Work Study Handbook
Contact Information
Questions regarding Work Study policies, procedures, timesheets or payroll can be directed to the Work Study Coordinator at 610-325-2790.
What is Work Study?
Work Study is a program that provides funding for college students to work part-time in positions on campus and at non-profit organizations and government agencies in the local community. The program recognizes, encourages, and promotes work-learning programs as a valuable experience for students to complement their coursework.
What types of Work Study are available?
There are three types of Work Study at the College: Federal Work Study, College-funded Work Study and International Work Study.
What types of positions qualify for Work Study?
A Work Study position can be just about anything that is relevant to the business conducted in a College department or external organization. It can be secretarial or administrative work or Work Study students can help in areas such as marketing, public relations, computers/IT, data entry, tutoring, etc. Students may also be placed in co-op or internship positions and be paid for their experience through the Work Study program. Students should never be asked to use their private vehicle for a work-study position. Work-study is prohibited in the areas of politics and religion.
How many hours can I work?
Work Study positions are part-time. Students in the Work Study programs are eligible to work up to 15 hours per week, but no more than 499 hours in a (fiscal) year. Eligibility for Federal Work Study is specific to each student and is dependent upon your financial aid package, number of credits in which you are enrolled, and the date you begin working.
When can I work?
Students in the Federal and College-funded Work Study programs can work year-round as long as you meet the eligibility requirements listed below. Students in these programs can work during the semesters/terms when classes are in session, during breaks and over the summer as long as there is a need for your services in that department/organization. International Work Study students can work when classes are in session during the fall and spring semesters only.
You can work at any time and any day of the week that the department/organization normally operates. However, the hours you are scheduled to work should take into consideration your class schedule. YOU MAY NEVER SCHEDULE WORK SHIFTS AT TIMES THAT CONFLICT WITH OR OVERLAP WITH YOUR CLASS SCHEDULE. Additionally, on-campus work study students cannot submit hours for holidays or school closures. If a student misses a shift of work because of sickness, vacation, etc., they are allowed to make up hours but only within the same pay period hours were missed in (i.e. no pay period should have more than 30 hours reported).
Who receives Work Study?
Federal Work Study is awarded to students based on the information presented on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year. The FAFSA application and college financial aid packaging policies are used to determine whether you are eligible. College-funded Work Study is awarded to a limited number of students who have completed the FAFSA, but are not eligible for Federal Work Study. International Work Study is awarded to a limited number of students with an F1 Student Visa.
What are the eligibility requirements for job placement?
Federal Work Study placement eligibility is determined by several combined factors including:
- Completion of FAFSA and any extra verification requirements
- Student GPA (must be 2.0 or higher) and must have passed 67% of courses attempted
- Attempted no more than 90 credits of classes
- Enrollment in at least 6 credits of classes
- Cannot work more than 499 hours in a fiscal year
- An operational savings or checking account for direct deposit
Available budget funding College Work Study placement eligibility is determined by several combined factors including:
- Completion of FAFSA and any extra verification requirements
- No eligibility for Federal Work Study
- Student GPA (must be 2.0 or higher) and must have passed 67% of courses attempted
- Attempted no more than 90 credits of classes
- Enrollment in at least 6 credits of classes
- Cannot work more than 499 hours in a fiscal year
- An operational savings or checking account for direct deposit
Available budget funding International Work Study placement eligibility is determined by:
- F-1 Student Visa status • Enrolled in or have completed ENG 050
- Full-time enrollment • Student GPA (2.5 or higher)
- Valid social security number (obtained once employment is secured)
- Cannot work more than 499 hours
- An operational savings or checking account for direct deposit
To determine if you are eligible for Work Study, contact the Student Employment Services+ Co-op Center at the Marple Campus (Room 1305) or the Financial Aid office at the campus where you take your classes if you are not at the Marple Campus.
All students must check eligibility EACH semester before you can work. If a student withdraws from all their classes, they must report the withdrawal to the work study office. Since enrollment is a condition of work study, failure to do so may result in the student having to repay the college for previous wages earned.
What is the Work Study placement process?
