Guidance for Hiring Students and/or Researchers

New graduates and other non-student academic employees are hired through Faculty Affairs.

This page contains essential information for any faculty member hoping to hire a GSD grad for summer projects, and/or those currently employing a student or students who is/are soon to graduate, and who would like to continue working post-graduation. This includes students graduating in March. Note that you do not need to consult Faculty Affairs regarding summer work for current students who are returning to GSD for another academic year. Returning students remain on the student payroll until graduation.

These are some factors to consider before offering post-graduate employment:

  • New graduates are treated as new hires. Tim Hoffman, Assistant Director of Faculty Affairs, is the contact person in the Faculty Affairs Office. [email protected] / 617-495-3020
  • Even if the graduate will continue to work on an ongoing project that was initiated while they were a student, under your direct or indirect supervision, the terms and conditions of employment will change once they are no longer an enrolled student. The rules that will be applied are not specific to GSD; we follow university, state, and federal policies as applicable.
  • Please remind your employee(s) that they should not continue working/logging hours once they graduate, unless and until hire paperwork is completed and processed, including confirmation of available funds.  This means it is important to begin new hire paperwork well in advance of the graduation date, to allow sufficient time for getting the hire approved and set up. Contact Tim as soon as possible!
  • New graduates and other non-student academic employees are hired through Faculty Affairs (Gund 414).  Those who have been student RAs will need to transition to employee status, and will no longer file paperwork and timesheets in the Academic Business Office.  Pilar Raynor Jordan manages student payroll, but once someone graduates, they can no longer be on a student payroll, and Pilar will no longer be the appropriate point of contact.
  • You are responsible for ensuring there is a clear transition for your research assistant, from the student payroll to an employee payroll.
  • Most receive NFA (non-faculty academic) appointments as Research Associates, and are paid on the monthly academic payroll. These employees work either full- or part-time, with a monthly salary, and do not report hours.
  • Occasionally, new graduates may continue working on a short-term basis (up to 90 days) on a weekly payroll with an hourly rate. As an exception, they may be approved to work for a longer period, if they work less than half time (14 hours/week).
  • With all job types there may be other complicating factors such as visa requirements or budget constraints. To avoid problems, it is critically important that you consult us before making an offer of employment, ESPECIALLY IF YOUR RA WILL BE WORKING ON AN Optional Practical Training (OPT) VISA.
  • Tim Hoffman is the contact person for hiring research assistants, research associates, post docs, and any other academic workers who are not current students, and not faculty.
  • The hire forms for NFA appointments and temporary/short-term employment may be found on the Faculty Affairs webpage under ‘Resources for Non-Faculty Academic Positions’.  Please note that these forms should be completed by the hiring manager (you, the faculty member, or an administrator/designate), not by the prospective employee. Please consult Tim with any questions.
  • Questions regarding availability of funding may be referred to Kathy Cox in GSD Finance.

Finally, if you are considering hiring a research associate from outside GSD for academic work/research support, the above policies also apply, and you should contact Tim Hoffman about how to structure the job prior to making a specific offer of employment.

Please let us know if you have questions, or if we can assist with any new appointments.