Undergraduate Students - Graduate Students - Parents

If you are an Undergraduate Student:

Q. "I see an award on my financial aid letter for work study. What does this mean? Does this money go to the bursar or to me?"
A. Usually students use their FWS money for "spending money" to see a movie, do laundry, etc. Others pay their student bill with the money they earn. The choice is yours.

Q. "What forms do I need to fill out in order to work? What should I bring with me to UMaine?"
A. In order to work, you must fill out an I-9 and W-4 form. Both forms can be found in the forms section of this website. You will also need to complete with your employer you employment authorization form. You will receive this form via FirstClass approximately 2 weeks before the start of classes.

Q. "How many hours can I work?
A. Students may work a maximum of 20 hours per week while classes are in session. Students may work up to 40 hours per week during semester breaks, finals, and summer session. There is no minimum allotment of hours.

Q. "Will Umaine find a job for me? Am I assigned a job? Can I do what I want?"
A. UMaine uses an online database to list jobs for students. It is located on our main page, simply click “Online Job Search”. Students use this as they would any other classifieds. They find the job they want that best suits their interests, time constraints, etc. IT IS THE STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILTY TO FIND A JOB. We do not do it for them. We can steer them in the right direction, but we are not the ones who interview student applicants for the jobs at Umaine. Landing your "dream job" is not a guarantee, however there will be a job for you.

Q. "Can I work two jobs? three?"
A. Any student can work an unlimited amount of jobs, as long as they don't exceed the maximum hours a week.

Q. "I am an international student. Can I use work study?"
A. No. International students are not given Federal Work Study funds. They are allowed to work up to 20 hours a week in a non-FWS job assuming they meet the appropriate criteria.

Q. "Are there enough jobs? Can I work off campus?"
A. There are usually jobs available. Jobs move quickly, but new jobs are posted daily throughout the year (including many off-campus jobs). If the job is through UMaine, then you must fill out the proper documents. However, nothing is preventing you from working in the mall, around the neighborhood, in local businesses, etc. You may also use your work-study for a non profit organization. Please contact Student Employment for additional paperwork.

Q. "When do I get paid? Where is my check sent?"
A. UMaine pays all student employees bi-weekly on Fridays. Students are required to sign up for Direct Deposit and check stubs are mailed to the employer. They will need to fill out a direct deposit form after they start working. One can be found online here.

Q. "What do I get paid? Can I make a decent amount of money?"
A. Each job pays differently- depending on the department, the availability, the responsibility, etc. The minimum wage is $7.00 per hour. Some students make as much as $8.00 or $10.00 an hour. Certain jobs even pay as much as $15.50. Most higher paying jobs are the result of promotions, raises, and specific job-related skills. Check out the Student Pay Scale and Job Classification List on our website. Work-study students may earn up to their maximum award.

If you are an incoming Graduate Student:

Much of what is above applies (I-9, etc) to Graduate Students who are paid hourly.

Q. "I want to work in the "_______" department. What can I do?"
A. Your best option is to contact the department directly.

Q. What about Graduate Assistantships? Can you help me?
A. While some Graduate Assistantship positions are listed on the Student Affairs website, your best bet is to contact either your Department or the Graduate School.

If you are a parent:

Q. "My son/daughter tells me that they can't find a job."
A. There are usually jobs available. There are a multitude of reasons a student may say they can't find a job. For example: the student may not know how to go about finding a job, or may not have the proper documents filled out. A visit or call to our office in 5781 Wingate Hall will help clear things up for a student.

Q."I want their main focus to be academics, but I want them to have fun as well. How many hours should they work?"
A. We recommend that incoming students work no more then 8-10 hours a week. If they need to work more, they certainly can, however, 8-10 hours a week is a good start.

Q. "What can I do before my student arrives at UMaine?"
A. The only thing that can be done before a student arrives is to begin checking our Online Job Listings in mid August, when we will begin posting the fall jobs. A student can always get in contact with the employers before arriving, but they cannot be hired for a job before they fill out the appropriate paperwork.