The Work Study Coordinator will check your eligibility. If you are eligible you will receive a list of available jobs on Handshake, the College’s online Job board. The next step is to complete the application process for the department/organization where you would like to work.
This may include one or more of the following:
- Resume
- Interview
- References
- Criminal background check
- Child abuse clearance
- Drug test
- Attend orientation/training
Students who are eligible for work study are not guaranteed a job. Students must interview with supervisors and if hired, still perform satisfactorily in their position to maintain employment. If you are hired, the employer will electronically sign your Work Study Eligibility card on DocuSign. Once the signed card is electronically signed by the supervisor and work study student the College’s required payroll paperwork will be sent through NEOgov via email. After the Work Study Coordinator receives your completed payroll paperwork and you receive an email conformation, you can contact your supervisor to confirm your schedule and begin working. Work study placement is an actual job and should be treated as such.
Furthermore, once a student receives a Work Study position, they should not quit at any time but rather give a two-week notice as custom with other jobs.
What is expected of me as a Work Study student?
Work Study students are employees who are being paid to work and will be held to the same/similar standards as other College/organization employees. These standards should be reasonable and in line with the type of work being required, work location, and all federal, state and local laws. These expectations will be outlined during the interview and again when you begin working.
You will be expected to complete all assigned projects and tasks completely, accurately, and on time. You should arrive promptly and be ready to begin working at the time you are scheduled. You should be reliable in coming to work and always call prior to being late or if you are unable to be there for a scheduled shift. In addition, all work study students will need to check their College email regularly. WORK STUDY DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU COME TO WORK TO STUDY AND DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
Absenteeism and Tardiness
You should be informed of the department/organization’s policies regarding absenteeism and showing up late for work as soon as you begin working. Missing work without calling first or with no explanation is not acceptable. Instances of tardiness or absenteeism will be addressed right away and if it happens continually the supervisor has the right to terminate your employment.
Work Performance
Your supervisor will communicate their expectations regarding job performance and work quality. If your performance is not meeting these expectations or standards, this will be addressed with you so that any problems can be rectified.
Personal Appearance
As a student worker, you are expected to maintain a personal appearance that is appropriate to the job and the setting in which you are working. Your attire should also be consistent with any safety guidelines and the policies of the College and the department/organization where you are working. You should be made aware of any policies regarding dress at the interview and again when you begin working. Anytime you do not comply with the policy or dress in a manner which your supervisor deems inappropriate for the workplace, this will be addressed immediately. You may be given the option to cover up or change inappropriate attire for the remainder of your shift or you may be sent home with instructions on how to dress appropriately for your next scheduled work shift.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality by student workers on the job is extremely important. Your supervisor will review confidentiality guidelines with you when you begin working. You will sign a confidentiality form before you can begin working (page 8). Your supervisor may also require you to sign an additional confidentiality agreement for their department/organization.
Meals/breaks
You may be given time off from a shift for a meal or break if the shift falls over a mealtime or is long and warrants a break. It is important to note however, YOU WILL NOT BE PAID FOR TIME AWAY FROM THE JOB FOR MEALS OR BREAKS.
Disciplinary Action
Unfortunately, in some cases disciplinary action will need to be taken. Failure to report to work, repeated tardiness, unsatisfactory work habits, unprofessional dress, falsifying information on time sheets, and turning time sheets in late are among the list of possible reasons for disciplinary action. If these types of actions occur repeatedly, it may be cause for termination.
What can I expect from my supervisor?
The supervisor is responsible for all hiring, termination and day-to-day oversight of Work Study students. In addition, your supervisor is responsible for ensuring that you are trained and oriented for the position and work in your department/organization.
The supervisor oversees student work and ensures that students are actually working the hours you are scheduled. Supervisors will be asked to verify this information every two weeks by approving your timesheet and keeping a written record of hours worked.
It is the supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that you are meeting the expectations of the position. If you are not meeting those expectations, it will be brought to your attention as soon as possible in order to resolve any issues.
How are timesheets and payroll handled?
