Community Service Work Study

Students who have been awarded work-study have the unique opportunity to combine their need for employment with their interest in community service.  The UMass Student Employment Office has approved more than 100 community organizations on and off campus as worksites for students with work-study.

For current work-study job postings, visit the Student Employment website.

How community service work-study works
Work-study funds are part of a student’s financial aid package.  The federal government pays a portion of the student’s salary, making it more affordable for organizations to hire students.  In the case of UMass, community organizations pay only a percentage (in some cases 25%) of the student’s wages, making it a much more cost-effective way to employ student staff.  Organizations that are a part of America Reads, a program aimed at helping children learn to read, can have all of the student’s wages paid by the federal government.

Community organizations interested in applying for this program should consult the definition of community service below.  Organizations that qualify can contact the UMass Student Employment Office at (413) 545-1530 for more information and an application.

Definition of community service:
Community service positions are defined as those that offer services designed to improve the quality of life for community residents, particularly low-income individuals, or to solve particular problems related to their needs. These positions are identified by an institution of higher education through formal or informal consultation with local nonprofit, governmental, and community-based organizations.

Community Service includes:

• work in such fields as health care, child care, literacy training, education (including tutorial services), welfare, social services, transportation, housing and neighborhood improvement, public safety, crime prevention and control, recreation, rural development, and community improvement
• work in service opportunities or youth corps as defined in section 101 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990*, and service in the agencies, institutions and activities designated in section 124(a) of that Act**
• support services to students (other than an institution's own students) with disabilities
• activities in which a student serves as a mentor for such purposes as tutoring, supporting educational and recreational activities, and counseling, including career counseling

* Section 101 of the National Community Service Act of 1990 defines "service opportunity" and "youth corps program" as follows:

Service Opportunity: A program or project, including a service learning program or project, that enables students or out-of-school youth to perform meaningful and constructive service in agencies, institutions, and situations where the application of human talent and dedication may help to meet human, educational, linguistic, and environmental community needs, especially those relating to poverty.

Youth Corps Program: A program, such as a conservation corps or youth service program, that offers full-time, productive work (to be financed through stipends) with visible community benefits in a natural resource or human service setting and that gives participants a mix of work experience, basic and life skills, education, training, and support services.

** If your organization runs a conservation corps program or human service corps program as part of Section 124(a) of the National Community Service Act of 1990, contact the Student Employment Office to determine eligibility.