As colleges reopen and the new academic year starts again, you might be looking for a work-study placement in order to earn money alongside your academic commitments.
The US Government has a scheme in place, Federal Work-Study, which provides paid work placements for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at part-time hours in a range of roles either at your school or at a private nonprofit organization or a public agency.
Whatever the work, it must be in the public interest and you will most likely be paid directly from your school. Here are some of our favourite work-study roles.
Athletic Training Assistant
College: Liberty University
Location: Miller Park, VA
If you’re interested in a career in health or sports science then this opportunity to work at the Liberty University sports facilities could be for you.
As well as working managing the facilities you will also be assisting the college sports coaches so could gain experience coaching some of the college’s, and the country’s, top athletic talent.
If you’re a sportsperson yourself then this could also be an opportunity to learn some tips of the trade and improve your skills.
See more sports jobs
Veteran Center Assistant
College: North Central Texas College
Location: Gainesville, TX
This role pays $10 per hour and students can do up to 19 hours per week helping in the Veteran Center.
As well as administrative tasks on campus, you’ll be helping student veterans gain funding and help transition from military to civilian college life.
As well as gaining varied office and administrative experience this could be a great opportunity if you’re interested in future roles in college management or military or government administration.
See more admin jobs
Athletics Marketing Placement
College: University of Pennsylvania
Location: Philadelphia County, PA
Offering 10-20 hours per week at $8.00 – $15.00 per week the University of Pennsylvania has a fun marketing opportunity available.
You’ll gain hands-on experience in marketing, game presentation, fan engagement, event planning, and advertising across a range of college sports, from basketball to lacrosse.
The role asks for Microsoft Office and time management skills and in return you’ll get what looks to be a varied and interesting role – particularly if you’re a sports fan!
See more marketing jobs
Art Workshop 2-D Studio Assistant
College: Covenant College
Location: Lookout Mountain, GA
If you’re an art student or simply artistically inclined then a studio assistant role could be really enjoyable.
You’ll be assisting the academic team by setting up demonstrations, lectures, and classes and organizing and maintaining the studio space.
Although this role is office-based, at times it could be physically demanding as you’ll need to be able to lift and move equipment safely and with ease.
See more art jobs
Animal Science Horse Barn Assistant
College: Sul Ross State University
Location: Alpine, TX
If you’re an animal lover and have experience with horses then a role as a horse barn assistant could be ideal.
This particular role pays $7.25 an hour and provides 15 hours per week of work.
You’ll gain experience feeding horses, turnout, cleaning stalls, grooming, medicating, assisting farriers/veterinarians, and routine paddock and stable area maintenance.
This role might be particularly of interest to students who are looking for a career in veterinary medicine or even better a career specifically with horses.
See more equestrian jobs
Late Night Library Assistant
College: Kirkwood Community College
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
If you prefer lazy mornings and consider yourself a night owl then this role involves 2 night shifts per week and only 1-2 per month or over the weekend.
Due to the nature of a late-night shift, a lot of the work will be alone so you’ll need to be self-motivated. You’ll be responsible for assisting users, staffing the circulation desk, and maintaining the order of library collections.
If you’re a bookworm this could be the perfect role and if you’re interested in a career in libraries or archives this would also be a fantastic work experience.
See more librarian jobs
Lab Assistant
College: Washington State University
Location: Seattle, WA
This is a work-study placement that is based off-campus, at an non-profit research organisation, Institute for Systems.
This role requires students who have coursework modules in hard science, computer science, environmental studies, or occupational health so isn’t suitable for most arts majors.
You’ll assist the team in routine laboratory operations, such as media and buffer preparation, glassware washing and preparation, autoclaving, instrumentation set-up and QC, inventory maintenance, restocking, decontamination, laboratory waste management, and administrative duties.
If you’re looking to pursue a role in science, perhaps even in a research lab then this opportunity could be for you.
See more laboratory jobs
Collections Assistant
College: Guilford Technical Community College
Location: Greensboro, NC
If you aspire to work in a museum or art gallery then a collection assistant role could be a great work-study placement.
This particular role involves conducting inventories of artwork and artifacts, data entry, scanning, and other basic office tasks in support of Guilford’s archives and special collections unit in the library.
You would also assist with greeting visitors and supervising their use of special collections materials so you’d have to be confident addressing people.
See more museum jobs
Bowling Alley Assistant
College: Prairie View A&M University
Location: Prairie View, TX
One of the more unusual roles in this list is working in managing a campus’ bowling alley.
If you enjoy working with people and engaging with the public then this could be a great role, paying a minimum of $10 per hour.
You’d be responsible for customer service, lane and machine cleaning, reservations, managing music choices and operating the register, computer, and monitors.
If you’re looking for a work-study role that doesn’t take itself too seriously in a fun environment then this could be great.
See more customer services jobs
Life model
College: University of Pennsylvania
Location: Philadelphia County, PA
If you’re looking for an unusual work-study placement then life modelling is perhaps the strangest one we’ve seen for a while.
This role requires models for 3-hour nude figure drawing sessions throughout the semester and are paid competitively.
If you’re body confident and fancy doing something very different then why not?
See more art jobs
? Feeling inspired? To see the full-list of available work study placements at your college then you can use the Adzuna search here. We hope you find the right role to enhance your college experience soon!