Jobs and Careers

FULL-TIME STAFF JOBS
STUDENT JOBS
OFF-CAMPUS FEDERAL WORK STUDY
OTHER EMPLOYMENT
RESOURCES FOR CAREERS IN THE COMMON GOOD
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
INTERNSHIPS AND INSTITUTES

Full-time Staff Jobs at the Swearer Center

There are currently no open staff positions at the Swearer Center.

Student Jobs at the Swearer Center

School-Year Jobs

Please search for Swearer Center Student Positions on the Student Employment website.

Student positions at the Swearer Center must be applied for through the Student Employment website, however, you must also complete a Swearer Center Application.

Off-Campus Federal Work Study

Off-Campus Work Study

Contact: Claudia_DeCesare@Brown.edu (for questions about program or help with proposal); Student Employment Office at 863-9922 (for administrative questions or to determine your work study eligibility).

Description

The Off-Campus Federal Work Study program enables eligible undergraduate financial aid recipients to hold paid community service jobs. The program allows community agencies to hire students at a reduced cost. Positions are available during the academic year and summer months.

Funds for this program are limited, and applications for off-campus work study will be selected by a committee through a competitive process. Not all proposals will be approved for off-campus work.

The Federal Work Study Program was established by the Higher Education Act of 1965 to encourage and promote the employment of students to help them meet their educational costs. To the maximum extent possible, work study jobs are expected to complement the educational and professional goals of participating students.

The Off-Campus Federal Work Study program is administered by the Swearer Center and the Student Employment Office, a division of the Office of Financial Aid.

Eligibility/Selection Criteria

Students must have Federal Work Study in their financial aid award to participate in this program. During the academic year, the program is open to all four classes. The summer program is open to rising sophomores, rising juniors, and rising seniors. If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact the Student Employment Office to confirm your eligibility for federal work study.

Eligible placements include community-based agencies in the non-profit sector, government agencies, hospitals, grassroots organizations, and schools. The work may include direct service, administrative tasks, and program development. A limited number of positions are available for policy and laboratory research.

Selection of off-campus work study awards is made on the basis of the following criteria:

Applications must be tailored for work in a government or non-profit organization;
Jobs must meet the needs of the community organization and educational goals of the student;
Students should include information regarding past community-based experience (not required) and must display a basic understanding of the community issues they will encounter in their placement (required);
Agencies should be able to demonstrate that the work being completed is necessary and will make a real contribution to a high-need community;
Innovative proposals and direct service to communities with the greatest needs will be prioritized over administrative work and/or research; and
The content and quality of the written application will be considered.

Benefit

The academic year off-campus work-study award is based on the amount of Federal Work Study awarded to the student by the Office of Financial Aid. Over the summer, the maximum off-campus work-study award is $3,000.00. Half of the award is typically covered by the employer. Students should contact the Student Employment Office to confirm the amount of their academic year Federal Work Study award.

Applying

The deadline to submit an application for the Fall semester is 5 PM on September 25th, 2009. Please send completed applications to Claudia DeCesare.

The application has two parts -- a student application and an agency application. Both parts must be completed and submitted together.

Download the application for new position.

Download the application for continuation of current position

FAQ

Q: Who is eligible for these jobs?

A: Students must have Federal Work Study in their financial aid award to participate in this program. During the academic year, the program is open to all four classes. The summer program is open to rising sophomores, rising juniors, and rising seniors. If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact the Student Employment Office to confirm your eligibility for federal work study.

Q: What kinds of jobs and employers are eligible?

A: Appropriate placements include community-based agencies in the non-profit sector, government agencies, hospitals, grassroots organizations, and schools. The work may include direct service, administrative tasks, and program development. A limited number of positions are available for policy and laboratory research. All positions must reflect consideration of the educational goals of students. Funded work study participants will be required to meet all program expectations, and may have the option of completing periodic writing assignments and participating in group discussions held by the Swearer Center.

While most Federal Work Study positions require the employer to cover 50% of the student wages, federal regulations waive the contribution and cover 100% for eligible employers who hire students as:

reading tutors for preschool-age children or elementary school children;
mathematics tutors for children in elementary school through ninth grade; and/or
providers of family literacy services to families with preschool-age children or elementary school children.

Literacy must be a primary or secondary goal, demonstrated by the job and program description of the employer and work-study proposal submitted by the student.

Eligible employers include schools, federal, state, or local agencies, or private nonprofit organizations.

Q: How do you select proposals? What makes a proposal competitive?

