Students who are staying on campus over summer break have a variety of University jobs to choose from, with varying earning potentials.

Michelle Trame, acting director and senior associate director for the Office of Student Financial Aid, said it is difficult for students to figure out which job may pay the highest salary.

According to the Office of Student Financial Aid’s website, there are four different groups of University jobs that all have a starting pay of $8.25 but with varying earning potentials.

Group A, entry-level or unskilled jobs, earns $8.25 to $9.40 per hour and requires no experience. Employees can complete all of their training during their jobs.

According to the website, jobs classified in Group A include basic office work, preparing and serving food, working a cash register, stocking supplies and assisting in classroom duties.

Semi-skilled jobs fall under Group B, and students earn $8.25 to $10.20 per hour. Work responsibilities require some experience, education and job training.

Among the duties Group B assumes are basic computer work, helping with animal care, working and organizing intramural sports or events in facilities, general labor and working at the library and in food service administration.

Students who work technical jobs are in Group C, which may earn an hourly wage of $8.25 to $12.25. Jobs considered technical are office and laboratory work utilizing special skills in the field that the student is employed, aviation-related duties, custodial or grounds-keeping and student patrol.

Pay raises are based on merit and a high performance level, according to the website.

Students tend to work different University jobs over the summer for a multitude of reasons.

“Students work for a variety of reasons, including reducing the amount they need to borrow to pay for school, learning time-management skills and gaining work experience,” Trame said.

Meha Patel, senior in LAS, worked at the Parent and Family Programs Office in the Illini Union during the summer of 2016.

“I was doing research for the Communications Department but wasn’t getting paid, so I had to find a job to support living in an apartment,” Patel said.

Patel tutored athletes taking summer courses, helped with summer registration with the PFPO and communicated with parents about the University.

The job helped her gain valuable experience by working with people from all sorts of backgrounds, she said.

“When finding a summer job, find something that you’d consider working at part-time throughout the school year,” Patel said. “I stayed with the PFPO for an additional two years, so I’m glad I found it over the summer.”

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