Career Boost Undergraduate Program
To participate in the Career Boost program, you must reside in Ontario for the entire duration of your approved Career Boost period. Students residing out of Ontario are not eligible for Career Boost.
About the Program
The Career Boost Undergraduate program provides jobs to eligible full-time undergraduate students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).
The program works in partnership with academic units, administrative units, faculty, staff and students to support the practice and scholarship of learning at Toronto Metropolitan University.
To participate in the program, students should complete the following steps:
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Review program details and eligibility requirements listed below and apply for Career Boost approval online through the Career Boost portal. It is on the onus of the student to ensure they meet and maintain eligibility requirements for the entire duration of the approved period.
Note: In the spring/summer term, any students who were in an OSAP approved work-term for the fall/winter term will not be able to submit a Career Boost approval application, as they will receive an error message stating that they do not meet the minimum full-time course load. In this case, students must email jobs@torontomu.ca so that an application can be created on their behalf. Students are still expected to meet eligibility criteria.
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Once you submit your eligibility application on the Career Boost website, please wait five business days to receive a decision on your application. An approval message will be sent to your institutional email by Student Financial Assistance.
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Searching for job opportunities is done on a separate platform from the program approval website. If approved for the Career Boost Undergraduate program, students may view job postings by logging in to the Recruit Students portal (opens in new window) .
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If you are successful in obtaining an interview, please bring a copy of your approval email to the interview. You are welcome to start applying to/interviewing for job opportunities prior to receiving Career Boost approval. Note that any job offer you receive is contingent on securing Career Boost approval before your official start date.
| Program Details | |
|---|---|
| Duration |
Career Boost Undergraduate and Research Assistant positions: Fall 2024: September 9 to December 13 Winter 2025: January 6 to April 4 |
| Number of Weeks and Hours Per Week | Career Boost and Research Assistant positions: Up to 15 hours per week - no overtime |
| Number of Positions Per Student | A student can hold only one Career Boost or Research Assistant position at a time. Research Assistant positions are granted and administered through the Office of Vice-President, Research & Innovation (OVPRI). |
| Hourly Wage | Career Boost Undergraduate positions: Up to $18/hour Research Assistant positions: TBD |
| Student Eligibility | Please refer to the criteria under Am I Eligible. |
| Significant Dates | |
|---|---|
| August 22, 2024 to January 24, 2025 | Students interested in participating in the Career Boost Undergraduate program for fall/winter must submit an online application and receive approval prior to commencing work. |
| Program Details | |
|---|---|
| Duration (Choose one of two) |
Period 1: May 6 to August 9, 2024 Period 2: May 20 to August 23, 2024 |
| Number of Weeks and Hours Per Week | Maximum: 14 weeks, 35 hours per week - no overtime |
| Number of Positions Per Student | A student can hold only one Career Boost or Research Assistant position. Research Assistant positions are granted and administered through the Office of Vice-President, Research & Innovation (OVPRI). |
| Hourly Wage | Career Boost: Up to $18/hour Work Study Research Assistant: Up to $19.22/hour |
| Student Eligibility | Please refer to the criteria under Am I Eligible. |
| Significant Dates | |
|---|---|
| March 14 to May 24, 2024 | Students interested in participating in the Career Boost or Research Assistant program for spring/summer must submit an online application and receive approval prior to commencing work. |
In order to qualify for fall/winter Career Boost, all of the following criteria must be met:
- You are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or Protected Person.
- If you are a Protected Person, you must hold a Social Insurance Number (SIN).
- You are an undergraduate student
- You are enrolled in a full-time course load for both the fall term and winter term
- You have a clear academic standing and a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.0 or higher (waived for first year, first semester undergraduate students)
- You have utilized at least one of the following funding sources for the above-noted semesters:
- Government assistance (either Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) or out-of-province student funding)
- Accessing Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) funding
- Line of credit from a banking institution or private lender
Note: If you are not utilizing at least one of the above mentioned funding resources, you may be asked to provide a written explanation and budget form as to why you did not apply for one of these resources.
- You demonstrate a financial need of at least $100 (determined through your Career Boost application).
You are not eligible for fall/winter Career Boost Undergraduate Domestic if:
- You are an international student. For more information, please visit the Career Boost - International section of Student Jobs at TMU
- You are graduating in October
- Will only be attending full-time studies for one semester
- You are in the Collaborative Nursing program in years one or two studying at George Brown or Centennial
- You are a Faculty of Law or Graduate student. Please review the eligibility guidelines for the Career Boost Graduate & Law program
Full-time is defined as a minimum of three courses for the fall term and three courses for the winter term (or two courses per term if you are a student with a registered permanent disability or persistent/prolonged disability).
Calculating Unmet Need
The unmet financial need is calculated based on the financial information you report on the budget section of the approval application. This section allows a student to report their living costs and resources while in school.
The $100 unmet need threshold does not mean the assessment of your OSAP or out-of-province funding amount.
