The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

Has anyone receive guidance from their SF or SMART about what to do if you at graduating and starting Phase 2?

My SF says my start date (that we hadn’t established beyond “June-ish”) is definitely pushed due to the amount of COVID-19 in the area. My SF has no idea for how long. I asked SMART if I continue to get paid stipend indefinitely or for any details and received the standard “we are complying with guidelines” with no answers.

I have two concerns: 1) The inability to support myself and my husband (who’s job was also postponed due to coronavirus), etc. indefinitely without stipend. Also, getting an engineering job with the potential for quitting in two weeks later because SMART gave me a start date is really rude. 2) Being forced to move to a place with a large amount of COVID-19 cases (a national hotspot) before things settle down completely. I need my job for financial support, but, as someone with asthma, moving to a hotspot before things are ready is a huge risk.

You will be continued to be paid your stipend up until your start date.

It took them four months to hire me from graduation; another person in the program took a job in the interim period and took both pay checks. There's no issue as long as you are ready when they want you.

Do keep in mind that your clock doesn't start ticking until your start date, so push, push, call, push because stuff sits on people's desks for long periods of time.

I have been pushing as well, but am currently wondering if anyone has been given an official start date.

PhillipRoyal wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:37 pm

You will be continued to be paid your stipend up until your start date.

It took them four months to hire me from graduation; another person in the program took a job in the interim period and took both pay checks. There's no issue as long as you are ready when they want you.

Do keep in mind that your clock doesn't start ticking until your start date, so push, push, call, push because stuff sits on people's desks for long periods of time.

Are we really allowed to accept jobs during the interim period before our SF hires us? Does that not violate the outside employment clause in the handbook since we are technically still in phase 1?

If you work over 16 hours you lose the stipend. You can work another job within the limit. Even graduating you are limited hours.

malarious wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 25, 2020 10:44 pm

If you work over 16 hours you lose the stipend. You can work another job within the limit. Even graduating you are limited hours.

SMART is so inept at their job that they would never be able to find out and punish you for working over 16 hours per week. The biggest challenge would be to find a place willing to hire you right now for a variable amount of time and then leaving when SMART and your SF figure out your start date.