Student jobs available, although not guaranteed

Although 35 to 40 percent of students are currently employed, many students have difficulty finding jobs on campus because the College does not guarantee employment to students, including to those who receive work-study as a part of their financial aid package.

Numbers of employed students are especially high at the start of spring semester, because there are both students coming back from being abroad, as well as first-year students who did not want to add to their workload during their first semester at college.

Dee Gilbert, employment specialist in human resources, praised the benefits of a job on campus.

“Middlebury provides opportunities beyond the classroom that encourages student learning,” said Gilbert. “This may include athletics, student organizations, research, volunteering and a part-time job on campus.”

Recruitment for campus jobs is the highest during the first three weeks of the fall term. During this time, students who have a work-study component in their financial aid package are given first priority. After three weeks, job applications are opened up to all students.

Currently, there are six positions posted on the website. The number of jobs available is highest at the beginning of the fall term.

Gilbert says that the Student Employment Office (SEO) is not the only resource available to students for finding job opportunities.

“We also encourage students to talk to their friends who have jobs on campus as well as to their professors and coaches for opportunities of which the SEO might not be aware,” said Gilbert. “This has opened up opportunities for some of the students with whom I’ve spoken.”

Anthony Perez ’14 receives work-study as part of his financial aid package. He spent a month searching for a job before he finally was hired.

“The hardest thing was not getting responses from the portal online,” said Perez. “I must have applied to 10 or more positions and didn’t hear back from any of them.”

Perez then approached employees in the financial aid office, who directed him to look under the listings for jobs off campus. It was through these listings that Perez found a job that hired him.

“The College should work with students a little more to ensure that students who need jobs get them,” said Perez.

Gilbert maintains that the College works hard to try to continually create new job opportunities for students.

“The creation of student jobs is an ongoing process that coincides with new programs and initiatives,” Gilbert said, such as “the Juice Bar re-opening, the Solar Decathlon Project, 51 Main at the Bridge, grant funded research opportunities and the Weybridge Food Preservation project.”

New job opportunities may arise as departments review the services they provide, Gilbert added.