In order to be considered for spring/summer Career Boost, you must submit a separate spring/summer Career Boost application (opens in new window) . The spring/summer and fall/winter Career Boost applications are two separate applications. If you are interested in a spring/summer Career Boost position, you must submit a new application, even if you have received approval for fall/winter Career Boost.
All of the following criteria must be met in order to be eligible for spring/summer Career Boost:
- You are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or Protected Person.
- If you are a Protected Person, you must hold a Social Insurance Number (SIN).
- You are an undergraduate student
- You were enrolled in a full-time course load* for both the fall and winter semester of this current academic year
- You have a clear academic standing and a cumulative GPA (CGPA) 2.0 or higher for the current academic year
- You will be returning to Toronto Metropolitan University as a full-time* undergraduate student in the upcoming academic year for both the fall and winter terms.
- Submit a full time course load* for both fall and winter semesters by participating in course intentions for the upcoming academic year
- You have applied for at least one of the following:
- OSAP or out-of-province student funding for the previous fall and/or winter term(s) and have an assessment (not an estimate)
- Using funding from a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP)
- Using a line of credit from a banking institution or private lender
- You demonstrate a financial need of at least $100 (determined through your Career Boost application)
You are not eligible for spring/summer Career Boost if:
- You are graduating in June or October
- You are in the Collaborative Nursing Program in years one and two, studying at George Brown or Centennial. Collaborative Nursing students are not eligible for Career Boost during their studies at the college campus.
- You are a Faculty of Law or Graduate student
*Full-time is defined as a minimum of three courses for the fall term and three courses for the winter term (or two courses per term if you are a student with a registered permanent disability or persistent/prolonged disability).
Calculating Unmet Need
The unmet financial need is calculated based on the financial information you report on the budget section of the approval application. This section allows a student to report their living costs and resources while in school. The $100 unmet need threshold does not mean the assessment of your OSAP or out-of-province funding amount.
Student Responsibilities
Participating in the Career Boost Undergraduate program is an exciting and enriching opportunity. However, there are several responsibilities that eligible students must adhere to. We have listed these responsibilities below:
- It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they apply for Career Boost Undergraduate program approval by the deadline date outlined above. If a student applies for a position and is offered the position, but has not received final Career Boost approval, this does not guarantee that the student is eligible for Career Boost Undergraduate approval.
- It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they maintain all eligibility requirements outlined above for the Career Boost Undergraduate program for the entire duration of their position.
- Approval by Student Financial Assistance does not guarantee that all students will receive a Career Boost Undergraduate job. It is the student’s responsibility to apply and interview for positions.
- Students can only hold one Career Boost Undergraduate position at a time. Students can apply for as many jobs as they wish, however once they’ve accepted a position and been hired, the student is expected to honour their commitment to one employer.
If a student considers any subsequent offers, they may not be eligible for Career Boost Undergraduate job opportunities. On a case-by-case basis, students planning to move from one position to another will be required to provide an explanation for the change in positions and confirm agreement from both employers and Student Financial Assistance. - It is the student’s responsibility to enter hours worked into eHR on a biweekly basis and ensure the employer approves hours by the payroll deadline. Monitor your hours to ensure that you do not exceed the maximum number of hours allowable per week.
- Questions regarding payroll, inputting hours, etc. should be directed to Human Resources.
- Students who receive a Career Boost Undergraduate job opportunity must contact Student Financial Assistance if there is a change in course load, CGPA and/or academic standing which may impact their eligibility. Students will be paid for all work hours already completed but may be required to resign from their position if they are no longer eligible.
- If you are on a work term or an exchange, you will not be eligible for Career Boost for that term (e.g. if you are in courses for the fall term and on a work term for the winter term, you will only be eligible for Career Boost for the fall term).
Additional Notes
Student Financial Assistance has also put together this helpful checklist to support students participating in the Career Boost Undergraduate program.
- You are welcome to apply for Career Boost Undergraduate job opportunities before receiving an approval through email from Student Financial Assistance. Note that any job opportunity you are offered remains contingent on securing program approval.
- Provide a copy of your approval to the employer at the start of the job interview.
- Confirm the work hours and rate of pay during the job interview.
- Ask the employer for a copy of the job responsibilities.
- Ask the employer to outline their expectations, protocol for keeping in touch with the supervisor, break times (if applicable) and reporting hours worked.
- Ask the employer how work assignments and supervision of work will be managed.
- Submit a request in advance to the employer to change hours worked. Provide an explanation and ask about any consequences if hours or days of work are changed.
- Enter hours worked to eHR on a biweekly basis.
- Check that the employer approves work hours by the payroll deadlines in eHR.
- Monitor hours and do not exceed maximum hours per week.
- Ask the supervisor regularly for feedback about work performance.
- The employer, in consultation with human resources, may terminate employment if the student is not meeting job expectations or is frequently absent.
- Submit the Experiential Learning Reflection Interview at the end of your work term.
Disclaimer: The Student Financial Assistance office reserves the right to change the listed information and/or program values without notice. The availability and monetary value of the program are subject to change.