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Program Details

SMUworks is a bursary-based student employment program that benefits students, faculty and staff alike. These positions not only provide valuable work experience for the students but also helps them gain skills in the job application and interview process, in addition to financial support. 

Important Information

The SMUworks Academic 2023-24 Faculty/Staff Application opens Thursday, June 15th.

  • Faculty & Staff Application Period – Thursday, June 15, 2023 – Thursday, July 6, 2023, 11:59 PM AST
  • Faculty & Staff Application Decisions – by Wednesday, July 12, 2023, 11:59 PM AST
  • Student Application Period – Friday, July 14, 2023 – Monday, August 7, 2023, 11:59 PM
  • Eligible Student Applications sent to Faculty & Staff – week of August 7, 2023
  • Student Earliest Work Start Date – Monday, September 11, 2023
  • Student Latest Work End Date – Friday, March 29, 2024

Undergraduate Positions: Successful undergraduate applications will receive up to a maximum of $5610.00 ($17.00 per hour, which includes 4% vacation pay, to a maximum of 15 hours per week for 22 weeks).

Graduate Positions: Successful graduate applications will receive up to a maximum of $6105.00 ($18.50 per hour, which includes 4% vacation pay, to a maximum of 15 hours per week for 22 weeks).

Employer Cost: The Faculty/Staff bursary recipient is responsible for ensuring that amounts in excess of the fixed grant are paid. For this reason, we require you to provide a department budget code when submitting students’ payroll paperwork. 

  • Must be a full-time staff member or full-time professor at Saint Mary’s for the duration of the SMUworks session.
  • Faculty may be on sabbatical but MUST be present on campus and available to the student to provide direction and guidance.
  • Cannot be a Ph.D. student, post-doctoral Fellow, or Research Associate
  • Student-run organizations are not eligible.

After a successful student has been chosen for the role, the grant recipient will be responsible for communicating their expectations of the student and the student is to convey what they expect to learn and what skills they hope to gain from the experience during the SMUworks term.

This record will be used during the mandatory midpoint evaluation. The midpoint evaluation will consist of a 1-1 session with the SMUworks administrator and the student in the middle of the SMUworks term where discussions regarding whether the competencies mentioned in the grant application are being developed by the student and their reflection on the term.

This evaluation will be used for future grant decisions.

You will be informed of the grant decision by Tuesday, March 7th. If your application is successful, you will receive notice of approved funding and allotment of hours.

Student Eligibility Criteria:

You are welcome to encourage students to apply for your opportunity via Career360° if they are eligible. Eligibility requirements:

Registered as a full-time/part-time student in a degree or diploma program at Saint Mary's University for the current academic year 2022-23 and registered in summer 2023 classes or returning to school in September 2023 for the fall semester.

Good academic standing (GPA 1.7+)

Students are not eligible for the program if they have fulfilled their degree requirements or have graduated. ESL, upgrading, and visiting students are not eligible for the program.

Students will not be able to work in more than one SMUworks full-time position in any one term. If a student has secured two part-time SMUworks jobs that is fine as long as the hours don’t exceed regular full-time hours. 

They upload their resume and cover letter to each SMUworks job posting they want to apply for. SMUworks job postings will be on Career360°  Wednesday, March 8 to Sunday, March 26, 2023.

After the application deadlines have closed, Career & Experiential Learning will review all student applications received. Eligible student applications will be forwarded to you, the grant recipient.

Please note that while we welcome you to encourage your students to apply, preferred candidates are not allowed. All applicants must have completed the SMUworks application and uploaded their resume and cover letter to Career360°. You are required to conduct a formal interview with at least three eligible applicants. 

If you are unsuccessful in hiring a student, your job posting can be reposted. Please be aware that this may lead to delays in filling the position, however, the Student Work End Date cannot be extended beyond September 1st.

Once you have completed the interviews you should inform Career & Experiential Learning of the name and student number (A#) of the successful student, as well as the names of the candidates you interviewed who were not successful.

Once you identify your selected candidate. SMUworks works will send you all paperwork and instructions for completion. Payroll paperwork must be submitted to Career & Experiential Learning before the student starts working. This program is intended to provide financial stability to students with need, so it is crucial that payroll information is submitted in a timely way. Failure to submit a student’s paperwork will result in the Faculty or Staff member being ineligible to receive a SMUworks grant in the future.

The following forms must be correctly completed, signed and forwarded to SMUworks

SMUworks Fixed Remuneration Form
SMUworks Payroll Hiring Form
TD1 Personal Tax Credits Return
TD1 Nova Scotia Personal Tax Credits Return
Student's banking information (if not already on file at payroll)
If an international student, a copy of their Study Permit (if not already on file at payroll)

Please keep track of the student's hours to ensure that the student only works the number of hours you were approved for. Otherwise, your department will be charged for any additional hours.

For support in completing your application please refer to the  SMUworks Faculty/Staff Application Guide

Click on Faculty/Staff SMUworks Summer Grant Application to submit your application before the closing date of Monday, February 27, 2023 at 11:50pm AST. 

All inquiries can be directed to smuworks@smu.ca