The 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, and the 4-month training bundle and all of the applicable events listed above. Facilitator fees do not include SWAT or SIFT Toolkits, routers, featured manuals and CD-ROMS, or any other bonus materials with the course. Should you be selected to facilitate any of these courses, you may inquire the optional purchase amount by calling us at 301.654.7267. Purchase will be added on and collected upon payment of fees. These may also be purchased at the SANS School Store at our national events.

If you are facilitating for a course that is available in the SANS OnDemand Library, you will also receive access to the corresponding SANS OnDemand course. The OnDemand Bundle Training will become available in your portal following the receipt of payment. You will have four (4) months of virtual access to the class(s), which includes web-based courseware; course lectures and assessment tests presented one learning objective at a time, along with access to our virtual mentor (Self Study audio files, available in .mp3 format, of a pre-recorded live session of your course). 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.

• As a learning tool — in providing you with information to better assist the instructor and the students
• As a support tool — should your facilitator duties temporarily take you out of the classroom environment, you will already have seen most of the material prior to the class

It is also our hope that if you have a positive experience learning through OnDemand that you will be willing to share this experience with other students at conference. For more information regarding OnDemand, visit www.sans.org/ondemand

Overview of Duties and Positions

Facilitators arrive one day before the conference registration begins to assist with set up between 9:00am and 10:00am for national/regional events or at 4:00pm for Community SANS events. Facilitators function onsite as staff and work long hours each day. Your daily arrival time will be between 6:30am and 8:00am and your departure time will be between 6:00pm and 9:30pm. 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.

As facilitator, you must accept the responsibility to fulfill all facilitator requirements and duties as outlined in the Work Study Guidelines Manual and in the training received onsite. You are also required to stay in the conference-hosted hotel to ensure that you are onsite for duty and to assist SANS staff as needed. You will then be notified of the report date, time, and location for the event. Make your room reservations at the SANS discounted rate after you have been accepted. NOTE: Travel, accommodation, and meal expenses are the responsibility of the facilitator.

You will be required to sign in and be dismissed daily by the Bookroom Manager, Conference Manager, or the Course Instructor. On the last day of your class, you be excused from conference after pack-up is complete.

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

*** The energy and time that facilitators contribute are vital to the success of a SANS Conference. ***