America Reads/America Counts for Employers
Hiring students
Complete and submit the Western Michigan University America Reads Federal Work-Study Agreement and/or the America Counts Federal Work-Study Agreement. The agreement must be signed by the appropriate representative of both the off-campus site and Western Michigan University. For assistance please contact WMU Career and Student Employment Services at (269) 387-2745.
- Work with WMU Career and Student Employment Services to recruit tutors to your school. If you wish to list your position on Handshake, please contact Career and Student Employment Services.
- When you find a potential student employee, confirm that they have received a Federal Work-study offer. Students who have been offered Federal Work-study may view and print their offer letter any time using goWMU. Please ask them to provide whatever documentation you desire to confirm their offer.
- Calculate the number of hours per week the student may work within the limits of their offer. Please note, the calculations assume the student is working all pay periods assigned to the semester.
Fall or spring
Student's offer amount / Hourly pay rate / 18 weeks = hours per week.
Summer l or summer ll
Student's offer amount / Hourly pay rate / 8 weeks = hours per week.
Processing payroll
You must collect a timesheet for all hours worked during each pay period. The timesheet must be signed by the student, and certified by the student’s direct supervisor. After each pay period, fax signed timesheets to the Federal Work-study coordinator at (269) 387-2555.
- Timesheets will be processed by WMU Career and Student Employment Services according to the WMU payroll schedule. Student tutors will receive their paychecks directly from Western Michigan University.
- Timely submission of documents ensures timely processing of payroll and paychecks. Your cooperation is a very important part of this process.
- Once the offer maximum is reached, the student can no longer work at your site.
- Unused offers will automatically carry forward to the next semester/session if the semester/session receiving the carry forward is within the same financial aid year (summer II, fall, spring, summer I) and the semester/session receiving the carry forward also includes a Federal Work-study offer.
Staying on course
Tutoring sites must:
- Employ America Reads/America Counts tutors only as reading/math tutors. Tutors may not be asked to perform non-tutoring tasks such as grading papers or monitoring playground activity.
- Provide school-specific training, and ongoing support for each student tutor in the program. WMU will provide limited, introductory-type training for tutors.
- Provide adequate supervision for each student tutor in the program. Supervisor will be a regular staff member of the school with the knowledge and authority to provide appropriate work assignment and assessment. Supervisor must be able to document work performed.
- Provide regular feedback on each tutor’s job performance.
- Assign tutoring activities that are structured, well planned and effective.
- Provide appropriate space to work and tutoring materials.
- Collect timesheets for hours the tutors work. Timesheets must be signed by the student and the student’s supervisor.
- Maintain a copy of tutor’s bi-weekly timesheets.
When you employ a tutor you must regularly process and submit timesheets for hours worked. It is not appropriate to permit a student’s hours to accumulate without pay. Students who are paid using Federal Work-study must work to earn wages. Please do not use work-study to compensate students for hours of study or other non-work-related activities. To do so would be a violation of federal, state and University guidelines.