What Are the Benefits of Work-Study?

Work-study jobs allow students to earn money by taking advantage of a wide variety of on-campus jobs. The benefits of work-study jobs are numerous including significant impact on career, educational, and financial goals. Some of the most common pros of work-study jobs include a simplified job search, flexible work schedule, and opportunities to learn more about a professional field. Many work-study positions can also provide financial benefits, including above-market wages and an increase of funds without a decrease in financial aid eligibility.

College students may simply be too busy to run an exhaustive job search around town. One of the benefits of work-study jobs is that they provide convenient, accessible opportunities to work in a localized area. Many schools operate job portals that list all available campus jobs for work-study qualifying students. With a simple keyword search, students can find dozens of jobs that match their skills, greatly simplifying the search for a job. Since most work-study jobs are located on campus, students may also find it easier to schedule several interviews for jobs in a single day.

Work-study programs are often designed to help students meet financial responsibilities without detracting from school work. As such, most positions are very flexible about working hours, and allow students to put in hours between classes or in a few, concentrated days per week. Many positions will also allow extra time off around finals or exam periods, in order to let students keep up with increasing study requirements.

One of the most important benefits of work-study is the ability to get a jump on a professional career. Students can look for jobs in their areas of interest, such as medicine, research, teaching, or sports. By working in a field of interest, students can begin to learn the ropes of a career, and may make valuable contacts in the professional field. For students who do not have a career plan, work-study can provide the chance to try out a few different fields, since most job contracts last only a semester or school year.

The financial benefits of work-study can also be greatly useful to the money-conscious student. In most regions, money earned through work-study is not counted toward financial aid eligibility. This means that a student with a work-study position will not see his personal contribution increased, or have access to loans and need-based scholarships decreased, by taking advantage of work-study opportunities. Many work-study jobs also pay slightly better than market average for off-campus jobs, though this may vary depending on the region.