Hiring a Student

How to Hire Student Assistants to Help With Research

Job Descriptions
Determine the role you expect the student to undertake in your research and scholarly activity project. Student research assistants cannot duplicate work usually done by BCGEU members. If you are unsure whether this is the case with your intended duties, you may want to consult the list of approved duties for Student Research Assistants posted on the Research and Scholarly Activity website or available from Laura Sandve, Office Coordinator Centre for Academic and Faculty Development (x 5503). If you have something other than the duties on the list in mind, please discuss the matter with the Research and Scholarly Activity Coordinator (x5818).

Budgeting
It is your responsibility to see that the costs associated with your research project remain within the dollar amount of your award. Cost overruns caused by student assistants' wages (or any other item) will not be reimbursed by the College.

Student Research Assistants (SRAs) must be paid at the rates set for Student Assistant II. Their employment is covered under a Letter of Understanding in the BCGEU collective agreement. This letter is available on the RSA website or at:

http://www.douglas.bc.ca/__shared/assets/Addendum_re_LOU___2_-_Student_Assistants51933.pdf.

You'll note that the base salary is now $10.87 per hour. The addition of 4% holiday pay and a small amount in benefit cost brings the total costs to $11.77. Please budget for the RSA at $12/hr to leave a small margin if needed. In your application to the Research and Scholarly Activity Fund, please make the duties they are expected to carry out clear.

There are no minimum hours that they are required to work. However, Research Assistants cannot work more than 7 hours a day (or overtime rates as per Collective Agreement will apply) and no more than 15 hours per week. Please also be aware that if students are scheduled to work on statutory holidays, they are entitled to 2X or 2 ½X for all hours worked plus a day off in lieu of the holiday.

Hiring
The procedure is not a complicated one. Identify a student who you wish to do the work and make her or him an offer of employment. However, you need to check that the students you may wish to employ are enrolled in at least one 3-credit course at Douglas College or at another public post secondary institution. If the student is not a Douglas College student, he or she will need to provide proof of enrolment to Employee Relations and Student Employment. If you are not sure about the enrolment status of the student, please check with Colleen Romano (6039) before proceeding with the hiring.

If you are hiring a student who is between semesters and does not meet the criterion of enrolment in a course, please inform Lizette Lofranco-Aba in Employee Relations. It is easy to apply for a variance.

Once the student you wish to work with has agreed to do so, take the following steps:

Step 1 - Fill in a P40 form, available from Lizette Lofranco-Aba or Laura Sandve Office Coordinator for the Centre for Academic and Faculty Development. Note that the cost code for the Research and Scholarly Activity Fund is 2015.

Step 2 - Send the completed form to Lizette Lofranco-Aba with a cc to Colleen Romano (Student Employment Services) and to the Research and Scholarly Activity Coordinator.

Step 3 - Inform the student that he or she must attend a short orientation by Employee Relations before beginning work. Ask the student to contact Kristie Fuchs (local 5440) on the New West campus or Tania Dong or Wendy Davies (local 6325) for a session at David Lam. At the orientation session, the student will need to bring a void cheque (for direct deposit payments) and provide a SIN. If the student has previously worked as a student assistant, this step is unnecessary.

Step 4 - When the orientation session has been completed, Employee Relations will contact you and let you know that the student(s) can begin work.

Step 5 - If the student will require additional printing privileges because of duties related to your project, please fill out the appropriate CEIT form.

Step 6 - Email the Research and Scholarly Activity Coordinator to report that the process has been completed and the student has begun the work.

Step 7 - As the work gets underway, please sign and submit the student assistant's time sheets to the Payroll Department.