Students Could Earn up to $37 per Hour Through Federal Job Program

A file photo of students on a university campus. Students can apply for positions across Canada through the Federal Student Work Experience Program. (Spiroview Inc/Shutterstock)

If you’re a student looking for work, you may be able to find a job paying $20 an hour or more through the government’s national work initiative.

Students in high school, CEGEP, college, and university can apply for positions in more than 300 cities and towns across the country through Canada’s Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP).

FSWEP rates of pay range from $16 to $34.59 an hour until April 30. As of May 1, the rates will rise to between $17.36 and $37.53 per hour. High school students will receive the base rate of pay while college and university students will be paid based on their education level.

As of May, for instance, a university student who is a first-time applicant would earn $18.42 an hour while a doctorate student applying for the fourth time under the program could earn as much as $37.53.

FSWEP job opportunities are “filled on an ongoing basis” from the student application “inventory,” the government said. Once an online application is submitted, it is placed in the inventory to be matched up with potential jobs. Preference is given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

“When there are job openings, a search will be conducted in the student inventory,” the government website reads. “If your application matches the manager’s search criteria, you may be contacted for a test and/or interview. Security clearance will be conducted and student status verified prior to the job offer.”

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Full-time and part-time work opportunities are available in a wide variety of fields including sciences, trades, administration, information technology, and finance to name a few.

To be eligible to apply for an FSWEP job, you must be a full-time high school, CEGEP, college or university student and you must be returning to full-time studies in the next academic year, the site says. If you are in your final year of study you are only eligible to work part-time until graduation.

You must also meet the minimum age requirement of the province/territory you'll be working in. In Ontario, for instance, the minimum age is 14.

Student Job Examples

A variety of jobs are available under the federal program. Here are a few of the more interesting jobs available:

Student guide program in France

Salary: $16.99 to $19.48 per hour, with a $30 daily living allowance

Company: Veterans Affairs Canada

Length: Aug. 12 to Dec. 14

Apply by: May 13

Who Should Apply: Post-secondary students fluent in both English and French.

Research assistant, vegetation management in Canadian semi-arid vineyards

Salary: $28.99 to $37.53 per hour

Company:  Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Science and Technology Branch

Length: May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2028 (16 hours per week)

Apply by: Feb. 12.

Who Should Apply:  Students enrolled in an academic program that requires research as part of the curriculum.