Work Study students are paid every two weeks. The pay rate is based on the position responsibilities and skills required for each job. A payroll schedule will be provided to you with your payroll paperwork as part of the hiring process. Your supervisor will also receive a copy of the payroll schedule prior to each fiscal year.
You must complete a timesheet every two weeks for the hours worked during that pay period in order to receive payment for that pay period. Turning in timesheets in a timely manner is expected and required. Timesheets submitted late may be held for the next pay cycle to be processed. IF A WORK STUDY EMPLOYEE TURNS IN 2 OR LATE TIMESHEETS DURING A CALENDAR YEAR, THE EMPLOYEE MAY BE ASKED TO NO LONGER PARTICIPATE IN THE WORK STUDY PROGRAM.
You may not work more than 30 hours during any 2 week pay period for both on-campus and off campus work study students. However, work study interns are allowed to work up to 20 hours per week.
Accurate information reporting
- You should list the number of hours worked per day, not the actual time of the day the hours were worked.
- Do not record numerical zeros for days you do not work. Leave those days blank.
- Hours will be paid in 15 minute increments only. The time sheet should reflect partial hours as .25, .5, or .75 only.
How timesheets are submitted
Students will turn in their timesheets electronically through web entry on delaGATE. This electronic sheet can be accessed through deleGATE under the Employee Tab. If timesheets are not submitted by 10am on the due date, the timesheet will not be accessible from web-time entry. In those situations the student must contact the Work Study Coordinator to submit an late timesheet through DocuSign. This late timesheet must be signed off on by the work study coordinator, supervisor and work study student.
Work Place Log
All departments and organizations are required to have a record when your sign in and out of your shift. This is in addition to your timesheet. The record provides backup documentation when there is a question about any hours that are submitted on timesheets. If and when there is a discrepancy between the record and time sheets, we use the record as the correct source of information.
Pay stubs and W-2 Information
All students can access their pay stubs through delaGATE. After logging into your delaGATE account, select the HR/Payroll tab in the upper left hand corner on the main screen. Under the Employee Quick Link box on the left hand side of the screen, you’ll see a hyperlink entitled “Pay Stub,” click it. You will then need to select the year that corresponds to the pay stub you are trying to view, and click the display button. Any pay stubs for that calendar year will be accessible to you; click on the link for the pay stub you wish to view. Once you select a pay stub to view, you can print it by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on the printer friendly button on the left-hand side.
W-2 tax information can also be viewed through the same tab. In the Employee Quick Link box mentioned above you will see another hyperlink entitled “Tax Information.” After clicking on the link you will see several options, but you want to select the W-2 Wage and Tax Statement link. Once selected, you must choose the year and institution you are interested in from the drop down menus and click the display button. It will bring up your W-2 form for the year you selected and you will be given the option to print the form by clicking the “Printable W-2” button located at the bottom of the page on the left-hand side.
References and Resumes
We encourage you to include your work study position in future resumes. To do so, consider using your position’s job description to provide language you could use on your resume. Be sure to put Delaware County Community College as the employer even if you would at an off campus work study location. You could highlight the location by writing the employer as, “Delaware County Community College work study at Lankenau Hospital.”
Because work study related information, including references, is considered federally protected information, we suggest the following ways for acquiring job references from your work study positions:
- Your work study supervisor can provide a recommendation for you on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a social media site to find connections to jobs, industry experts and business partners. Once you set up a profile, you can receive recommendations from others. These recommendations must be approved to be shown publically and you can delete them off your profile at any time.
- You can open up a reference file in Student Employment Services. You can then have work study supervisors and/or professors write references on your behalf. These references are kept on file and Student Employment can share these references with prospective employers. You will have to sign a release when you first open up the file in our office so that we have your authorization to share the references with others.
- The work study office does not provide recommendations but we can offer proof of employment if we have written authorization from a work study student.
Address Changes
If a student needs to change their address, they must contact the Student Employment Services office and submit a change of address form. Students who make address changes in delegate directly, will be notified by our office and/or Payroll of this requirement and told to pick up and submit the form. Conducting an address change without filling out the form can result in a suspension of work if a student does not turn in the change of address form.