Eligible students will receive a work-study award as a part of their financial aid offer (see below for information about eligibility). Award amounts differ depending upon each student’s financial need. COA offers a wide variety of work-study positions, and work-study students play a crucial role in supporting the day-to-day functions of the college across all departments. Everybody does their part to keep the college running and the entire community benefits.
Frequently asked questions:
The majority of students attending COA are eligible for a work-study award. Eligibility for federal and institutional work-study is based on the student’s demonstrated financial need, which is reviewed yearly. Institutional work-study may also be available to students without financial need. This is determined on a case by case basis.
Additionally, students must be registered for at least two credits to maintain eligibility for work-study. Students who participate in an EcoLeague exchange, a consortium agreement at another institution, or a non-credit internship will forfeit their work-study award for that term.
Work-study earnings are paid out over the course of the school year as an hourly wage based on the number of hours worked by the student. The dollar figure listed on your financial aid package is an estimated earnings expectation for the academic year. Actual earnings may differ from that amount if the student does not work the total hours available to them.
Work-study earnings are meant to help with personal expenses, but they can be used to offset tuition bill charges. Contact Shana Willey in the Business Office to set up direct tuition payments ( swilley@coa.edu ).
New students : Upon receipt of your signed financial aid offer indicating that you have accepted your work-study award, the financial aid office will send you the new student work-study profile to fill out.
The work-study coordinator will assign you a position based upon the information you provide through the profile, in addition to the needs of the college. You are strongly encouraged to submit a resume with the profile to improve the chances that you are matched with a position that best suits your experience, interests, or learning goals. The coordinator will aim to match you with a position that aligns with your preferences, however job availability and department needs may influence your placement.
Returning students: Returning students will be placed in the same position as the previous school year unless they request a new position. The financial aid office will send out a work-study questionnaire during spring term to gather information about your plans for the next academic year. Returning students may secure positions directly with work-study supervisors rather than having their position assigned by the work-study coordinator. The work-study coordinator must be notified of the arrangement, and upon receipt of your signed financial aid offer indicating that you have accepted your work-study award, your placement will be finalized.
Students are typically assigned to their positions for the entire academic year to account for the significant input of time and effort required for supervisors to train students. Some positions are seasonal, such as farm positions, and a separate position may be assigned during winter term.
Job change requests due to special circumstances must be taken to the student’s current supervisor for consideration. If approved, the student must then contact the work-study coordinator to confirm there is space in the department the student wishes to transfer to. Job change requests may be accommodated when there would be no adverse impact on either supervisor’s anticipated needs.
New students: Work-study assignments will be given out in-person during one of the work-study information sessions held at the start of each term. Following the information session a copy of the information will also be emailed.
Returning students: Updated work-study assignments will be sent via email to each student’s COA email address in August before the new school year begins.
Work-study earnings can either be paid directly to the student or be applied to a tuition bill. The default is for students to be paid bi-weekly via direct deposit for their hours worked; students should contact Shana Willey (swilley@coa.edu) in the Business Office to set up direct tuition payments.
In order to be paid on time, students must have their timesheets signed by their supervisor and submitted to the Business Office at the end of each pay period.
Work-study hours are available while school is in session during our three academic terms. Students in work-study positions work an average of 7-10 hours per week. The maximum number of hours a student is permitted to work is 20 hours per week, inclusive of all on-campus employment opportunities. Students coordinate their work schedules directly with their supervisor.
The wage scale is set by the institution and includes four wage levels, starting at the minimum wage set by the State of Maine and increasing from there. Supervisors determine the appropriate level for each position based upon the skill level required and the student’s experience.
In order to be employed by COA, students must complete W-4 and I-9 employment forms. They must also provide two forms of ID to the Business Office. For domestic students, these typically include a current passport or a driver’s license/state ID card and social security card or birth certificate. International students must present their passport, VISA, and social security number. Students applying for a social security number (SSN) for the first time may present proof of their SSN application along with their passport and VISA.
More information about acceptable documents can be found here: Acceptable Documents List
These documents must be presented in person to the Business Office on or prior to the first day of work.
The following positions are managed and paid outside of the college’s work-study program:
- Van drivers (through Buildings & Grounds)
- Teaching assistants
- Note-takers (through the Writing Center)
- Tour guides (through Admissions)
- Workers (various positions) over winter/spring/summer break
Work-study positions:
Perform clerical work for individual departments/offices, which may include a wide range of office responsibilities such as typing, filing, data entry, customer service, answering phones, emailing, research, and special projects as needed. Departments include, but are not limited to Academic Services, Admission, Career Services, Development, Ed Studies, Financial Aid, Front Desk/Mail Room, Health & Wellness, International Student Services, Registrar, Society for Human Ecology, Summer Programs, and Student Life.
