Jill Wainwright, acting national operations manager for Student Job Search Aotearoa, answers questions about hiring a student.
KEY POINTS:
Q. How specific can I be in asking for certain types of staff, such as young men, only science students?
A. In general it is illegal for employers to list jobs with specific ethnicity, gender or age, but there are exceptions. A householder may request a particular age
or gender for work in their home. A model or actor needed for a part can be chosen on grounds of age or gender for authenticity. If you require a particular skill associated with a course, it's fine to request a student studying that course.
Q. How much do I have to pay them?
A. The minimum hourly rate is $11.25 per hour. There are rate suggestions on our website. SJS staff are happy to advise. If your job is slow to be filled, your rate may be below similar positions. Ranges include labouring: $13-$20; domestic service: $13-$20; clerical: $13-$20; hotel/restaurant: $13-$15; retail: $11.25-$16; factory warehouse: $13-$15.
Q. What kind of help will Student Job Search give, and are there many students looking for work?
A. Our staff are happy to advise on rates, job descriptions, screening of students and availability. About 50,000 students on our database are actively looking for work.
Q. What kind of skills are most commonly found in the students you deal with?
A. Tertiary students are studying a wide range of subjects so skills are varied. Among their skills are data entry, typing, child care, retail, hospitality, office skills, labouring, communication, website design and much more.
Q. What kind of employment contracts do I need to organise when taking on a student?
A. Contracts need to have a pay rate, hours, days, how the student will be paid, start and end dates, and what the job entails. There are some excellent templates on the Department of Labour website: www.dol.govt.nz
Q. Can I impose probationary periods? Are most students employed when holidays start?
A. We do not support trial periods but if an employer finds the student is not suitable they can go through the normal process. Students are employed during the year but more are available during the summer break. Just because you didn't list your job at the start of the holiday period doesn't mean you have missed out on a great student.
Q. Does Student Job Search operate right through the year, and who pays for the service?
A. Yes we do. We are funded by Student Association levies and the Government.
Q. Will Student Job Search screen potential candidates like a recruitment firm?
A. SJS is a referral agency. We do our best to find the best person for your job by referring candidates. The final decision is yours and there is no charge for our service. You simply pay the student an agreed hourly rate.
Q. What about tax? Can I pay the student cash? What if a student hurts themselves?
A. Jobs have tax taken off them and are gross. Some are taxed at source by the employer and some are not so the employee pays their own tax. SJS does not list cash jobs. If you are a registered employer, a student is no different to your other employees. You pay an ACC levy and they are covered. If you are a householder, you need to provide a safe working environment and ensure the student is covered by ACC, even though you are not a registered employer.
Check out Student Job Search online at: www.sjs.co.nz