Applications to work for the Writing and Speaking Center in academic year 2024-25 have now closed. We will open applications for work to begin in fall 2025 in February 2025.
Position Descriptions
Both positions described below are paid campus jobs; see the listings in the Portal for updated wage rate information. Students may apply to be a writing consultant, a speaking consultant, or both, but if applying for both must still submit separate applications for each position (submit your application through the links below).
Peer Writing Consultant
- Peer Writing Consultants meet one-on-one with fellow Colgate students to discuss college writing expectations and to work with students at any stage of the writing process: understanding
prompts, brainstorming ideas, reviewing drafts of written work, offering feedback and suggestions for approaching revision, addressing grammar or citation concerns, and connecting students with resources. Consultants may also lead campus workshops on writing with training and guidance from experienced staff.
Peer Speaking Consultant
- Peer Speaking Consultants meet one-on-one with fellow Colgate students to prepare for any speaking situation, including speeches, research presentations, class facilitations or participation, interviews, and more. They work with students at any stage of the process: brainstorming, composing speech-drafts, fine-tuning oral delivery, mediating speech anxiety, or developing slide shows or posters. Consultants may also lead workshops on effective speaking with training and guidance from experienced staff.
Qualifications/Eligibility
The center typically hires 8-12 new students each year. We seek to build a staff with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, educational experiences, and interests.
- In addition to demonstrating strong communication skills, peer consultants must be personable, reliable, and able to help others learn.
- Rising sophomores (current first-year students) are especially encouraged to apply, as extended training and on-the-job experience allow consultants to become increasingly skilled over time. Once hired and trained, consultants who pass review at the end of each term are automatically eligible for rehire until graduation, even if they study abroad for a semester.
- To be eligible, applicants must be on campus in the fall of their first year of working in the center. The center typically hires new consultants only once per year, in March, for work that begins the following fall.
- All new writing consultants and speaking consultants must be available to attend staff orientation and training on the day before classes begin in August. They must also be available to attend two Saturday retreats in early September, as well as staff trainings most Friday afternoons from 2:30-4:00 p.m. Links, CLs, and students with other campus jobs or obligations may be ineligible due to time conflicts with required trainings and events.
- Applicants do not need to have declared a major by the time of application, and applicants from all disciplines, including STEM fields, are encouraged to apply. The center seeks broad representation from across the disciplines.
- Peer writing consultants must be able to work at least 4 regular hours per week during the semester.
- Peer speaking consultants must be available to work at least 3 regular hours per week during the semester.
- All consultants must be available to work at least 1/3 of their regular weekly hours in the evenings (6:00 p.m. or later).
Application Instructions & Requirements
Students may apply for both a writing consultant position and a speaking consultant position, but must submit separate online applications for each position. Applicants for a writing consultant position must submit an academic writing sample (instructions for submission appear in the online form). Applicants for a speaking consultant position do not need to submit a writing sample. References are not required with the initial application, but finalists who make it to the second round of interviews in April will be asked to supply the name of a Colgate faculty or staff member as a reference (no recommendation letter required). We strongly encourage all prospective applicants to read the questions in the relevant application form in advance in order to craft thoughtful answers. We also encourage applicants to attend one of the Info Sessions in the spring semester before applications are due.