The following criteria guide the selection of off-campus work study awards:

Applications must be tailored for work in a government or non-profit organization;
Jobs must meet the needs of the community organization and educational goals of the student;
Students should include information regarding past community-based experience (not required) and must display a basic understanding of the community issues they will encounter in their placement (required);
Agencies should be able to demonstrate that the work being completed is necessary and will make a real contribution to a high-need community;
Innovative proposals and direct service to communities with the greatest needs will be prioritized over administrative work and/or research; and
The content and quality of the written application will be considered.

Q: How much can I earn in a work study position?

A: The academic year off-campus work-study award is based on the amount of Federal Work Study awarded to the student by the Office of Financial Aid. Over the summer, the maximum off-campus work-study award is $3,000.00. Half of the award is typically covered by the employer. Students should contact the Student Employment Office to confirm the amount of their academic year Federal Work Study award.

Q: I’m an interested student. How do I find an agency and develop a position?

A: Interested students are encouraged to think creatively about developing positions that support the mission of the community agency, while strengthening their own educational experiences and academic, professional, and service goals. Agencies should take student learning into account as they craft work study proposals as well.

Students must develop their proposals collaboratively with an interested community agency. Many local agencies have worked with Federal Work Study students from Brown, but each applicant should establish common interests and goals for their individual proposal. Students are encouraged to approach agencies directly to discuss how their ideas and the agency's needs might be integrated in a position. This is a cost-share program, so host agencies must commit to contributing sufficient funding toward the proposal.

To find potential partner agencies, consult the Job Resource Guide, located in the resource library of the Swearer Center (25 George Street), which lists all employers recruiting work-study students for employment opportunities.

Interested students are encouraged to attend two events:

Information Session.
An information session is held in early April for the summer program and early September for the academic year program. If you are eligible for the program, you will receive an e-mail with dates and times. The 2009-2010 Info Sessions are being held on September 14th from 12pm to 1pm and 5pm to 6pm, in Wilson, 205. Please RSVP to Claudia DeCesare and note which session you plan to attend.

At the info sessions, you will have the opportunity to meet and talk with employers that are recruiting a number of work-study students for projects designed specifically for work-study.

More details regarding these positions, please click here.

The Digital Barrio Project of the Olneyville Neighborhood Association (ONA)

offers individualized computer tutoring sessions to help people whether they've never touched a computer before or have some basic skills and need to take it to the next level. By developing basic to intermediate computer skills, program participants strengthen their literacy levels as they work on keyboarding, use of written prompts, web searches, and communication via email, messaging and social networking. As a family-centered program, the Digital Barrio Project emphasizes computer activities in which families can engage together and offers combined sessions for parents and children. Classes are held at the Olneyville Neighborhood Association on Manton Avenue in Providence.

Participants are generally residents of Olneyville, the poorest neighborhood in the state, and many are ONA members who will also be able to use their strengthened computer skills as they work for a stronger, more just local economy and defend the human rights of all people, with or without legal status.

Job Description: Computer Tutor

The project position of Computer Tutor consists of the following responsibilities:

Conduct one or two weekly classes for 1-3 participants at a time, often in parent/child groupings
Prepare objectives and lesson plans for classes
Coordinate with other tutors, resource people and ONA staff to offer periodic workshops
Communicate with assigned participants on a regular basis to manage communication and offer support and guidance on issues related technical and literacy challenges

Qualifications:

Tutors should be fluent in Spanish, comfortable in small group interactions with community members and able to work with children as well as adults.

Contact: Shannah Kurland
shannahkurland@gmail.com

All Children’s Theatre

is an award winning, non-profit theatre company dedicated to the education and enrichment of children ages 4-18. ACT enables children to use their imagination and creativity to explore all aspects of theatre production, building a variety of skills along the way including reading comprehension, problem solving, self confidence/self esteem, team building and listening and communication. All classes are held at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School in Providence on 455 Wickenden Street.

Job Description:Production Assistant/Administration

ACT performs six shows this season; among them are “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Romeo and Juliet.” The Production Assistant helps with the process of a show from start to finish. Each actor will receive a script, character, and costume. All actors work with the Director and Production Assistant to study all aspects of the play, playwright and genre they are working with. Rehearsals usually meet once a week and sometimes on Saturdays. The week before the show starts there is a technical week, where the set and costumes are completed and children get to work toward “Opening Night.” Performances are usually two weekends, on both Saturday and Sunday. In addition to helping with rehearsals, the Production Assistant will be responsible for some administrative office work. Students will learn how to help operate a non-profit theatre company.

Job Description: Teaching Assistant/Administration

We will be hosting classes for all ages (4-18). There will be several courses offered with Literacy and Theatre being our focus. Your favorite children’s stories; “Where the Wild Things Are,” “Cinderella,” “Dracula” and “Harry Potter” are a few of the stories that will be retold in magical ways. Each child gets a script to go home and read with their families and learn to read and memorize lines. The children then will incorporate these stories in mini presentations at the end of each session. In addition the assistants will work in the office learning the components of running a Children's Theatre Organization.

