School of Social Work Interns

Student employment allows students to work on-campus or off-campus at a non profit organization.

Benefits to Working on Campus

There are many benefits to having a job on-campus. You can

  • Gain valuable experience 
  • Forge relationships with people from all areas of the Rhode Island College community 
  • Develop interpersonal communication skills 
  • Fit hours into your class schedule
  • Stay on campus to work so you can save on gas with no additional traveling 
  • Work weekend and evening hours (sometimes available in several departments). This is convenient if you live on campus.

Eligibility for Student Employment

Student employment is designed for enrolled Rhode Island College students only. Regardless of funding source, students may not work more than 20 hours per week. The minimum number of hours a student can work is at the discretion of the hiring department. Students must maintain good academic standing or have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

How to Find Jobs

The Career Development Center (CDC) posts job listings on Handshake, RIC’s online job portal. Every effort is made to ensure equal access to opportunities for all undergraduate and graduate students. On the Handshake site you will find 

  • postings for both on and off-campus jobs
  • Full and part- time work
  • paid and unpaid internship opportunities
  • work study and non work study jobs

Students Employment FAQs

The student must

  • Carry at least 6 credits as an undergraduate and 5 credits as a graduate.  
  • Maintain good academic standing or have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. 
  • Have at least two-hour blocks open to work for a department.
  • Be able to work at least 6 hours per week.  Most departments look for a student to be able to devote 6 hours of work to their department.
  • There are 3 funding sources for student employment: work-study, departmental funds or a grant awarded to a department
  • Work-Study award is based on financial need (FAFSA)
  • Departmental funds come from a department on campus that has money available to pay students workers
  • Grant money is also money that certain department may have available to pay students. Most grant money is offered to students that like to do research work

When students are hired for the first time on the student payroll, they must submit the following forms to the Career Development Center:

It's important to note that federal forms require specific documentation, and it's recommended to contact the Career Development Center before visiting to ensure you have all the necessary paperwork in order.

Yes. There are opportunities to work on campus both for students who have been awarded work-study as part of their financial aid packages as well as for students who do not have work-study awards. Jobs that don’t require work-study are called “department funded.” All positions are filled on a first come-first served basis. Students who have work-study awards will receive an invitation to attend a work-study information session. Sessions are generally held in late August and early September. 

There are both work-study and department funded jobs available in a wide variety of departments across campus. There are some work-study jobs at off-campus non-profit organizations. Students may learn about these positions and how to apply for them, by coming to the Career Development Center or searching for them on-line through Handshake, RIC’s online job posting system for students and alumni. Student employment forms are also available in the Career Development Center and must be filled out by the student and the employing organization/department. 

Jobs begin at $15.09/hr (minimum wage in RI) and may go as high as $25/hr depending on the position and specific responsibilities. If the student continues in the same position, they often get a raise in the following year. 

No, in fact many students have more than one job. Sometimes these jobs are both on campus, both off campus, or a combination of on and off campus. If the jobs are paid through the student payroll, the student may work up to 20 hours per week total when classes are in session. Some students being paid through work-study funds work in more than one department so they can earn the full amount of their award which may exceed the number of hours any one department has to offer them. 

Federal Work-study awards are offered as part of your financial aid package based on your eligibility. They are ‘work to earn’ grants. There are many ways to earn your award on-campus as well as off-campus.

Learn more

Yes. Any money earned from either work-study or non-work-study jobs is considered taxable income. However, money earned from work-study jobs is NOT included in the needs assessment when applying for financial aid for the next year. Money earned from non-work-study jobs is included in the needs assessment. 

There are many reasons to consider working on campus.  

  • Can fit a few hours of work in between classes  
  • Save on gas money  
  • Become better connected with the College and its resources for students 
  • Become better connected with faculty and staff 

In fact, research indicates that students who work on campus do better academically and are more likely to complete their college education. 

book

America Reads - America Counts

Do you want to move the needle on literacy or improve the math skills of children in a school setting? You can work at a RIC partner school or one in your community, or at an after-school program or even a library. Benefits include earning your work study award as a paycheck, working with children and gaining mentorship from a teacher in the field. 

Rhode Island College entrance

Career Development Center

We assist undergraduate students in determining choice of major and career and work with both undergraduate and graduate degree candidates in developing the professional skills that will lead to their success.