2024 Orientation Staff Selection Process
Apply for 1 of 30 Orientation Staff positions! Applications are due on Friday, February 2, 2024 at 12 noon.
You can learn more about the selection process and complete an application through this website.
Highlights and perks of the job include:
- Part-time work in spring (8-15 hours/week)
- Full-time work in summer (40 hours/week)
- $16.00/hour in the spring; $16.25/hour in the summer
- Meals during on-campus work hours PLUS a summer dining commons meal plan
- $750 summer housing support stipend
- Gain public speaking, group facilitation, advising, & leadership skills that apply to all career fields
Information Meetings
Students interested in applying for Orientation Staff are strongly encouraged to attend one of the following information meetings. More info can be found on Shoreline.
Winter 2024 Info Meetings
- Thursday, January 11 from 12:00-1:00pm (SRB Multipurpose Room)
- Wednesday, January 17 from 7:00-8:00pm (online via Zoom)
- Wednesday, January 24 from 12:00-1:00pm (SRB Multipurpose Room)
Job Description
As 1 of 30 Orientation Staff members, you get the chance to positively impact incoming UC Santa Barbara students and their families as they join the UCSB community.
Orientation Staff begins with a month-long selection process during winter quarter in which applicants participate in four very different interviews. The interviews are designed to give applicants a chance to "try on" parts of the job and gain a better understanding of what will be expected of them throughout the spring and summer. Students from all academic disciplines and backgrounds are encouraged to apply. We are looking to hire a diverse group of students with a wide range of experiences.
Those selected for Orientation Staff begin working in spring quarter with weekly Monday and Wednesday afternoon staff training sessions, as well as Friday afternoon committee meetings to work on various aspects of the summer program. Generally, staffers work 8-15 hours per week during spring quarter. The training program prepares staffers to perform their summer duties of academic advising, assistance with registration, giving tours, serving as panelists, facilitating workshops, etc. It also aims to develop the staffer as an individual. Team building exercises, social awareness discussions, goal setting, time management skills, public speaking skills, leadership, and professional work behavior are also a significant portion of the spring training program.
The summer full-time work schedule begins right after graduation weekend with a week of intensive final training and preparation. Orientation sessions run from the end of June to mid-August, during which time staffers work Monday to Friday. There are 12 two-day sessions for freshmen and 5 one-day sessions for transfer students. The summer has been described as a lot of hard work, but also the most fun and rewarding summer internship you could possibly imagine. Staffers work approximately 40 hours per week during summer, but due to the rotation of duties, some weeks require a few more hours and some weeks a few less hours.
Orientation Staff is an internship that lasts a lifetime! The skills you develop and the friendships you make carry with you for a long time. It’s rare to find such an opportunity to gain so much professional work experience and transferable skills.
Here are what a few past staffers have to say about their experiences:
"This experience was one of the best ones of my life! It opened up opportunities for me as far as possible career interests. I am so much more confident too!"
"I believe I grew professionally because I feel I can interact with people better and my public speaking skills have also improved. I feel like this job has made me become more mature, both personally and professionally."
"I definitely gained a lot of self-confidence in myself, and in all aspects of my life. My public speaking skills increased enormously. I feel I gained a lot of very valuable job skills that I could apply to all kinds of careers in the future."
"I really improved my people skills and through that my confidence. Most of it came from the incredibly supportive environment and feeling comfortable to step out and push myself."
“I would say that my greatest area of growth was the amount of professionalism that I acquired. I also feel as if I’ve made amazing connections with amazing people. I gained the ability to be a part of a team and depend on others when I had previously been much more independent.”
“I feel much more prepared to go out into the world and be able to work well with people and act professionally.”