SANS Work Study program is popular and competitive. To be considered for a Work Study position as a conference or Community SANS facilitator, please submit an application for the conference or event in which you are interested.

Applications are now being accepted for Work Study opportunities!
CLICK HERE to Apply Now (Portal Account Required)

When applying for a specific event, be sure to check the application due date before you submit; late or incomplete applications cannot be accepted for processing.

What is a facilitator?

Facilitators act as an extension of the SANS staff. Conference and work study positions vary based on the size and needs of the event. Facilitators assist with conference set up and teardown, assist registration staff, serve as room monitors, and provide audio support for conference courses and events. SANS facilitators are cheerful, friendly people who are ready to go out of their way to help others, and they work hard in return for the opportunity to receive a SANS education.

Only $700 to receive a SANS education

If you are selected to facilitate for a SANS conference, you will pay a nominal fee of $700 towards your tuition and earn the remainder of your tuition in exchange for facilitator services you provide onsite. In exchange for the Work Study services you provide onsite at select events you will receive the opportunity to attend your course, work with team members from all over the world, and, when applicable, attend SANS@Night events, BoFs, Special Events, Lunch & Learns — the full SANS Conference experience!

Your facilitator fee will also include your courseware, Self Study files, pre-event On Demand Facilitator Sample Course, one GIAC certification attempt, and all of the events listed above.

After the event

If you facilitated for a course that is in the SANS OnDemand Library, you will also receive access to the corresponding SANS OnDemand course, which includes web-based courseware, course lectures and assessment tests presented one learning objective at a time, along with access to our virtual mentor. Some of our technical courses also include hands-on exercises and labs. SANS OnDemand enables you to hone your knowledge of each learning objective and to fully prepare for the GIAC exams.

Seven to ten days following the event, you will receive emails with instructions on how to gain access to your free:

• SANS OnDemand bundle, if your course is available in the SANS OnDemand library. The SANS OnDemand bundle will help you with your own studies and it will put you in a unique position to be able to share the benefits of supplementing SANS live training with the SANS OnDemand bundle. For more information regarding OnDemand, visit www.sans.org/ondemand
• Self Study audio files, available in .mp3 format, of a pre-recorded live session of your course.
• GIAC Exam attempt for certification in the training course that you are accepted to facilitate in. For more information regarding the certification proctor program, visit www.giac.org/proctor

As a facilitator, you accept the responsibility to fulfill all facilitator duties outlined in the Work Study Guidelines Manual and in training received onsite. Facilitators are responsible for their own accommodations at their expense including travel, hotel, meals, and ground transportation.

Overview of Duties and Positions

Facilitators arrive one day before the conference registration begins to assist with set up between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM, or at 4:00 PM for Community SANS events. Facilitators function onsite as staff and work long hours each day. Your daily arrival time will be between 6:30 AM and 8:00 AM and your departure time will be between 6:00 PM and 9:30 PM. This includes room monitoring for SANS@Night courses or other evening events on at least one evening during the conference.

Classroom Facilitator: These facilitators will serve as a room monitor for the course they are attending. Courses are assigned based on availability and the facilitator's request. As a room monitor, facilitators have three major duties:

• Checking badges and answering attendees' questions. Room monitors check the badge of each attendee entering the classroom to make sure the attendee is in the right place. Also, using the Onsite Guide, room monitors answer whatever attendee questions they are able to, and direct the attendee to a SANS Staff member to answer those they cannot.
• Serving as a point of contact for their classroom. Room monitors are in charge of promptly notifying SANS staff of any problems which arise in their classroom during the day. (For instance: if room lighting suddenly changes or if the instructor would like it changed, if the Audio Visual (AV) equipment isn't working properly, or if the room temperature becomes uncomfortable).
• Processing Course Evaluations. Room monitors are in charge of passing out, collecting and tallying course evaluations at the end of each conference day.

Bookroom Facilitator: The bookroom facilitator gets to choose any track they would like to attend. The bookroom facilitator works directly with the bookroom manager and is assigned primarily to the bookroom rather than to a specific class as described above. The bookroom facilitator will assist the bookroom manager to maintain inventory of items in the bookroom, assist in maintaining and preparing the bookroom for the SANS School Store, and will be assigned other tasks onsite as assigned by the bookroom manager.

Team Leader: Accepted facilitators can also request to serve as a team leader in assisting SANS Staff in processing Registration and Evaluations or in the Signage and bookroom departments. To optimize your SANS experience, make your request for one of these leadership positions.

Please note: This is general information and both SANS staff and facilitators will make adjustments to suit the demands of individual events.

How do I sign up?

Complete the online Work Study Program application at portal.sans.org. When applying for a specific event, be sure to check the application due date before you submit; late or incomplete applications cannot be accepted for processing.