NIU issues about 3,000 to 3,500 student paychecks each pay period, and those students who are not on the university payroll still have opportunities to find work on the NIU campus.

A variety of on-campus jobs are available to students enrolled at NIU with at least six-credit hours, paying hourly wages ranging between almost $4 to more than $10.

Student Employment Coordinator Melody Amundsen said the Student Employment Office classifies on-campus jobs in five different groups.

Group One consists of jobs where no previous experience or special skill is necessary. The hourly rates for these jobs range from $3.75 to $4.35. Jobs in this category include residence hall desk clerks, library aides and ticket vendors.

Jobs in the second group require some previous experience and minimum skills. Hourly rates are between $3.90 to $4.45. Group Two jobs include assistant security managers, cashiers and parking enforcement officers.

Group Three jobs require previous experience and a high proficiency level. The hourly rates range from $4.00 to $4.60. Jobs in this group include food service supervisors, payroll clerks and tour guides.

The next group of jobs consists of all managerial positions, which require more skill and responsibility. Hourly rates range between $4.10 to $5.40. Group Four jobs include computer lab supervisors, fitness instructors and student health educators.

Group Five consists of highly skilled positions. Students hired for these jobs must prove their experience and education. Hourly rates are from $5.00 to $10.80. Jobs include registered nurses, computer programmers and nude models for various art classes.

Positions are available with one of NIU’s largest student employers, the residence hall food services. Ralph Chaplin, associate director of residence hall food services, said, “We would like to employ 800 students. We have between 550 to 600 right now.

“Anything from assisting in cooking, checking IDs at doors, helping in the salad department and the ‘ever ominous’ dishroom are jobs available to students,” Chaplin said.

Hourly wages start at $3.90 per hour. “The biggest plus is it’s an opportunity for students to live and work in the same building,” he said. Food service jobs also are available to off-campus students.

Results of the 40-cent hourly wage increase initiated Aug. 15, which was hoped to raise student interest in on-campus employment, have not been compiled. “It is too early to tell what effect the increase has had on student employment,” Amundsen said. The increase applies to all on-campus jobs.