Does working for the university mean being trapped in the minimum-wage sphere for the duration of your college career? Or is there hope yet for a more lucrative and worthwhile way to spend the precious 20-30 hours a week a college student can devote to making ends meet?

With the flexibility most students require in a work schedule, job possibilities are limited. Those who live on campus or without a car face even more limited opportunities. Many UNCW students turn to the university to find work, sometimes by choice, but often by necessity.

Mark Werbeach at UNCW Career Services said the main hirers on campus are Housing and Residence Life, Campus Recreation, Randall Library, Food Services and the Campus Bookstore. However, students must do a bit more legwork than simply show up at Career Services expecting to be placed in a job.

“We are the middleman between student and employer and funnel as much as we can through the UNCW experience Web site, but it is up to the students to seek out employers,” Werbeach said. This means students must go to each individual employer to seek employment.

Before students decide on applying at whichever employer is closest to them, expecting the same pay rate all over campus, they should keep in mind that there is quite a discrepancy in pay from one on-campus job to another. Knowledge about pay rates at each university department may help students prioritize the jobs they seek.

The Student Recreation Center has the widest range of pay, from $5.25 to $9.00 per hour. However, most positions, such as lobby desk assistant, office assistant and working in the fitness center, pay the starting rate of $5.25. Students must have certain skills or certifications to qualify for the higher paying positions, such as group exercise instructor ($9.00 per hour), or lifeguard ($6.00 per hour). However, the rates for the skilled positions are among the highest of all on-campus jobs, and these rates could increase for students with the standard 25 cents per year raise at the SRC. “It might be a wise idea for students to invest their time in courses that would certify them for these positions to maximize their potential earnings on campus,” said Ann Bullard, office manager of the SRC.

The starting rate at the rest of the on-campus hiring departments, Food Services, Randall Library and Housing and Residence Life, ranges from $5.25 to $5.50 per hour. The University Bookstore is the exception, with a $6.30 starting rate for student employees. However, maintaining a job at the Bookstore is more difficult than at most departments on campus. Phil Kazmierczak, assistant store manager, said the bookstore uses a 90-day probation period for most employees it hires and decides at the end of the 90 days whether to terminate or keep the student as a permanent part-time employee.

“We hire about 25 more people than we need around our busiest times, the beginning of the semester and buyback, and then cut down after these periods,” said Kazmierczak. For students looking for temporary or seasonal employment, this may be a good option; however, students looking for more long-term employment should be aware that the bookstore operates on this temporary system.

Students have the option of utilizing UNCW as an employer as well as a school, and for many students, this is the most convenient option. However, before settling on a university job, students should be aware that pay may be slightly lower than many off-campus employers, and that pay can vary greatly from department to department. But if students do their homework on on-campus employment, they can find sustainable and potentially profitable part-time jobs at UNCW.