Student Associates

At UC, our student associates (known at other institutions as student employees or student workers) are a valued part of our UC community. They perform a wide range of tasks and bring unique skills and perspectives to our work. From front desk workers to peer leaders to teaching assistants and much more, student associates make all of our jobs easier and bring new energy to our places of work!

If you're a student who is interested in finding a job at UC, there are a number of places you may see postings. Many jobs are posted in a system called Handshake and as a UC student, you will have received access to this system already. Coming soon, you'll also be able to search for jobs on SuccessFactors, the platform where all Faculty and Staff jobs are currently listed. You may also find job postings distributed on specific departmental listservs or on the web pages of some of the larger campus employers, which include:

UC also holds an annual part time job fair each August.  You can find information about this job fair on Handshake.

Make sure to have an up-to-date resume, as all job applications will require one.  Providing a cover letter is always a good idea too. 

Student hiring at UC is handled by the individual colleges and departments who evaluate and select their own candidates and new hires.  Each area will have its own unique selection, interviewing, and hiring process.  As you prepare for an interview, review the job description and think about how your previous work experience and education has prepared you for the position. 

If selected to be hired as a UC student associate, you can expect to receive a written offer of employment from us that will outline your hourly wage and start date. You will be asked to accept the offer in writing. Your assigned supervisor will provide you with additional details such as hours and appropriate attire.

It is important to note that non-international UC student associates are limited to 24 hours of total service for the University per week during the academic year.  International students are limited to 20 hours of total service for the University per week during the academic year. All students are limited to 40 hours of total service for the University per week during scheduled breaks. 

Prior to your first day, you will be asked to access and complete online new employee paperwork, which includes your I-9 form. As part of the I-9 process, you will be required to present the original ID(s) you used to complete part I of the online Form I-9. You won’t be able to complete the I-9 process without those identifying documents, and this process must be completed within 3 days of your start date. (Per U.S. government regulations, documents must be originals. UC is unable to accept copies of documents, with the exception that a birth certificate may be a certified copy.) Check the list of acceptable documents if you’re unsure which documents are acceptable for completing the I-9. Please be sure to have these documents available.

On your first day of work, you will receive all necessary onboarding information, including how to clock hours worked, enroll in direct deposit, and obtain any necessary accesses. You will also receive information about enrolling or completing an OPERS exemption request. 

Once you have been loaded in the system as a student associate, you'll be able to view Bearcats Landing, where you will find the student handbook. Be sure to familiarize yourself with that document.

Employees (including student associates) of Ohio public institutions do not contribute to the federal Social Security system, other than contributions to Medicare (employees hired after April 1, 1986).

As a student associate, your retirement contributions will be deducted from your paycheck and directed to the state retirement plan, the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS).

You may be eligible to opt out of OPERS participation when first hired by UC as long as certain requirements are met. See below for additional information.

• As a student associate you have ONE opportunity to waive OPERS membership.
• Optional exemption is available to undergraduate students taking at least six (6) credit hours and graduate students taking at least five (5) credit hours. Membership in OPERS for student associates enrolled less than half time is required by law.
• Participants in the cooperative education program are not eligible for exemption during their work term(s).Co-op students who are employed  full time equivalency (100% FTE)  are eligible to participate in the Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP) rather than the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS). Newly hired UC co-ops are eligible to elect the ARP within 120 days of their hire date. If the co-op does not make an election within the 120 day deadline, contributions will automatically be defaulted to OPERS.
• You must have a 365-day break from student employment with UC in order to change your retirement election.  Rehired or transferred student associates without at least a 365-day break in UC service may not change their election.
  
• Changing positions of employment or departments within the university does not void an exemption or constitute separation of employment.
• Rehired student associates are NOT eligible to make a new OPERS election unless all positions are separated and the rehire occurs 365 days or more following the last separation of employment.