Comparing On-Campus Job Opportunities

With the wide range of on-campus jobs available at AUBG, many students may not be fully aware of all the opportunities they are presented with. That being said, working a job while being a full time student can be a lot to manage in a schedule. Income and workload are also factors that students consider when deciding whether these jobs are worth it. 

 

Resident Assistants
One of the more well-known jobs among students is the Resident Assistant(RA) position. Ralitsa Angelova is a second-year student and a Skaptopara 2 RA. She said being an RA has overall had a positive impact on her university experience. “The benefits are mainly working with the team and also getting a sense of ownership in the job; you feel like the Skapto hall is more of a home than it was before.” 

Pay is about three euros per hour. Ralitsa described it as nice “monopoly money” to spend around campus. She also explained RA’s room fees are waived and guaranteed until graduation, as it is mandatory they live in Skapto for the job.  

Aleksandra Kim, another second-year Skapto 2 RA, agreed that the friendships gained from being an RA have been one of the best parts of the job. "It is the people that you will spend the rest of your university life with.” 

 

Subject Tutors 
Another commonly known position at AUBG is the job of a subject tutor. Senior student Mia Marshall, shared her experience thus far as a Bulgarian subject tutor. She is available two hours a week to help students. “It is something that I feel good about, helping these students with Bulgarian. So there is never pressure on me for the job.” 

Mia explained her responsibilities include making lesson plans, assisting with homework, and providing general help like answering questions. 

Regarding the pay, she explained, “I think the pay structure itself is pretty fair. We get paid 4 euros hourly, so whether I see a student or not, I still get paid for my two sessions a week.” 

 

MentiFYers
A newer position at AUBG is the MentiFYers program. This job presented to sophomores who are assigned a group of freshmen to show around campus and help them adjust to university life for the duration of Orientation Week. 

Their responsibilities include hosting workshops and facilitating ice breaker games to help everyone in the group get to know each other and become more familiar with AUBG. To become a MentiFYer, one must be nominated by their MentiFYer or the Dean of Students. 

Sophomore student Kateryna Nikitina was a MentiFYer this semester. She was a part of the international department and explained her experience as part of the program. 

There are some minor preparations that take place over the summer, however, the bulk of the training takes place during the week before Orientation. AUBG conducts an intensive program for MentiFYers to get prepared. She said they worked with psychologists, and the counseling center to be as prepared as possible. “It was an amazing experience because now we are prepared to work not only in the MentiFY program, but in any other program.”

Kateryna said the pay was great too as they raised it by the end of the week because this session of MentiFYers worked really hard. The pay was 220 euros, and she said it was definitely worth it. Beyond the pay and the CV boost, “It’s really good for your experience overall,” she said. 

 

English Teacher Assistants 
Second-year student Sebastian Ore is an English Language Institue (ELI) English Teacher Assistant. He discovered this job via an email he received directly from the ELI directors, sent specifically towards American Students for their native command of English. For non-native speakers, proof of English proficiency is required, whether through education in an English-speaking setting or demonstrated second-language fluency.

ELI assistants’ responsibilities include: preparing lesson plans, communicating with their Bulgarian partner, and reviewing students' homework. The pay comes to about six and a half euros per contact hour, and the role is limited to substituting classes rather than offering full-time work. 

While the responsibilities and workload sound intense, Sebastian said fitting them into his schedule has been doable. He says, “It is not really that much of a workload. It’s just that dealing with little kids can be a lot, but not the actual material. But to be honest, it's just fun, so I аm not complaining. I аm pretty happy.” 

 

AUBG Administration 
For jobs that require less student planning, a job in the Registrar's office assisting in administrative work is an option. Similarly, a job in the Admissions Office can be more campus involved, yet preplanned.

Second-year student Stephanie Bozukova says her responsibilities working for the Admissions Office include giving campus tours to prospective students and families. The job also includes translating emails relating to admissions and periodically going on school visits. 

There is a meeting at the beginning of the year with the Admission Department to apply directly from. Stephanie said the workload is not intense. The office may send a message asking for availability to give a tour. If available, students can pick it up, she explained. 

Stephanie says that for her, the job is definitely worth it, “We get paid two euros an hour which is nice because you actually get paid for doing something fun, like walking around campus and showing prospective students and their families where you live.” 

 

And More!
Another opportunity is a Professors Assistant. They tutor students from a particular class and help with specific lessons. Or by making study guides for upcoming exams and quizzes.

And for those interested in sports or the gym, the Sports Office is currently hiring a student assistant for the fall semester. They are looking for a person who possesses video editing skills and creativity for content creation.

Edited by Kaloyan Ivanov and Spasiela Gizdova