Contact: Heather Kiely
(401) 728-1222
hkiely@actinri.org

The Crossroads Rhode Island Family Center

provides emergency shelter for up to 15 families in a communal living environment. In addition to shelter, the Center provides families with intensive case management services, life skills assistance, referral services, and supportive services. While the majority of the services focus on stabilizing the heads of households, the children’s services are often underestimated and minimized. The available position will focus on family literacy, children’s programming by working in concert with existing programming within the shelter.

Job Description:

Directly assisting children with school work/homework help after school
Developing/instituting literacy-related activities(storytelling, story writing, acting)
Evaluating parental literacy levels to determine if they may be indicators of lack of engagement (educational, social)
Model/instruct parents on engagement techniques with their children by using literacy-based activities (homework, games, books, movies)

Contact: Cicely Dove- Director of Family Housing-Providence
754 Broad Street Providence, RI 02907
(401) 461-1755
cdove@crossroadsri.org

Highlander Charter School

is a K-8 urban school located on Broad Street in Providence. Highlander's mission is to ensure that all students develop the skills they need to become active, responsible and productive community members by instilling in them a passion for lifelong learning. In 2007, Highlander received a 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant to establish high-quality afterschool programming with an emphasis on academic enrichment. The Highlander Afterschool Program now serves over 160 Highlander students daily with supplemental academic supports, exciting activities, and youth development opportunities.

Job Description:

Assist in our afterschool program. Programs run daily from 3-5pm. Jobs include planning, organizing and running academic enrichment games and exercises that supplement the school-day curricula during our “homeroom” period, as well as classroom assistance, behavior management, small group tutoring, and after-school teaching opportunities. Brown students will have the opportunity to submit proposals for class programs to teach during the activity period. We are flexible and more than happy to work a manageable schedule around the Brown class schedule and other student responsibilities.

Qualifications:

We are looking for Brown work study students with a passion for education, high energy, and experience in youth development programs or activities. The work-study student must be able to work with children, supervising, participating in, and planning day-to-day activities as well as special projects. The ideal work-study student would be able to work independently and with minimal supervision and has good judgment and mentoring abilities. Creativity is very important, and bilingualism is a plus.

Contact: Dana Borrelli
Phone: (401) 277-2600 x 107
Email: dborrelli@highlandercharter.org

Q: I’m an interested agency. How do I find a student and develop a position?

A: Agencies are advised to work closely with individual students to develop proposals. Local community agencies can also list existing positions through the work study program. While these positions are eligible for funding, creativity and originality in proposals is considered favorably by the selection committee. This is a cost-share program, so host agencies must commit to contributing sufficient funding toward the proposal.

Community agencies wishing to develop a proposal with a work study student, may submit a job description to be posted in the Federal Off-Campus Work Study Employment Resource Guide binder available to students in the resource library of the Swearer Center for Public Service. Please submit the position description to Claudia DeCesare 2 to 3 weeks before the beginning of each semester, including the summer session:

Fall Semester: 2nd to 3rd week of August
Spring Semester: 2nd or 3rd week of January
Summer Session: 2nd or 3rd week of April

Please review the application process, which applies to both the summer and academic year programs, unless otherwise noted.

Q: How do I apply?

A: The deadline to submit an application for Fall_2009 is 5 PM on September 25th, 2009. Please send completed applications electronically or as a hard copy to Claudia DeCesare.

The application has two parts -- a student application and an agency application. Both parts must be completed and submitted together.

Download the application for new position.

Download the application for continuation of current position

Q: I still have questions. Who should I contact?

A: If you want to learn more about Off Campus Work Study, or need help developing a proposal, contact Claudia DeCesare. For administrative questions or to determine your work study eligibility, contact the Student Employment Office at 863-3676 .

Other Jobs

Local, national, and international service jobs are posted on ricommunityjobs.org as well as in the Swearer Bulletin, a weekly electronic newsletter of events and resources related to community work and activism at Brown and in Providence. Sign up here.

Resources for Careers in the Common Good

In collaboration with the Career Development Center at Brown, the Careers in the Common Good program seeks to support Brown students and alumni in their exploration of socially responsible careers.

Volunteer Opportunities: Fall, Spring, Summer

There are many non-profit organizations in and around Providence who are actively seeking volunteers to become involved in their work, in the areas of health, education, literacy, art, and many others. Volunteering is also a good way to gain new skills, while exploring a particular career or personal interest. There are opportunities for the fall, spring and summer semesters. Email Claudia_DeCesare@brown.edu for more information.

Internships and Institutes

Making Connections Leadership Institute

The People's School Project Student Internship