COVID-19: FAQ FOR WORK STUDY STUDENTS AND EMPLOYERS
Concerns have been expressed by Work Study students due to the University’s closure until further notice. McGill’s COVID-19 webpage contains the following information, and we have received further confirmation that Work Study and other student casual workers are included in this statement:
All academic and administrative staff, including casual employees who were scheduled to work until May 1st will be paid. Casual and work-study employees, please consult the instructions on the McGill coronavirus FAQs.
Students are encouraged to communicate with their direct supervisors to receive instructions specific to their job. You may be asked to work remotely in support of essential services for part or all of the suspension period and beyond.
Any hours of work paid to Work Study students will be subsidized by the Scholarships & Student Aid Office as per our usual process and rules.
A Work Study reimbursement will be run on schedule at the end of March, in recognition of a typical ‘year end’ for many research grants. If students have immediate financial concerns due to interruption of part-time work, they may apply for In-Course Financial Aid.
What is the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) for eligible workers?
"The Canada Emergency Response Benefit is intended to provide temporary income support to workers who are without employment or self-employment income for reasons related to COVID-19." For more information, check out their 
COVID-19 Economic Response Plan: Support for Canadians FAQ.
International Students
International students on study permits are still able to work 20 hours/week despite suspended activities.
In regards to working on or off-campus, given that COVID-19 is beyond a student’s control, international students who were eligible to work on or off-campus, can continue to work on or off-campus even if they have been forced to drop to part-time studies or take a break in studies. However, these students are still subject to the authorized number of hours they would have been permitted had they been full-time students. Therefore, they can work part-time (up to 20 hours a week) combined on- and off-campus work during an academic session and full-time during a regularly scheduled break.
About the program
The Work Study program is designed to help students with demonstrated financial need find jobs on or near campus with flexible work schedules to fit in around class timetables.
How it works
If you are accepted to participate in the Work Study program, you can apply for the Work Study jobs listed on myFuture. You apply directly to the employers and get paid by the employers for your work.
If you're interested, you can check the eligibility requirements and apply to participate in the program.
The program will continue to offer part-time employment for 2020-21, remotely while the campus is closed in the fall. The student application opens in July for work starting at the beginning of the fall term.
| Current Process | New Process as of 2020-2021 |
|---|---|
| Students apply in Minerva to be Work Study eligible. Student Aid decisions are published on a roster of Student ID#s by term for all students and employers to consult, which presents confidentiality concerns. | Students apply in Minerva to be Work Study eligible. Student Aid decisions are displayed on the student’s Minerva application. Students have the ability to produce a Work Study Confirmation letter to share with prospective employers, valid for 30 days and with the ability to reproduce as needed. Student privacy around financial need is maintained, as students control who they share their Work Study eligibility with. |
| Work Study job opportunities are posted on a Student Aid website. Our office controls postings going up and down at the request of the employer. As a consequence, students may be applying for jobs that are no longer available. | Work Study job opportunities are posted in myFuture, the platform managed by Career & Planning Services (CAPS), and where all student opportunities exist in one place. Work Study jobs will be specially flagged so WS-eligible students can identify the priority bank of jobs dedicated to them. Employers control postings going up and down so they remain current. |
Funding sources
The Work Study program is partially funded from the following sources:
- University Budget
- Ministère de l’Éducation
- Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) contributions to the Arts Students Employment Fund
- Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) contributions to the McGill Science 21st Century Career Centre Fund
- McGill Alumni Association (Alma Mater Fund)
Find out more
- Eligibility for Work Study
- Applying for Work Study
- Check the result of my application
- Search the job postings for summer 2020. Starting in fall 2020, job postings will be posted on MyFuture.
Contact
For all questions regarding the Work Study Program, please work.study [at] mcgill.ca (email the Work Study team).
