Office of Student Financial Services

Brandeis University is required to maintain a job description for each student employment position. Job descriptions should include:

• The purpose of the job.
• The duties and responsibilities of the job.
• The skills and qualifications required to perform those duties.
• Days and hours required per week and length of employment.
• Student employees must be supervised.
• Pay rates for student employment positions are based on the job description and are equitable across campus. Pay rates are not based on class rank, the student's age or other non-job-related factors.
• All job descriptions and pay rates must be approved by the Office of Student Financial Services prior to posting or filling the position.
• All jobs are assumed to last one academic year, unless otherwise stated.

Wage Rates and Job profiles

Use the the documents listed below for instructions on how to post a job and hire online. (Note: You may be required to login into Workday before accessing these documents.)

• Create a Job Requisition (pdf)

• Hire a Student Worker (pdf)

• Assign New Costing Allocation (pdf)

Students will receive all required onboarding tasks in their Workday inbox. They are not authorized to work until the Form I-9 is completed. They will not be able to enter time or be paid without a complete form I-9 so please do not allow them to begin working until it is complete.

Note: The Time Tracking job aid (pdf) explains how to track and manage employees' time.

• After completing Form I-9, students will be able to submit their time in Workday.

• Students should submit their hours each time they work. 

• Managers should approve time by Tuesday evening for the previous week worked.

• Students who are owed back time should enter it in the appropriate week. Do not lump previous weeks into the current week.

Please DO NOT allow students to work until the Form I-9 is completed. This is a federally required form and students are not authorized to work until it is done. If you have questions about the form, please contact SFS.

Each spring, you should take a look at your team in Workday and make sure to end the jobs for anyone who is not continuing in your department. Graduating students will be automatically removed from your team on the Monday following graduation.

If you have a continuing student who is staying on for the summer and you would like to pay them an extra dollar, you can request that through Workday.

Actions> Compensation>Request Compensation Change. 

1. Please use the effective date of  the Monday after graduation.
2. Reason> Base Salary Change>Temporary Adjustment.
3. Scroll down to the Hourly section, click on it and type the new wage in the "Amount*" box.
4. In the comment box at the bottom, write Summerdollar and hit "submit."

Compensation Change Job Aid

It is the department's responsibility to complete the appropriate staffing transactions for your students in order to ensure seamless summer and fall employment for continuing students. 

If your current student leaves the position and you need to hire a replacement, you must follow the same steps for posting a job online. However, provided there are no changes to the position, you do not need to rewrite the job description. Instead, simply "copy details form existing job requisition." Do not preselect a candidate; all jobs must be posted for a minimum of five days.

• As a recipient of federal Title IV funds, Brandeis University is required to have a job description approved by and on file with the Office of Student Financial Services for all paid student employment.
• The pay rate and job level are determined by a careful review of the skills and responsibilities required to perform the job. The levels incorporate degrees of skill, responsibility, job difficulty and experience.
• Pay rates are not based on class year. Departments wishing to develop a new student employment position should present a detailed job description to the assistant director of Student Employment for review and posting.
• All jobs are paid an hourly wage. We do not process "one-time" or lump-sum payments. Students are always paid for actual hours worked.

Pay Scale

All undergraduate and graduate students participating in the Student Employment Program will be paid in accordance with the following scale:

Comp Grades as of 01/01/2022

• Student/Level 1 — $14.25-$15

  • Description: Close to moderate supervision; minimal training or experience required; duties include mostly routine or repetitious work.

