Getting Involved: Work/Study, LEAP and RAY Programs

Getting involved with the York community is one of the greatest experiences of university life! You can discover new passions, build your resumé and develop your existing strengths. Most importantly, you can be a part of a student community that inspires and supports one another. Even though York’s campuses are mostly closed for access during the Fall 2020 term, student are still being offered positions that allow them to work remotely. #YUBlog’s Getting Involved Series will introduce you to the various opportunities for getting involved at York.

If you are looking to gain some work, leadership and research experience while studying, this #YUBlog post is a must-read! In this post, we will be taking you through the Work/Study, LEAP and RAY Programs at York.

What are Work/Study, LEAP and RAY Programs?

The Work/Study, LEAP and RAY Programs at York University provide eligible domestic and international undergraduate students with the opportunity to develop professional skills and contribute to the university through paid, on-campus jobs.

York University offers three programs under the Work/Study umbrella:

General Work/Study – Provides student employees with a broad range of opportunities to contribute in support roles while developing valuable, relevant skills and work experience. Check out  YU Hire to find the Work/Study opportunities that you might be interested in.

Leadership, Engagement and Ambassadorship Program (LEAP) – LEAP positions allow students to develop skills such as leadership, peer mentoring, and peer support within the University. Examples of positions include: YU Start Leader, Student Recruitment Ambassadors, Peer Educators/Mentors and even YU Blog bloggers!

Research at York (RAY) –RAY positions involve undergraduate students in quality paid research activities that will provide them with hands-on research experience, and at the same time will provide the faculty member with meaningful research support.

Becoming YU

As part of your Work/Study or LEAP experience, you will participate in Becoming YU. Becoming YU helps you outline your leadership and career goals, understand the skills that you already possess and track your progress and accomplishments while gaining valuable work experience.

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for Work/Study and LEAP positions, you must to complete the Student Financial Profile each term for which you are seeking employment, regardless of your financial need.

Note: Eligibility to hold a work/study position does not guarantee employment. If you withdraw from your studies during the academic session or fail to meet all criteria, you will no longer be eligible for the Work/Study program and will have to resign from your position.

 Eligibility for Domestic students

To be eligible for Work/Study and LEAP positions as a Domestic Student, you need to fulfill the following criteria:

Fall/Winter (September – April):

• Full time or part time undergraduate student enrolled in a degree program 
• Full-time student – enrolled in a minimum of 18 credits for fall/winter (min. 6 credits or more per term).
• Full-time student with a disability – enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits for fall/winter (min. 3 credits or more per term).
• Part-time student – enrolled in minimum 12 – 17 credits (min. 6 credits or more per term).
• Part-time student with a disability – enrolled in minimum of 6 credits for fall/winter (min. 3 credits per term).

Summer (May – August):

• Full-time student – enrolled in a minimum of 9 credits for summer.
• Full-time student with a disability – enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits for summer.
• Part-time student – Enrolled in minimum of 6 credits for summer.
• Part-time student with a disability – Enrolled in minimum of 3 credits for summer.

OR

• Must have been enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits in the previous winter term (min. 3 credits for a student with a disability) AND will be returning to undergraduate studies in the Fall/Winter academic year.

Eligibility for International students

As International Students, you need to fulfill the following requirements:

• Full time undergraduate student enrolled in a degree program (see chart below).
• Valid study permit for the period of employment.
• Meet the specific skills and experience requirements set by the sponsoring department.

Fall/Winter:

• Full-time student – enrolled in a minimum of 18 credits for Fall/Winter (min. 6 credits or more per term).
• Full-time student with a disability – Enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits for Fall/Winter (min. 3 credits or more per term).

Summer:

• Full-time student – Enrolled in a minimum of 9 credits for summer.
• Full-time student with a disability – Enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits for summer.

OR

• Must have been enrolled in the previous Fall/Winter term (min. 18 credits; 12 credits for a student with a disability) AND will be returning to full time undergraduate studies in the Fall/Winter academic year.

Apart from the above criteria, both Domestic and International students also have to meet the specific skills and experience requirements set by the sponsoring department. For more information on eligibility and restrictions, visit the Work/Study Programs website.

Benefits and Responsibilities

I love to write and while I was quite accustomed to academic writing, I wanted to explore other forms of communication which is why I was excited to join the YU Blog team as a Work/Study student. This was going to be my first job in Canada! Whatever anticipation I may have had went away the moment I met the team. They were welcoming and geared towards making this experience valuable for me.

Blogging for the YU Blog gave me the opportunity to understand how communication needs to be tailored for students. It was a great learning experience to see how tweaking a few words can completely change the approach and tonality of a sentence! To add to that, my Managers were very clued in with the progress that I was making with periodic formal and informal check-ins to see if there was anything more that I would like to learn or do.

Everything in the program is offered keeping your career goals in mind and helping you create a pathway towards achieving them. Although this program is a fantastic way of gaining work experience while studying, the best part is that the staff and faculty understand that I am a student and that academics are my priority. They are flexible and willing to accommodate other academic and co-curricular commitments and make your university experience exciting and wholesome.

Research at York (RAY)

Check out the How to Apply for RAY Positions to understand the eligibility criteria and the application process.

York Internship Program

If you are looking to explore career options, gain a deeper understanding of your subject, get hands-on experience and build your professional network, you may consider doing an internship. An internship is a short-term employment opportunity for students to gain practical work experience while studying. It is also an excellent way to test drive your career options.

For example, the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) Internship Program offers students the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in their field of study. Check out the LA&PS internship program website if you are interested in applying. If you have further questions, contact the team at lapsintr@yorku.ca.

For a full list of York programs that offer students paid internships, visit the York Internship Program website.

If you have any questions be sure to comment below or tweet us at @YorkStudents.

To stay up to date on campus life and events, connect with York U on social media. You can follow us on Facebook @YorkUStudents, Twitter @YorkUStudents, Instagram @studentlifeyu and with our weekly This Week @ York emails.