BU student employment is available for students across all skill-levels, and the positions and compensation should be a reflection of the job responsibilities and the student’s relevant experience. Most students at BU are set up as hourly-paid, while certain roles necessitate weekly salaries or single payments for one-time jobs. Student employees should be paid at the same rate for comparable work within the department or unit. In addition, pay rates must be equitable for students utilizing Work-Study or paid with departmental funds.
Types of Payment for Student Employees
Hourly: Students who are working in a supervised job on a consistent basis and will complete timesheets.
- Undergraduate Work-Study students must be paid on an hourly basis (cannot be salaried or paid via one-time payment).
- Graduate workers in BUGWU roles (teaching or research) that are working less than 20 hours per week must be hired as hourly employees.
Weekly Salaried: Students who are doing advanced work, where less supervision is required and tracking of hours is not easily accomplished.
- Graduate workers in BUGWU roles (teaching or research) that are working 20 hours per week can be hired as salaried workers.
- Fringe charges are assessed for graduate salaried roles only.
One-Time Payment (OTP): Students performing short-term, one-time work that does not exceed three consecutive days in length.
- OTPs must be established in advance of the work being performed and are not intended for ongoing employment or to compensate for missed or delayed payments.
- Students cannot be paid OTPs out of Work-Study funding.
Job Types, Job Categories & Job Titles
JobX provides three categories of jobs for student employment: On-Campus, BUGWU, and ResLife Union. Most jobs will fall into the On-Campus category. BUGWU is reserved only for Graduate Students in Teaching or Research roles, and those job titles can be found in detail here. ResLife Union is reserved for students engaged in Resident Assistance positions.
There are many standardized on-campus job titles related to specialized work that can be selected when creating a new job. Please reach out to Student Employment if you do not find the appropriate job title for your role.
Determining Pay rates & Method of Payment
| $15.00 (MA minimum-wage) |
Entry-level position that involves routine or repetitious work. Little or no experience is required. |
| $15.25 |
Responsibilities require basic knowledge of assigned tasks. Requirements include some previous work experience. |
| $15.50 |
Responsibilities require proficiency in an area of specialized knowledge or skill. Requirements include previous work experience and ability to work with minimal supervision. |
| $16.00 |
Responsibilities require a considerable degree of proficiency in an area of specialized knowledge or skill. Requirements include previous work experience, supervisory experience and/or advanced coursework, and the ability to work with minimal supervision. |
| $16.50 |
Requirements may include advanced training, related work experience, supervisory experience and/or advanced coursework, and the ability to work with minimal supervision. |
| One-Time Payment (OTP) |
For short-term or one-time jobs only, not exceeding 3 consecutive days. When determining pay rates, you must keep in compliance with minimum wage standards – the pay rate divided by the total hours worked should not be less than the minimum wage. Hours entered for the one-time payment must accurately reflect the actual hours worked. OTPs cannot exceed $500 or 20 hours. |
| Weekly Salaried |
When determining pay rates, you must keep in compliance with minimum wage standards – the pay rate divided by the number of hours worked per week may not be less than the minimum wage. |