Federal Work Study Program
Federal Work Study is a federally subsidized program that provide opportunities to students for on-campus or off-campus legally related employment. Off-campus employment may include non-profit and for-profit organizations. FWS allows students to work in law-related positions at a low cost to their employers. Non-profit employers are required to contribute only 33% of the student's gross earnings while for-profit employers contribute 58%. The remainder of the student's earnings are funded by the Federal Government. Deadlines and procedures are slightly different from summer to academic year work study; please refer to the appropriate heading for more information.
Federal Work Study Announcements:
Tax forms necessary for completion of Federal Work Study files are now available to download and complete here. Please return these forms to the Financial Aid Office and bring the appropriate IDs as noted on the Federal I-9 Form for our office to add to your FWS file.
- Federal and State Tax Forms
- I-9 Form (For the purposes of FWS, NESL is your employer. I-9 forms should be turned in to our office)
Summer Work Study
Students obtain summer work study positions independently. If you would like to work at a firm, organization or school, simply contact them and ask if they would like a work-study student to work for their office. Many organizations in the Boston area are familiar with this program and some may have a separate application for you to complete. Regardless of the possibility of a separate application process, be sure to complete the NESL application on time. Summer work study applications are found in the returning student financial aid application packet.
Public Interest Law Association
PILA is an on-campus organization that provides funding for students working in public interest law. PILA grants are awarded to students applying for Summer Federal Work Study. Please contact the Financial Aid Office for more information about this grant.
Academic Year and Summer Work Study Basic Information
- Award Amounts:
- Off-campus: $11.00/hr
- Research Assistants and Clinic: $10.00/hr
- Library Assistants: $9.00/hr
- Award Period: Summer: May 18, 2008 - August 29, 2008
Academic Year: starts August 30, 2008 - Eligibility: 2L or higher; based on financial need determined by completion of your financial aid packet. 1Ls are strongly encouraged to not work during their first year at law school.
- Application Deadlines: Summer: March 12, 2008
Academic Year: Prior to the end of the current academic year - Notification of Award: Summer: Beginning Spring 2008
Academic Year: Beginning late August 2008 - Application Procedure: Students should complete a work study application for the summer/academic year, available in the returning student financial aid packet (Summer); Academic Year applications (2007) are available online . Once determined to be eligible for work study, students will be sent a work study packet containing the federal work study acceptance forms, I-9, W-4 and M-4 forms. Employers must complete an authorization form and, if necessary, work contract before pay checks are issued to the student.
- Obligation of Award/Employment Options: Employment must be legally related and students must be sure that their employer agrees to pay a portion of their wages. Students are allowed to work a maximum of 8 hours per day (with a 30 minute break), 20 hours per week (10 hrs/week for 1Ls). Students can have more than one FWS job however cannot exceed the maximum total hours worked per day/week limit.
- Reporting Work Study Hours/Payment: Paychecks will not be released until all appropriate forms have been returned by the student and the student's employer. Timesheets will not be processed for more than 1 pay period retroactively. Hours must be reported by NOON on the time sheet due date. Hours reported after noon on the due date will be processed on the following payroll. The following are options for reporting hours:
- Timesheets may be mailed to or dropped off at our 46 Church Street location
- Student hours may be phoned into the Financial Aid Office at 617-422-7232 or emailed to the office at finaid@admin.nesl.edu. Include your name, number of hours, the pay period you are reporting hours for and your phone number.
- For more information, contact Mike Burke at 617-422-7232 or finaid@admin.nesl.edu.
Spring 2008 Work Study Schedule
| Pay Period | Time Sheet Due (by noon) | Pay Date |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 17, Mon - Jan 9, Wed | Jan 10, Thurs | Jan 15, Tues |
| Jan 10, Thurs - Jan 27, Sun | Jan 28, Mon | Jan 31, Thurs |
| Jan 28, Mon - Feb 11, Mon | Feb 12, Tues | Feb 15, Fri |
| Feb 12, Tues - Feb 25, Mon | Feb 26, Thurs | Feb 29, Fri |
| Feb 26, Thurs - Mar 10, Mon | Mar 11, Tues | Mar 14, Fri |
| Mar 11, Tues - Mar 25, Tues | Mar 26, Wed | Mar 31, Mon |
| Mar 26, Wed - Apr 9, Wed | Apr 10, Thurs | Apr 15, Tues |
| Apr 10, Thurs - Apr 24, Thurs | Apr 25, Fri | Apr 30, Wed |
| Apr 25, Fri - May 11, Sun | May 12, Mon | May 15, Thurs |
| May 12, Mon - May 17, Sat | May 19, Mon | May 22, Thurs |
Common Questions with Work Study
Reporting Your Hours:
- If you can not bring in your timesheet on the due date or think the timesheet will not be received in the mail on time, you can call/email your hours; however, we will still need to receive the original timesheet in order to release your paycheck.
- Do not report hours prior to the end of a pay period, if you will still be working during that pay period. This includes calling in during the last day of a pay period, before your work day has ended.
- Students cannot work more than 8 hours in a day and no more than 20 hrs/week (no more than 10 hrs/week for 1Ls) during the academic year; no more than 40 hrs/ week during the summer (this includes those working more than one work study job). If you work 6 or more hours in a day, you must take a half hour unpaid break, which must be noted on your timesheet. If we do not see a half hour break indicated, we will reduce your hours.
- Please report your hours in increments, down to the quarter hour.
- If you call in and are working multiple jobs, please specify which job you are calling in hours for.
- Do not combine pay periods or jobs on the same timesheet; we will need a separate timesheet for each of your jobs (signed by your employer) and for each pay period. Please follow the schedule pay period dates. The complete work study schedule is available online at: www.nesl.edu/finaid/fwsp.cfm
- Students are not paid for holidays, unless you worked on those days.
- We will not accept timesheets that are not signed by your employer. It is your responsibility to submit completed timesheets; if you cannot have your timesheet signed in time to be reported, you may call your hours in to ensure that a paycheck will be generated for you.
Receiving your paycheck:
- If you would like your paycheck mailed to you, indicate so on the top of your timesheet, along with the correct address.
- We will not send or give out paychecks until we have received the signed timesheet for the corresponding pay period.
- Paychecks will not be released until noon on the pay date.
- If you cannot pick up your paycheck, you can call or email us to let us know you'd like it mailed or you can send us an email authorizing another person to pick up your paycheck.
