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What is the time commitment for Graduate Writing Consultants?

Hours per Week

Graduate writing consultants鈥� required time commitment is a range of five to fifteen hours per week.

Each semester that number is set based on two factors: 1) the Graduate Writing Consultant鈥檚 preference and 2) how many hours we have to assign to consultants based on the constraints of our budget.

1. We are guided by each Graduate Writing Consultant鈥檚 preference in that we never assign anyone more hours per week for a semester than they have requested.
2. Especially for new Graduate Writing Consultants, we cannot always guarantee that we can offer the maximum number of hours requested.
   1. For example: An incoming consultants requests 10 hours per week, but is initially assigned 7 hours per week instead with the understanding they may be able to pick up additional hours later in the semester or year.

The time commitment: Weekly Staff Meeting (1 hour) + writing consultation shifts

Wherever a Graduate Writing Consultant falls on the 5-15 hours per week range, one of those weekly hours will be for our mandatory weekly staff meeting.

The mandatory weekly staff meetings are offered on Wednesdays at 9:10-10:00 a.m. and 4:10-5:00 p.m. Consultants are able to choose which of those two meeting times best fits their schedule, while also committing to keep one of those two times open in order to attend a weekly meeting as they register for classes and otherwise solidify their schedule each semester. The weekly staff meetings continue to build on the mandatory, intensive four-day August training for new and returning writing consultants.

All remaining weekly hours will be scheduled as writing consultation hours. Writing consultation appointments are each 50 minutes long followed by 10 minutes for record keeping (and a short break). Typically they are scheduled in 2-3 hour shifts.

For a Graduate Writing Consultant committed to five hours per week, a typical week would consist of the following:

• two two-hour shifts on different days of the week
• the weekly Wednesday staff meeting

Academic Year Commitment

In addition to the 5-15 hours per week commitment, we are also generally seeking Graduate Writing Consultants able to commit to the position for the full academic year (fall and spring semesters).

In the case of research trips and other circumstances that require extended time away from campus, we ask that the Graduate Writing Consultant approach us with as much notice as possible in order to talk through the necessarily flexibility with their consulting schedule.

Is it preferred for consultants to take on more hours?

No. We offer the 5-15 hours per week range to allow graduate students to choose what best fits their needs and circumstances.

• Most Graduate Writing Consultants take on 7-10 hours per week.
• It also perfectly normal for Consultants to opt for the 5-6 hours per week range, especially if their primarily interest is in gaining experience with one-on-one writing support.
• It is, in fact, relatively less common for Consultants to take on 12-15 hours per week.

In fact, we would much prefer that Graduate Writing Consultants take a fairly conservative approach to setting their weekly commitment each semester, rather than taking on more hours than they can realistically sustain.

Because we typically only start new consultants once a year in August, we would much rather give consultants the option to add hours during the semester, if they have the capacity to take on extra hours, than reduce hours that may or may not be picked up by another consultant.

Are writing consultants聽paid聽for attending聽training and weekly staff meetings?

Yes! Taking part in August training and ongoing professional development activities in the form of our weekly staff meetings are an essential part of working at the Writing Studio and are therefore paid time for all writing consultants.

颁补苍听federal work study聽be applied to the Graduate Writing Consultant position?

Yes! It absolutely does, and we聽strongly encourage聽applications from students who anticipate having Federal Work Study to apply to their role as a writing consultant next year.

How do students sign up for appointments with writing consultants? Will I only see students writing in my areas of expertise?

First, students sign up for appointments using our online scheduling platform, WCOnline, which is accessible via the 鈥淪chedule an Appointment鈥� button on the Writing Studio鈥檚 homepage.

Students select available appointments from a grid that displays each writing consultant working on a given day and their hours. When they open a particular appointment hour, the Appointment window that opens displays a short bio for the consultant, which includes their area of study.

Thus, the answer to the second question above is, No. It is entirely up to the student making the appointment whether they choose a consultant based on the information in the consultant鈥檚 bio. Some certainly do, but many do not. As a result, consultants should expect to work with students working on an enormous variety of types of writing, not just in their areas of expertise.

And our writing consultants tend to like it that way, citing the constant exposure to writing from all over the university as a factor that makes this an intellectually stimulating job.

You can learn more about our scheduling system on the following pages:

• Welcome! Videos and Resources Introducing the Writing Studio
• Get the Know the Writing Studio: Graduate and Professional Student Edition

Will I get to read writers鈥� essays before they meet with me for a writing consultation appointment?

No. That鈥檚 the short answer. Bear with us, though: We have a lot of experience with this work, and we see major advantages to appointments in which the writing consultant and their client read through a draft together during a session. Doing so allows for greater collaboration and dialogue during the writing consultation, which is central to our aims with one-on-one writing support.

During our training we specifically discuss approaches to reading our clients鈥� writing with them and give new consultants opportunities for practice.

To learn more, we suggest you start by looking over the student-facing overviews of how we approach writing consultation appointments on the following pages of our website:

• Appointments: A General Overview
• Appointment FAQ and Policies

How does weekly scheduling work for Graduate Writing Consultants? Is it the same each week?

Yes, for your sake and ours, we are glad to say that Graduate Writing Consultants鈥� weekly shift schedules are set before the beginning of each semester and remain the same week-to-week through the semester鈥檚 end.

How It Works
In the lead-up to both the fall and spring semesters, writing consultants fill out an availability survey that asks them to indicate for each hour that the Writing Studio is opening during a standard week whether that particular hour is A) one they would prefer to work, B) could work if necessary, or C) cannot work.

Once all writing consultants have submitted their availability surveys, the Assistant Director for the Writing Studio, Beth Estes, works with those collected responses to build the weekly schedule for that semester balancing consultants鈥� expressed preferences and the Writing Studio鈥檚 staffing needs and priorities across each hour that we are open.

Of course, sometimes consultants need to request permanent changes to their assigned weekly shifts, due to changes in the class schedule or other circumstances, and they can work with the Assistant Director for the Writing Studio to do so.

What if I have a one-time conflict with a shift I鈥檓 scheduled to work?

Writing consultants are responsible for arranging coverage by another writing consultant when they are not able to attend a regularly scheduled shift due to a one-time conflict for which it is possible to plan ahead. We have a staff listserv that serves as the primary way writing consultants call out for a shift sub or swap, and all are encouraged to make arrangements as far in advance as possible.

Of course, we know that writing consultants get sick sometimes or find themselves facing unexpected circumstances that prevent them from working a shift, as well, and we have processes for addressing those instances, as well. These policies and many more are addressed in the Writing Studio Staff Manual provided to all consultants and discussed during training.

The position description mentions leading writing workshops. What are the workshops, and how do they fit into the time commitment?

Excellent question! The Writing Studio offers an in-class writing workshop program through which we make it possible for instructors to request one of seven 45-minute in-class writing workshops that are based on scripts instructors can preview through our website.

Graduate Writing Consultants play an important role is helping us fulfill the large volume of in-class workshop requests we receive each year, which we go over during a Graduate-Consultant-only training session each August.

Rather than going into all of the details of the process, however, please rest assured that Graduate Writing Consultants are only assigned in-class writing workshops to prep for and lead during hours they are already scheduled to work a Writing Studio shift.

In other words, workshops take the place of what would otherwise be a Graduate Writing Consultant鈥檚 standard consultation hours. They do not require additional hours beyond one鈥檚 existing weekly hours commitment.