Allied Whale is responsible for maintaining three large whale catalogs: the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalog, the Antarctic Humpback Whale Catalog, and the Fin Whale Catalog. Work-study students are primarily responsible for performing photo-identification of whales by comparing a new photo taken to existing photos in one of the catalogs. Allied Whale is also responsible for responding to reports of stranded or dead marine mammals from mid-Maine to the Canadian border. Students would be expected to assist in all aspects of stranding response and necropsies (animal autopsy). Other opportunities at Allied Whale include marine mammal skeletal collection, preparation, and care. An application process is required and m ost Allied Whale positions are only available to returning students who have approval from the Allied Whale Team - alliedwhale@coa.edu.
Bateau Press, a COA letterpress publisher of chapbooks and an annual magazine, is committed to producing high-quality, well-designed, environmentally-minded products. Work-study student responsibilities include overseeing the submission process, serving as the main correspondent with the designers and authors, organizing and archiving data, working closely with the other editors to organize events, advertise deadlines, and oversee the development and design of the magazines and chapbooks, and helping strategize for future events, money raising, and travel opportunities. Bateau positions are open to returning students who have approval from Dan Mahoney, dmahoney@coa.edu.
Perform general manual labor for the college. B&G is the largest employer of work-study students and encompasses a wide variety of areas: planning and administration, carpentry, cleaning, grounds and garden development and maintenance, exterior and interior painting, discarded resource management, parking management, building maintenance, systems monitoring and repair, and vehicle cleaning and maintenance.
CEC work-study positions cover a wide variety of hands-on and administrative tasks, including energy assessments to identify efficiency projects, implementing efficiency and clean energy projects (such as building window inserts and installing vapor barriers and cellulose insulation), tracking energy consumption from utility bills, developing informational materials for the community, providing tours of energy improvements on campus, collecting solar and energy data on campus, developing community partnerships to increase deployment of clean energy on MDI, and reporting on COA’s sustainability efforts.
COA owns two MOFGA certified organic farms. Work-study students at both farms will perform general manual labor relating to all aspects of farm operations, which may include working physically in all weather conditions, planting, managing and harvesting organic vegetables, general farm maintenance, and manure/nutrient management.
- Peggy Rockefeller Farm is a livestock-focused farm that places emphasis on pasture-based systems for raising sheep, cattle, and poultry, as well as certified organic vegetables, berries, and tree fruit.
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Beech Hill Farm is a 73-acre property that houses six acres of fields in vegetable production, three small heirloom apple orchards, pasture land for pigs and poultry, five greenhouses, and open forest. They also run a large scale farm stand.
Join a team of students, faculty, and staff working together to coordinate programs associated with COA’s Food and Sustainable Agriculture Systems (FSAS) area of study. FSAS program assistants do a range of work, some of which is hands-on and some of which is primarily administrative in nature. As part of this team you might help manage the COA Community Fridge, oversee the free Sunday dinner program (aka COAmmunity Dinners), help organize the Food & Farming Workshop Series, or help maintain beehives at COA’s apiary. Additional work might include designing newsletters and reports about the FSAS program, creating short PSAs to promote the farms as educational spaces, helping organize special events (including public talks and film screenings), and conducting mini research projects as necessary. Key skills you’ll hone include organization, facilitation, planning, budgeting, and communication. For more information, contact Kourtney Collum, kcollum@coa.edu.
The College of the Atlantic/Acadia National Park Herbarium maintains a collection of over 15,000 pressed and dried plants. Herbarium assistants are essential in the growth and maintenance of the collection. Duties and responsibilities include re-filing specimens removed from the collection, adding newly accessioned specimens into the collection, repairing and labeling specimens, and working with the curator on special projects as needed. Herbarium positions are open to returning students who have approval from Jill Weber, jweber@coa.edu.
The IT Helpdesk Support Specialist maintains COA’s IT helpdesk and provides software, hardware and network support for COA faculty, staff and students. Tasks may include general hardware, software and printing support, telephone and direct IT helpdesk support, computer lab/graphics support, and other related responsibilities. Contact Jarly Bobadilla, jbobadilla@coa.edu, for more information.
Assist with a variety of tasks (physical, creative, and clerical) related to writing, visual art, social media, storytelling, scheduling, and events. Positions are available within the Blum Gallery, Audio-Visual Department, Communications Office, Media Lab, and Recording Studio, as well as with faculty in the Visual Arts & Design resource area.
The roles and responsibilities of a writing tutor are evershifting. As Toni-Lee Capossela tells us in The Harcourt Brace Guide to Peer Tutoring , a tutor will at various times be “a reader, a respondent, a questioner, a critic, a listener, a friend, a colleague, a collaborator, or a guide.” Students interested in becoming tutors do not have to be perfect writers but they should have a demonstrated commitment to writing and have excellent interpersonal skills. To become a tutor, students enroll in Methods of Tutoring Writing Across the Curriculum, a one-term course that may be taken for credit or non credit. In addition to exposing students to writing center theory and research, Methods provides students new tutors with a range of practical strategies that will help them make informed choices when working with students. Students wishing to become tutors must be in good academic standing, and during their time in the writing center, tutors must remain in good academic standing. Tutors are generally recommended by a faculty member. For more information, contact Blake Cass, bcass@coa.edu.