids already take into account that they are going to be working to come up with their EFC and when the WS award is given as part of the aid package, it can cut into those plans and hours. My son has found some very lucrative non Work study positions right on campus that he intends to take. If he had work study awards they would have to be pretty danged good to match those possibilities, and if he were on financial aid, that would mean he could not work towards his EFC which my son is able to do. He is planning on making $3000 this year towards his costs and it looks like it is going to easily be done without workstudy benefits.</p>
<p>I absolutely agree about him telling the FA office, and other offices/officials (higher up) as well if it doesn't get resolved. A student should not have to apply for THAT many jobs, and he shouldn't have such an unsatisfactory outcome in terms of hours available.</p>
<p>Work study is an important part of the aid package in many schools, and policies are being made on the assumption that work study granted is work study that is available. If that is not true, then people need to know that. </p>
<p>We've seen on our campus that students often get less work study wages than is awarded. I've always assumed (not having asked) that students were just electing to work less for various reasons. If students here are trying to work but can't get work study, then I'd sure want to know. As would our Regents, some of whom are intensely interested in how aid is working for students who need it.</p>
<p>Sometimes you cannot get the exact amount that is awarded because the jobs are down there by hours, not by amounts to neatly fit into your award. You may not be able to get a job that nets out the hours you are awarded, and even with multiple jobs, you may not get the exact amount. At least that was the way it was when I was in school, and what my friend complained about when her kid was trying to collect on work study which was a total waste for him after freshman year since he got his pilots license and could make far, far more money teaching flight, which was not a work study position. Even with the FA advantages, tax advantages, it did not come close. But I remember she was frustrated that freshman year because her son could not collect his full award, and the hours at the workstudy job hampered him in getting other work that he wanted to meet his EFC.</p>
<p>You can use your work study over the summer if there is a job available. My D had a job involving a great deal of work on the computer/online; that dept allowed her and was actually very happy to have her check their email and correspond with students over the summer, they also mailed her packets of data entry to do. So, once she proved herself she had a job she was allowed to do from afar- even when she studied abroad. The work study amount applies to the entire year, so if you can earn more later, that is available.</p>
<p>By the same token, D3 is applying now at a small school and has had no luck yet, though one guy who offered wanted her 20 hours a week or not at all- I suggested not at all.</p>
<p>That's the problem with work study. Sometimes it is packaged in increments that don't let you take the job. Some jobs cannot pay you additional either if you are over your allotment. It can be frustrating. At its best, it can be wonderful. H had a terrific workstudy job that would pay for excess hours out of regular funds and it morphed into a summer job that he loved. He wanted as much work study as he could get. It was useless for me, and I took none as I found higher paying work off campus that was better than work study pay even when you do FA and tax considerations. Sometimes telling FA the problem can help. I know that I told them (this was many, many years ago) that I did not want work study, and somehow they were able to scratch up some more money for me that was nonloan. I told them that I was coming up with my EFC and trying to keep my loans down with my jobs and the work study award was worthless to me. They saw my point. My friend's son got nowhere despite his problems and was just offered more in loans that his mother was needed to cosign.</p>
<p>D did not work last year. Her WS award was only about $1200 for the year and I though it was better that she start off just focusing on her classes. This year, she is happily working 9hrs/wk at WS job related to her major - - though she could have earned quite a bit more as a babysitter or tutor ($12-15/hr off-the-books, compared to $8/hr WS). Modeling for the live-drawing classes also pays well (if one is willing to get naked).</p>
<p>In your D's case, it is well worth it. Sometimes the WS jobs have no relation to a student's major and it is difficult patching enough to get the hours.</p>
<p>You should be able to transfer the amount of the wros study to loan, if that is desirable or if you want more eWS< you can transfer some amount of loan $ to WS</p>
<p>Some suggestions. As stated earlier Housing and Dining usually have a large number of openings as well as flexible schedules. Additionally, Parking, Libraries, bookstore and security will also have larger numbers of positions.</p>
<p>Workstudy students are always desirable as the department doesn't have to pay full amounts as there is the subsidy. This is why most non-revenue generating departments only hire work study students.</p>
<p>My school and son's school does not have work study for the food service jobs. Nor did the bookstore which was privately contracted. This can vary from school to school. The problem about departmental positions is that many universities use those for graduate school employment. Also for research, there are always eager students willing to do the work for nothing. It is worthwhile to take a look at what a school offers in work study jobs. I know of many parents harping on their kid to get those hours and dollars and they just are not often easy or possible to get despite the award.</p>