Search Postings

Title: Program Assistant - America Reads/America Counts - Spring-Summer, 2026 - Federal Work Study Required 
Employee Classification: Student Help Regular
Division Name: Academic Affairs
Department: Financial Aid Office

Job Summary

The students in this position are involved in the hiring process of tutors and ensuring that tutors are trained adequately to serve the community. They provide service to local families, working with school districts and after-school programs to identify students in need of program support.

Duties include collaboration with local teachers to identify time slots needed and matching the availability of tutors along with the specific tutoring skills needed. Students are also required to conduct site visits each semester to observe and evaluate each tutor, addressing any issues that arise. Duties also include gathering and compiling annual statistics that are provided to the Center for Civic Engagement and to the Provost Office in support of their annual report.

Supervisory responsibilities include managing the weekly group chat with tutors, resolving issues and providing guidance and recommendations to tutors based on the group discussions.

Due to the nature of this program, the graduate students complete administrative tasks for payroll processing each pay period, communicating with parents and teachers to validate the hours submitted and ensuring accurate submission of the tutors’ time. This position provides graduate students with mid-level supervisory experience. They encounter situations where they must use professional judgment in advising tutors in difficult situations, resolving matters that involve disgruntled tutors or families, analyzing policies and procedures of the program because of feedback from families and educators. These pre-professional positions work closely with the Program Coordinator in reviewing policies and procedures of the program and are involved in making recommendations of changes to the policies and procedures. These graduate students serve as a resource to tutors and provide and secure additional resources for tutors, sometimes including assistance with developing lesson plans.

Tutoring locations include the Illinois State University campus, local schools, public libraries, community centers, and after-school programs.

Graduate students will also perform other duties as assigned.

Additional Information

Student employees are eligible to participate in the University’s 403(b) Plan.  More information can be found here.

Pay Rate

$16.00/hour - $20.21/hour

Required Qualifications

1. Degree seeking graduate student at Illinois State University
2. Experience with working with children (tutoring and/or mentoring).
3. Professional oral and written communication skills.
4. Proficiency with Microsoft Office products and ability to learn the ISU Student Information System.
5. Ability to perform tasks with limited supervision, attend to detail and remain organized.
6. Professional interpersonal skills for interacting with ISU faculty, staff, and students, as well as parents, school personnel, and children.
7. Ability to take initiative and creative control of an assignment and implement strategies to carry out the necessary tasks.
8. Ability to provide your own transportation for off-campus sites. The program assistant will tutor approximately 7-10 hours per week, enter bi-weekly posts in the tutor “group chat” website with the remaining hours spent completing administrative tasks.
9. Federal Work Study eligibility is required. *

Preferred Qualifications

1. The preferred applicant will be accepted to one of the following degree programs: Communication Sciences and Disorders, Education (all plans), Family and Consumer Science, Human Development, Nurse Practitioner Psychology, and the Social Work/School Social Work program.
2. The preferred applicant will be able to apply complex regulations and adjust to new tasks
3. Candidates with bilingual skills (fluency in Spanish) are also preferred. Program assistants with these skills will be expected to assist with in-person, email and phone communication with Spanish speaking families as well as translation of documents as needed.

Work Hours

This position can be 28, 20, or 10 hours/week depending on need each term.

1. The work hours are those in the posting for this position: Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. (These hours are optional for required tutoring placements. Students could be scheduled to provide academic support during these times, if appropriate/approved by the Program Coordinator).

2. Students are expected to cover office hours between 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Program Coordinator will create/update this schedule to meet the needs of the program. Schedules will not conflict with graduate students’ class/program commitments.

Functional Expectations

Must be able to complete the following with or without a reasonable accommodation:
-Move about in various locations across campus as needed to complete day-to-day work.
-Effectively communicate on a daily basis.

Proposed Starting Date

March 2026

Required Applicant Documents

Resume & Reference List

Please Note: These documents are required to be submitted online in order to complete the application process. Please have these documents ready prior to clicking on "Apply"

Important Information for Applicants

This position is subject to a criminal background investigation and if applicable, an employment history review, based on University Policy 3.1.30 and any offer of employment is contingent upon you passing a satisfactory criminal background investigation and/or an employment history review. You may not begin work until the criminal background investigation results have been received and cleared by Human Resources.

In addition, all appointments are contingent upon proof of eligibility for employment at Illinois State University to perform the required duties described above on your scheduled start date. The Immigration and Control Act of 1986, Public Law 99-603, requires all new employees to file an I-9 in person and no later than three days from the beginning of employment. This may be accomplished within the department or through Human Resources. A list of the types of documentation you will be expected to provide is available at https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents. Failure to comply with this law will result in cancellation of your appointment.

Illinois State University, as your employer, is required by federal law to ensure proper tax withholding from wages and to ensure that the required reporting of employee wages, withholding, and employment taxes is accurate. For this reason, every employee must have a valid Social Security Number registered with the University at the time of employment and/or as soon after as possible, but no later than 45 days from the start date. Failure to comply with this law may result in cancellation of your appointment.

Illinois State University student employees are restricted to no more than 28 hours per week of on-campus employment for all positions held.

International students are restricted by their visa status to no more than 20 hours per week of on-campus employment when the university is in session but may work more when the university is not in session. International students should contact the Office of International Studies and Programs for guidance if they have questions concerning employment restrictions.

Illinois State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or other state or federal law you may request an accommodation by contacting the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at (309) 438-3383. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access will hold any confidential information you provide in confidence.

If you are having difficulty accessing the system, please call Human Resources at (309) 438-8311.