• Student/Level 2 — $14.25-$16
  • Description: Moderate to minimal supervision; some previous experience or training necessary; duties include routine work with some variation; reasonable degree of proficiency in duties or skill set required.
• Student/Level 3 — $15-$18
  • Description: Minimal supervision; significant training and/or previous job-related experience required; must have high degree of proficiency in an area of specialized knowledge or skill; may require supervisory experience and/or advanced coursework.
• Student/Level 4 — $18-$21
  • Description: Very minimal supervision; advanced training and/or previous job-related experience absolutely required; must have extensive knowledge and mastery of an area of specialized knowledge or skill; supervisory experience, advanced coursework and/or specific technical knowledge is required; completion of a bachelor's or master's degree is usually required for work at this level.
• Student/Level 5 — $21-$25
  • Description: Very minimal supervision; advanced training and/or previous job-related experience absolutely required; must have extensive knowledge and mastery of an area of specialized knowledge or skill; supervisory experience, advanced coursework and/or specific technical knowledge is required; Enrollment in a Ph.D. program is generally required at this level.

Workday Job Profiles and Corresponding Wage Rates

Office Worker 1

• Job Level: 1

• Purpose: Provide basic office support to staff.

• Duties and Responsibilities: Provide basic office support including filing, photocopying, stuffing and/or addressing envelopes. Run simple errands on campus, such as delivering mail. Answer telephones when needed.

• Required Skills and Qualifications: Must be reliable, organized, detail-oriented and able to use basic office equipment (such as photocopier or fax machine). Must have a professional and courteous attitude. No previous experience required.

Office Worker 2

• Job Level: 2

• Purpose: Provide general office support to staff.

• Duties and Responsibilities: Provide general office support, including filing, photocopying, stuffing and/or addressing envelopes, typing and/or entering basic data onto spreadsheets. Run simple errands on campus, such as delivering mail. Answer phones and direct calls as needed. Basic data entry as needed. May work on special projects (such as publicizing events) on occasion.

• Required Skills and Qualifications: Must be reliable, organized, detail-oriented and able to use basic office equipment (such as photocopier or fax machine). Must be able to use Microsoft Word and Excel. Must have a professional and courteous attitude. Previous office experience preferred.

Here are steps for beginning on-campus employment. International students who have never worked before may require some additional steps. 

Step 1. Determine eligibility

Students must be enrolled at Brandeis and studying in the U.S. to be eligible for on-campus employment. Offers for international students without a Social Security number (SSN) should have a start date no earlier than two weeks from offer date to allow ample time to apply for the SSN.

Step 2. Apply for a Social Security Number 

If the student does not already have a SSN, you, as the hiring supervisor, will need to complete and sign an International Student Employment form. The student will also sign it and then bring this form to the ISSO to be signed by an advisor (allow at minimum one business day for ISSO to provide the signature).

Note for J-1 students: You will need an to receive a "J-1 on-campus work authorization letter" from the ISSO. Bring your "New Hire/Re-Hire" form or fellowship award letter to an ISSO Advisor to request ISSO employment authorization. Students who are sponsored by an outside agency (i.e. Ford Foundation, Fulbright, Tibet Fund, etc.) must receive written permission from their sponsoring agency for the particular job they have been hired for to request ISSO permission to work on-campus.

Step 3. Obtain the Social Security Number — this can take 2-4 weeks

Step 4. Complete the I-9 Form

It will take about two weeks to receive a Social Security card. After they receive the card, they will need to complete an I-9 Form to be added to the Brandeis payroll system. Please see the USCIS list of acceptable documents to determine what they will need when filling out the I-9.

If they do not receive a Social Security card within the expected two-week processing time, please work with Kristyn Burke on any I-9 issues that emerge, including TNC (tentative non-confirmation). 

Note for J-1 Students: You will need to bring the ISSO "J-1 On-Campus Employment Authorization" letter to the individual who completes your I-9 Form.

I-9 forms for student employment are completed in Student Financial Services with the exception of:

• GSAS Fellowships: I-9s are completed at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
• Heller or IBS Fellowships: I-9s are completed with your department administrators.

Step 5. Complete Tax Forms and Foreign National Information Form in Workday

For taxation purposes, international students must complete the Foreign National Information Form. They will be required to share copies of their passport, visa, I20/DS-2019 and I94 with payroll for documentation of eligibility.

International students may work up to 20 hours per week during the academic semesters and up to 40 hours per week during winter break and summer vacation. This is a visa regulation, not a Brandeis rule!