Hiring a Student Employee? What You Need to Know to Process HR Paperwork

While the primary purpose of students is to acquire an education, SMU is committed to assisting students with the costs of education, including helping them locate employment on and off campus.

Students who work on campus are considered employees of the University and are paid through SMU Payroll. Student employees are not eligible for University benefits.

In order to support the efficient processing of student employees, HR provides a packet of documents, including a checklist and instructions, for student and international student* positions. Please reference the appropriate packet for each student hired:

• Student Packet
• International Student Packet

Students referred to HR to complete the I-9 form should bring the completed checklist and all documentation with them. Students should also know the following things:

• Student’s employment start date
• Name of the student’s supervisor
• Original documents are required to complete the I-9 (see Student Packet for a list of acceptable documents)

HR will return the associated documents to the student and will initial the checklist when the I-9 has been completed, indicating that the student is now eligible to begin work. The student should then deliver the packet back to the supervisor to be processed along with the Student Payroll Authorization Form (PAF). For further details, visit Hiring Students and International Students.

*International student employees have been issued student visas to be full-time students in the U.S. They have specific requirements under which they can work. For further information, see Hiring International Student Worker Procedures.

For further information about student employment opportunities, visit the Student Employment Office.

HR also has document packets for non-student employees. Review Recruitment Hiring Procedures and select the applicable employment category.

SMU Program for the Protection of Minors:
All SMU employees, including Student Workers, are required to complete this training via SMU Blackboard at courses.smu.edu.  If they do not see the course listed after logging into Blackboard, the student may request enrollment in the course.  Allow up to 48 hours for the enrollment request to be processed.  Questions?  Email DevelopU@smu.edu.