Eligibility. This is an honors option. If you are an admitted undergraduate degree candidate, you must have a 3.0 or higher GPA, and if you are an admitted graduate degree candidate or a Premedical program participant, you must have a 3.33 or higher GPA. You must live in the United States. You also must be eligible to work in the United States (i.e., possess a Social Security number) and for Harvard University. We do not offer support for students seeking TN status.
Non-exempt Harvard employees on a 35-hour-per-week schedule are eligible to participate in the program; Exempt staff and non-exempt employees with a 40-hour-per-week schedule are not eligible (we cannot pay you time and a half for this work). You must be at least 18 years of age to apply.
How It Works:
Instructor Initiated. In the Spring and Fall semesters (there is no hiring over the summer) Extension School instructors submit
job descriptions to CARC. CARC staff advertise the positions via e-mail to eligible, currently enrolled students in mid-February in spring and mid-September in fall. When you find a position that interests you, contact the instructor directly.
You cannot work for a faculty member in whose class you are currently enrolled.
Student Initiated. In the spring and fall semesters, you may also approach an Extension School or Harvard University instructor to ask if he or she has a research opportunity available and would be interested in hiring you. If so, work with the instructor to submit the following information to carc@extension.harvard.edu, by mid-September for the fall term and mid-February for the spring term:
- Name of research project/topic
- A brief job description
- Instructor’s full name, title, and contact information
- Student’s full name, degree program, and email address
- Confirmation that student currently resides in the United States
Hiring. Once faculty have selected the candidate they would like to hire, CARC staff will make the final eligibility check and confirm the student’s hire. If you are approved, you and the instructor will receive next-step employment instructions. Please note that you cannot begin work without official approval from the Career and Academic Resource Center. You can hold only one faculty aide position per semester, with no exceptions.
Payment. Students will be paid $21 an hour for a maximum of 50 hours for the entire project. Weekly hours will vary, but usually range from 5 to 10 hours per week. You cannot work more than 14 hours in one week. (Full-time Harvard employees are limited to 5 maximum hours of work per week.)
Students who live in Massachusetts and in registered payroll states. You will be hired and will submit weekly timesheets to Harvard.
Students residing in other US states. You will be hired by a third-party payroll vendor and you will submit your weekly hours to them directly. They will contact you directly for I-9 information. Certain restrictions apply to full-time Harvard employees.
Student Responsibility. Students who are hired as faculty aides and behave in a dishonest or unprofessional manner, fail to follow through with work assignments, or disregard communication from instructors or Career and Academic Resource Center staff will be terminated and not allowed to participate in the program for the duration of their degree candidacy.
Further Information. If you have any questions, contact the CARC staff at carc@extension.harvard.edu.
Please note, this program is subject to the rules, regulations, and policies of the Harvard Extension School. Information included on this page is subject to change without notice.