MC students discuss pros, cons of campus employment

MC prides itself on having an engaged community throughout all aspects of the college, including on campus employment. There are many different ways to work for Maryville, ranging from being ballboys at sporting events to being tour guides in admissions or working in the kitchens of Pearsons Dining Hall and Isaac’s Cafe. The only catch? You must apply for it through the Federal Work Study (FWS) or, less commonly, the Institutional Work Study (IWS) programs in order to get paid.

Within Maryville’s student employee group, many are international students who found Maryville for a variety of reasons.

“I came to Maryville because it offered a supportive environment and good academic opportunities. I also liked that it is a smaller college where it is easier to connect with professors and other students,” Racheld Ferrer (‘27) said. 

Ferrer is from Venezuela, and identifies as a member of the Hispanic community. She used to work in the Clayton Center of the Arts as a student assistant.

“My job included helping with events, assisting guests, and doing other small tasks to help support the staff,” Ferrer said. “Sometimes, I helped with setting things up before events or guiding people who came to the [Clayton] Center.”

Ferrer is not the only international student who has worked on MC campus. Matthew Taton (‘28), a Latino student from Panama, works as a cook in Isaac’s Cafe.

“I chose Maryville because I already had a [good] connection to Tennessee, and life led me here,” Taton said. “It’s convenient for me to go to college here.”

“I help in the kitchen and serve students. We prepare and give out food after Pearsons hours, since Isaac’s is kind of like the fast-food cafeteria on campus,” Taton said. 

How did Ferrer and Taton, as well as other students, get jobs on campus? First, they have to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which determines whether they qualify for FWS at MC. 

Institutional Work Study differs from FWS because it does not require FAFSA-designated aid, and is paid for by Maryville College rather than the federal government.

If a student qualifies for FWS or has a specific IWS they are interested in, they can then find job openings on Handshake to apply to work for the school, and after they send in an application, the hiring supervisor will contact the student for an interview. If the interview goes well, they go through the rest of the hiring process, followed by onboarding and training. 

“As an international student, [working at Maryville] is one of the main options to make some money while studying,” Taton said. 

Unfortunately, Work Study is not meant to be a way to fully pay for college or other significant expenses. Maryville only gives a maximum amount of $2,000 per academic year, at $10 an hour – less than other schools in the Knoxville area. As an example, University of Tennessee FWS employees generally earn around $3,000 per year, while making a minimum of $11 per hour. 

However, in comparison to how much tuition costs for the average student, it’s difficult to use it to support those costs. 

“It’s not meant to cover everything. It helps with small expenses like food or personal things,” Taton said. “It’s helpful to enjoy the college experience.”

Ferrer echoed the same sentiment. 

“Campus jobs usually give some extra money, but they are not meant to fully support you financially,” Ferrer said. 

When put into context, the reasoning makes sense. FWS jobs at Maryville allow students to work up to 20 hours per week, but students cannot make more than the amount awarded in the student’s aid package. 

Students enjoy working for other reasons as well. 

“I worked for Maryville because it helped me feel more involved in the college community. It was also convenient to have a job that worked with my class schedule,” Ferrer said. 

Taton agreed with Ferrer, saying that it’s nice to have a job on campus that works with his class schedule. But how does it compare to other jobs? 

“The working conditions are good,” Taton said. “It can get busy sometimes, but the environment is pretty relaxed overall and the people I work with are friendly. Along with the convenience, I think it’s pretty good.”

When comparing on-campus jobs to off-campus jobs, Ferrer agreed with Taton.

“Working on campus was definitely more flexible,” Ferrer said. “The schedule was easier to manage with classes, and the supervisors understood that school comes first. It was a good experience while being a full-time student.”

While MC has limited funds for students to work on campus, a Work Study is a convenient source of income for busy college students.