Overview

Employment Services/Student Employment Office is a division of BYU Human Resource Services. The Student Employment Office staff assists students and departments with their employment needs. Generally, the university gives preference to day-continuing students for part-time job opportunities. It has been a long-standing priority and practice to provide as many student employment opportunities as possible within the operational needs of the university. This practice will assist students with their financial needs and provide work experience as they attend the university.

Student job openings are posted in the Student Employment Office (2024 WSC) as well as on our website at: www.jobs.byu.edu.

Students who work on campus are required to observe the Church Educational System Honor Code, Dress and Grooming Standards, and the Nepotism Policy. Student employees should dress appropriately for the environment in which they work and may be required to adhere to a dress standard for the individual department in which they work. This standard may include uniforms or specified safety equipment.

All University hiring and setting of wage rates are centralized through Employment Services. Beginning wages and subsequent pay increases must conform to the university’s approved schedule of wage rates for student employees. This helps to maintain fairness in recruiting, meeting state and federal employment laws, and properly interpreting campus policies.

Conditions of Employment

In order to work on campus, students must provide the necessary documents to establish employment eligibility and identity to satisfy the U.S. Department of Justice Form I-9. To comply with the Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) provisions, the I-9 must be completed and certified by an authorized BYU employment representative before beginning work.

International Students must be cleared to work through the International Services Office prior to accepting a position on campus.

To satisfy Internal Revenue Service regulations, students are required to present their social security card at the time of hire.

Nepotism Policy

The hiring of relatives or near relatives must be carefully controlled and administered. In any instance involving potential nepotism, job openings must be listed with the appropriate employment office and be open to all qualified applicants.

Colleges/departments may not employ a person in a position within the administrative scope of control of a near relative. This applies to full-time and part-time personnel (or special employees) including students.

Persons considered relatives or near relatives for the purposes of the Nepotism Policy include: parent, spouse, brother, sister, child, grandparent, grandchild, uncle, niece, nephew, or in-laws. (Step and half relationships, i.e., step-brother, step-father, half brother, half sister, etc., are also considered near relatives).

Work Schedules and Devotionals

Students wishing to work should plan their class schedule in such a way that they are available for a four-hour work shift, either morning, afternoon, or evening. However, work shifts of less than four hours may also be available.

A ten-minute rest or break period for each four hours of work may be taken. Employees may not take the break at the beginning or end of work periods or accumulate break time for use later. Rest or break periods are part of the paid working hours of an employee.

An unpaid thirty-minute or one-hour meal period will be provided in each work shift over five hours. It is at the discretion of management when the break should be taken, with the recommendation that a lunch break could be taken after each five-hour shift. The employee is relieved from all work duties and is free to leave the premises, and the meal period does not count as time worked. There may be unusual situations in which an employee cannot be relieved of all duties and is not able to leave the premises. In these instances, the employee may eat the meal on the job and count the meal period as time worked. Management should make every effort to deal fairly with student employees in practicing consistent and equitable procedures.

Student employees are expected to attend weekly devotionals and forums without being compensated. Students who are employed in areas designated to continue operations during those times have special exception to this policy.

Concurrent Jobs

In some cases there may be sufficient reason for a department to consider employment of a student who is already working for another department at the University. In this event, the hire ePAF will be routed to the concurrent department for their approval. Students may not be employed on more than three account codes. For unusual circumstances, departments may appeal to the Student Employment Office for an exception to this policy.

Temporary Employees

To help preserve campus jobs for students, the University requires departments to employ students in all positions except those that are approved as non-student positions. Colleges and departments may not use off-campus employment agencies to obtain employees. Departments may employ non-students to meet temporary needs only when students are not available to fill positions. Employment Services can ordinarily fill a department’s need for temporary employees. Employment of non-students requires prior approval from Employment Services.

International Student Regulations

International Students may work on campus after obtaining approval from a representative in the International Services Office (1351 WSC). The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations states that employment for international students must not exceed twenty hours per week while school is in session. Violation of this policy will result in immediate termination and loss of the right to work in the United States. The BYU workweek begins Saturday a.m. and ends at midnight the following Friday.

