Off-Campus FWSP Employment
Work-Study eligible students are in demand by a wide range of off-campus employers, both in the greater Boston area and in students’ home towns. The primary requirement is that a student’s work must be in the general public interest. Students may work in federal, state or local government agencies, or private, non-profit organizations within the U.S.
Public service includes work that:
helps people meet their need for food, shelter, and health
improves educational and employment opportunities
educates people about their legal and/or civil rights
protects the environment or wildlife
supports social issues affecting the general welfare
Hospitals, research laboratories, schools, libraries, camps, and local community service agencies are all good employers.
Because the FWSP is funded by U.S. taxpayers, students are limited to work within the U.S. The only permissible employment outside of the U.S. is in a U.S. government facility such as an embassy or military base. Students may not be paid Work-Study wages while working for a Harvard professor abroad.
A student’s work may not be primarily for the benefit of members in a limited membership organization (a club or a union, for example). It may not involve sectarian instruction or other religious activities of a church; nor may it involve the construction, operation, or maintenance of any portion of a facility used for sectarian instruction or religious worship.
Finally, FWSP jobs must be free of partisan political involvement. Students may not work for the Department of Education, a member of the Congress, or in any position that includes lobbying the government.
The standard FWSP reimbursement rate for non-profit agencies is 70%, with the employer responsible for the remaining 30% plus 6-10% fringe benefits.
The FWSP covers 100% of the wages of students serving as reading and math tutors for elementary school children under the America Reads Program at Phillips Brooks House. For more information contact Zandra Kambysellis. Non-profit, public service agencies contribute 25% plus from 6-10% for fringe benefits. If the public service employer has a limited budget and is not connected with the University, it may be eligible for only 10% of a student’s earnings, plus 6-10% fringe.
Privately-owned, for-profit companies are also eligible employers provided the work is directly related to the student's course of study or career goals. The company must also document an inability to hire the student without the FWSP subsidy and contribute 50% of the student's total FWSP earnings plus 8% FICA.
