Apply to be a Writing Consultant
The hiring process for Fall 2025-Winter 2026 will begin soon and our application will be available by January 1st (if not sooner).
Please contact the Writing Center Director - Patrick Johnson ([email protected]) with any questions about the hiring process. We look forward to reading your application!
Students of all majors are invited and encouraged to apply!
The benefits of working as a writing consultant include the following:
- Flexible scheduling: we work around your classes, clubs, and other professional and social obligations.
- $13.43 per hour (undergrads): your first semester as a consultant, we require that you maintain a work schedule of at least 8 hours a week.
- $14.93 per hour (grads): your first semester as a consultant, we require that you maintain a work schedule of at least 8 hours a week.
- On-campus employment: we have Writing Center locations in Allendale and Downtown as well as online hours
- Resume building opportunities
- Friendly, comfortable work environment
- Work closely with students and faculty
- Learn to help people
- Build communication skills
- Research opportunities
- Conference opportunities
- Gain writing skills/strategies
Graduate Assistantships
Applications for our 2024-2025 Seidman GA and TESOL GA positions are closed.
To learn more about our available Graduate Assistantships, click the image on the right to be taken to our Apply for a Graduate Assistantship page, or contact Patrick Johnson, Writing Center Director, for help with any questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply to be a writing consultant?
Anyone enrolled in classes at GVSU.
We hire undergraduate students, graduate students, students from any major, students with any language background (with expert experience in English), students with diverse interests -- as long as you enjoy talking about writing!
What do I need to include with my application?
The application, which will be available when the hiring season begins, will include your academic qualifications, your availability, your major/minor information (including expected graduation date), and answers to proposed short answer questions related to writing center work.
We also require writing samples (that showcase your academic writing experience and your personal writing style) and professor recommendations.
Where can I find the application to become a writing consultant, and where can I find out more information about the job?
The application for 2025-2026 will be available on the Writing Center website in the Winter 2025 semester. If you have questions about the process at all, feel free to visit our LOH 120 location, call us at (616) 331-2922, or email Patrick Johnson ([email protected]).
When should I apply?
Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year will be available in the Winter 2025 semester. The Writing Center makes all of our hiring decisions in the winter semester. If you are hired, you would be expected to work the following Fall/Winter academic year. So, if you're interested in applying, check our website or visit the Writing Center during the winter semester for updates.
Why would I want to apply to become a writing consultant?
Writing consultants do honorable work -- they learn how to help people become more confident in their abilities to think, write, and express themselves. The work is dynamic, collaborative, and challenging, and writing consultants walk away with invaluable skills which reach far beyond the work in the Writing Center.
Because writing is interdisciplinary, writing consultants come from and work in a variety of majors and disciplines, including (but not limited to):
Graduate School: Master's & PhD programs
Academic Positions: Libraries, Writing Centers, Learning Centers, Schools, After-School Programs, etc.
Professional Positions: Copy writing, Insurance, Public Relations, Non-Profit work, Health Professions, Social Work, etc.
Travel Opportunities & Fellowships: many of our consultants take their skills abroad, as well!
Forms & More Information
Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year will be available in the Winter 2025 semester. Contact Lisa Gullo ([email protected]) or Patrick Johnson ([email protected]) if you have any questions about applying
If you want more in-depth questions with more developed answers about the application, the position, the work of a writing consultant, and the process of learning how to be a consultant, click: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Newly hired consultants will need to read this article before coming to orientation & visit WRT 306 to learn about our required training class for the Fall