During their yearly vacation period, and when classes are not in session, International Students may work up to 40 hours per week without taking classes.

Fall/Winter Student Employment Guidelines

To qualify to work on campus during fall or winter semesters, a student must meet one of the following enrollment criteria:

Resident Students

• Undergraduate students must be enrolled in at least 6.0 credit hours per semester.
• Graduate students must be accepted into a BYU graduate program and be enrolled in at least 2.0 credit hours per semester.
  Students enrolled in less than 6.0 credit hours per semester may work in the following areas only:
  • Custodial Services
  • Grounds
  • Dining Services

International Students

• Undergraduate students must be enrolled in at least 12.0 credit hours per semester.
• Graduate students must be accepted into a BYU graduate program and be enrolled in at least 9.0 credit hours per semester.

International students may not work with a reduced credit load unless they are given prior approval from the International Services Office.

Exceptions: Students may be granted an exception to this policy if they are in their last semester of study prior to graduation or if they have been given approval from the Student Employment Office.

Individuals who are enrolled in evening school ((generally 9.0 credit hours) AND have been accepted into a day school program the following semester, may also be eligible to work as a student employee during fall and winter semesters.

Independent Study and audited courses only do not meet the enrollment requirements to qualify for student employment on campus.

FICA – Social Security Tax: The FICA tax is currently 7.65% percent of gross earnings and is paid by both the student employee and the department when enrollment drops below the credit hours required for exemption. During fall and winter the FICA status is determined by the following criteria:

FICA Exempt Students: Undergraduate students enrolled as Day-Continuing students with at least 6.0 credit hours and graduate students enrolled in at least 2.0 credit hours during fall and winter semesters are exempt from paying FICA (neither the student nor the department pays the FICA Tax).

FICA Non-Exempt Students: Undergraduates enrolled for less than 6.0 credit hours and graduate students enrolled for less than 2.0 credit hour during fall and winter semesters are required to pay FICA (both the student and the department pays the FICA tax).

International Students are exempt from paying FICA tax.

Work Hours: During fall and winter semesters, undergraduate students should not work more than 20 hours per week, unless special exceptions have been granted. Graduate students may work up to 30 hours per week provided the job duties are within the student’s field of study. International students may not work more than 20 hours per week according to federal regulations (see International Student Regulations above) unless they are on approved vacation.

International Students are allowed to work over 20 hours per week during their annual vacation period (to be determined by the International Services Office) and during school holidays and breaks.

Spring/Summer Employment Guidelines

Students who meet one of the following conditions of employment are eligible to work on campus during the 2008 spring and summer terms:

• Undergraduate students registered as Day-Continuing students for the fall semester with at least 6.0 credits are eligible to work on campus without taking classes spring or summer term.
• Undergraduate students registered for 3.0 credits either spring or summer term and Graduate students registered for at least 1.0 credit hour are eligible to work either spring and/or summer term. This includes students who have been accepted as Visiting Students for spring and/or summer terms only.

Students who meet the above criteria may begin working on campus April 7, 2008. This will give time for training new employees for spring/summer.

• Students who are graduating in August should be enrolled as Day-Continuing students with at least 3.0 credit hours during either spring or summer term, or be accepted into a BYU graduate program beginning fall semester.
• High school seniors who have been accepted to Day School for fall semester may be hired as a student employee after they have graduated from high school (see FICA section below). Students must be at least 16 years of age to work on campus.
• International students who are required to take spring/summer classes must be enrolled as full-time students and are only allowed to work up to 20 hours per week (these are students who have taken their vacation either during the fall or winter semester).

Students who are graduating in April may continue working in their student job for up to two weeks after graduation (last day being May 9, 2008) for training purposes. During this two-week period, those students and their departments will be required to pay FICA (Social Security) tax. Please post your positions for their replacements prior to that time in order to have sufficient time to train your new employees.

Students classified as Continuing Education students during the spring and summer terms should appeal to the Student Employment Office for approval to work on campus.

