CAN I WORK WITH ANY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION IN PROVIDENCE THROUGH OCFWS?
No: Students must work with one of the approved organizations that have been vetted by the Swearer Center and Office of Financial Aid. If an organization you know is interested in participating in the future, please connect them with Swearer staff member Elena Vasquez ([email protected]).
CAN I WORK AT MULTIPLE SITES?
No: Students participating in the OCFWS program are only allowed to receive funding for their work at one pre-approved site.
AM I GUARANTEED A SPOT IN THE OCFWS PROGRAM IF I AM ELIGIBLE?
There are many partner organizations that are interested in working with OCFWS students, however, we can not guarantee you a spot in the OCFWS program. This program is available to eligible students on a first-come, first-serve basis.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I AM NOT ELIGIBLE?
If you are ineligible you are not able to participate in the OCFWS program. You are welcome to connect with a community organization directly to see if they are interested in hosting you as a volunteer, however, you will not be able to receive OCFWS funding for your work. We invite you to find a volunteer opportunity through Swearer's community service database, BrownEngage.
WHAT IF I WILL BE TAKING A SEMESTER OFF?
Students who are only able to work in the fall semester are welcome to still apply for an academic year OCFWS position. Fall-only students are required to communicate this with their supervisors up front and are encouraged to work additional hours in the single semester to meet their full eligibility award.
WHAT IF I NEED TO TAKE TIME OFF FROM MY POSITION?
We understand that OCFWS is just one part of a Brown student’s experience and that there are many external factors that can influence their ability to complete an internship. Students must work in coordination with their supervisors and Swearer staff member Sophia Pray to arrange for time off from their internship. There is no guarantee that the student will be able to resume their OCFWS role after taking a leave of absence, so this decision should not be made lightly.
WHAT IF I AM LET GO FROM MY SITE?
With consistent communication with supervisors and Swearer staff as needed, we hope no OCFWS students have their internships prematurely terminated. If any OCFWS student is asked to leave their role by their supervisor their position will be terminated in Workday and they will not have the opportunity to continue receiving OCFWS funding for the remainder of that academic year or summer.
HOW DO I LOG MY WORK HOURS?
Students are to submit their hours each week using Workday, Brown's online time tracking system. Instructions will be sent to you once you have been hired for an eligible OCFWS position by the Office of Financial Aid. Students are expected to work at least 6-8 hours/week during the academic year or 15+ hours/week during the summer at their approved OCFWS sites in order to make full use of their award amount. For more information on guidelines and regulations related to student work hours, please refer to the Student Employment website.
The Brown University workweek is defined as Sunday-Saturday. The deadline to submit your hours is every Saturday by 11:59 pm. This will allow us time each Monday morning to review and approve the hours you have entered so that you can get paid. The Office of Financial Aid will send you a reminder email every Friday to ensure that you meet the weekly expectation.
The Office of Financial Aid works with your supervisor to confirm that the hours reported in Workday match the hours you actually worked.
Late Submission of Hours: If at any point, you are unable to enter your hours in Workday because you missed the deadline, please contact Off-Campus and Federal Work Study staff directly via email as soon as possible at [email protected] so we can provide you with alternative instructions for submitting your hours.
WHEN DO I GET PAID?
Paychecks are issued bi-weekly (every other Friday). Although not required, the fastest way to get paid is to sign up for Direct Deposit. See the instructions document above to sign-up for Direct Deposit.
HOW MUCH MONEY CAN I EARN THROUGH OCFWS?
You will receive hourly earnings of the amount that your supervisor sets for your position that is listed in the job description, like any other hourly on or off-campus job. The award amount that you receive after applying for the OCFWS program, if you are eligible, is the maximum amount you could earn throughout the entire year.
For example, if your hourly pay rate was $13/hour for the position you accept, and your OCFWS award amount from the Office of Financial Aid (OFA) was $2,000, then you could work about 153 hours in the given academic year to reach your full earnings maximum between the start date given to you by OFA and May 15th. You will have been sent checks or received direct deposit amounts in your bank account that total $2,000 by the end of the year if you work all 153 hours. That said, you do not need to work this many hours if you do not want to; the award maximum sets a limit for earning potential. You will receive reminders from OFA once you start nearing your award limit-- in some cases, if you are working frequently, your award limit can be increased for the year.
DO I GET TO KEEP MY EARNINGS, OR DO THEY GO BACK TO BROWN UNIVERSITY?
The money you earn through your OCFWS internship goes directly to you through direct deposit or check, depending on what preference you select in your Workday forms.