Position Descriptions
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The Status Form is considered a companion piece to the Position Description and will contain some of the required information below. Every Federal Work Study (FWS) position should have a position description, along with a Status Form, that includes the following:
- The name and address of the student's department, public agency, or nonprofit organization
- The purpose of the position
- The student's duties and responsibilities
- The position's qualifications
- The position's wage disbursement or range (Status Form)
- The beginning and ending dates of the student's position (Status Form)
- The name of the student's supervisor (Status Form)
A position description serves several purposes:
- It clearly establishes whether the position qualifies under the Federal Work Study Program.
- It gives a student the information needed to understand the position and select the type of work most closely related to their education or career goals.
- It helps the financial aid administrator, student, and supervisor determine the number of hours required at the specified wage rate to meet a student's financial need.
- It creates a written record, for both the student and the department, of the position's duties and responsibilities, so there is no misunderstanding.
If a student holds a position with an agency or organization that provides community service, the same standard applies as with any other FWS position: a position description must include the duties and responsibilities of the role. The Work College Program uses the position description to confirm that the position meets the FWS regulations' definition of community service.
Maintaining Position Descriptions
A position description is reviewed annually to ensure it accurately reflects the duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of the role as it currently exists. Supervisors are expected to review the position description with each student in their department at the start of the year, so expectations are clear from day one, and to update it whenever a position's duties change in a meaningful way.
Departments proposing a new position should have a position description ready in advance of the Allocation Process for the upcoming cycle, since a new position cannot be considered for allocation without one on file.