Independent Study and audited courses only do not meet the enrollment requirements to qualify for student employment on campus.

Students (other than International) may work 40 hours per week beginning April 16, 2008 (the first "Reading Day"). International students who are taking their vacation break for the spring/summer semester may work 40 hours per week beginning April 24, 2008 (the second day of graduation).  

FICA – Social Security Tax

 For FICA tax purposes, enrollment will be determined independently for each term. During spring and summer FICA status is determined by the following criteria:

FICA Exempt Students: Undergraduates enrolled as Day Continuing students with at least 3.0 credit hours and graduate students enrolled in at least 1.0 credit hour during spring and summer terms are exempt from paying FICA (neither the student nor the department pays the FICA Tax).

FICA Non-Exempt Students: Undergraduate students enrolled in less than 3.0 credit hours and graduate students enrolled in less than 1.0 credit hour during spring and summer terms are required to pay FICA (both the student and the department pays the FICA tax).

International students are exempt from paying FICA.

Work Hours: Student employees may work 40 hours per week during spring and summer terms; however, if a student employee works more than 40 hours in a workweek, the department for which the student is working when overtime begins to be accrued is responsible for the payment of all overtime during the pay period. Departments should carefully monitor their student employees’ work hours.

Hourly/Contract Student Employees

Federal wage and work hour regulations require that an accurate record be kept of all hours worked by non-exempt employees, including student employees. For this reason, it is important to classify in proper categories, non-exempt (hourly) versus exempt (contract) employees. Therefore, students may not be employed on both an hourly (Kronos or timecard) and contract basis at the same time. If a student accepts two or more regular employment opportunities, one of which is hourly, all work assignments must be hourly employment.

Employment Procedures for Hourly Students

Departments should post all vacant hourly student jobs through the Student Employment System at: www.byu.edu/hr/. Assistance with the System is available at 2-3562. Appropriate application instructions and preferred qualifications should be included in the postings. Employee selections should be made on the basis of qualifications without regard to race, color, creed, gender, national origin, or disability.

After the department interviews and selects a student, a Hiring Manager authorized to access the Human Resource/Payroll System will submit a hire epaf (Electronic Personnel Action Form).

If the student's I-9 is not OK, the student should be sent to the Student Employment Office with:

• Original Social Security Card or Social Security Card Receipt
• Employment Eligibility Documentation (I-9)

The student will complete the required government I-9 form required by federal law to prove eligibility to work in the United States. This form must be completed before beginning any work or training.

Employment Procedures for Contract Students

Departments may hire graduate students as Teaching Assistants or Research Assistants if their duties meet the following criteria:

• Graduate Student - an individual who has received a bachelor's degree and is accepted and currently enrolled in a degree-seeking graduate program at BYU.
• Teaching Assistant - a graduate student who:
  • is materially involved in classroom instruction.
  • requires specialized knowledge of teaching material and exhibits independent discretion and judgment.
  • is involved in predominantly intellectual activities in advancing classroom instruction.

  This assignment could range from full charge and responsibility for a class or required laboratory section to material involvement with a professor in the instructional enterprise.

• Research Assistant - a graduate student who:
  • is materially involved in original research
  • makes independent judgments and selections regarding research design, procedures, and data collection
  • exhibits independent intellectual judgment in analysis and reporting of research

  Graduate intern appointments should be designed to qualify as either teaching assistants or research assistants. All other job-related activities must be treated as hourly employment.

Departments should refer to the standard contract pay schedule approved by the University in preparing contracts for teaching and research assistants. If circumstances warrant a different contract amount than the stipend scale suggests, downward deviations of 15 percent and upward adjustments not to exceed 10 percent are allowed. Other deviations from the standard contract pay schedule must be appealed through the Student Employment Office.

Departments hiring students on contract should have the student and department representative sign the contract prior to submitting the epaf (Electronic Personnel Action Form).

International students must be sent to the International Services Office with a copy of their signed contract to get an approval signature. International Services will then fax the signed copy to the department where the student will be working.

All original contracts are kept with the Hiring Department.

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