ssues & ideas EDITOR NICK EAGLAND THE VOICE, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014 7 The Voice reports on Langara business Tax season means easy cash Employment day offers a H&R Block tax analyst gives students advice for claims By ASHLEY LEGASSIC ner, but a survey by H&R Block says students aren’t confident enough with tax forms to receive the tax credit they deserve. H&R Block tax analyst Caroline Bat- tista said one of the biggest challenges students face is finding their T2202 slip. “What many people struggle with is simply being organized,” she said. Battista suggested students keep a file folder every year for receipts that are eligible for a tax credit. T2202 forms recently became avail- able on the student records page of the myLangara website and Battista stress ed how important these forms are. “That’s the form that determines how much of a credit they get for tu- ition, as well as for books and educa- tion,” she said. “It’s not [just] a matter of keeping book receipts anymore.” According to the student survey put out by H&R Block, 80 per cent of Cana- dian students feel they don’t have the proper knowledge to get what they ful- ly deserve in a tax return and 85 to 88 per cent feel they lack a basic know]- edge of taxes and wish they knew more. T: season is just around the cor- Although H&R Block offers free on- line filing for students, health sciences student Ming Li thinks it’s better to pay someone else to do it. “Even if you use it online, it’s kind of a hassle,” he said. Some students were surprised to learn what they can claim on their re- turns, but H&R Block has a helpful list online to help them. Li and general sciences student Joa- na Palma didn’t realize that moving 40 kilometres away for a summer job can pay off in tax credits. A tax credit for moving expenses, transportation and accommodation for up to 15 days is available to students who take ajobina different province. If you’re under the age of 19, you’re still encouraged to file a tax return for 2018 if your 19th birthday is before Apr. 1, 2015. Even if you had no income for 2013, you are still eligible for a GST/HST credit for the first payment period fol- lowing your birthday. The Langara Students’ Union also of- fers a tax filing service. The LSU ac- countant charges a minimum of $25 per tax year for a return and students can go to the LSU during March and April of each year to file. TAX ADVICE FOR STUDENTS Get credit for textbooks: A post-secondary student can claim $65 for every month they qualify for the education amount. Part-time students can claim $20 per qualifying month. HE Enjoy a tax-free scholarship: Scholarships and bursaries are tax free if the related program qualifies for the education amount. This includes scholarships at the elementary and secondary school level, but not post-doctoral. HM Get on the bus: For students who depend on transit to get to campus, keep your passes to claim the Transit Tax Credit. HE Tuition credits add up: No matter who paid the tuition, the student will receive a T2202A for the amount of tuition paid for 2013. Source: www.hrblock.ca A Langara student gets some makeup tips at one of the Langara Business Association’s employment workshops. EDRICK DUDANG photo Students get mentors at job shadow event Successful alumni will return to share their knowledge By EDRICK DUDANG ness Association is holding a job shadow event next month for stu- dents who are interested. The Mar. 21 event features success- ful Langara alumni who will invite stu- dents into their workplaces for practi- cal experience. Two students will be paired up with each alumnus and both will take on their mentor’s profession for two hours so they can get personal work training and advice. “We want students to be paired up with alumni for a couple of hours dur- ing the work day to get a chance to know what the workforce is like,” said Justin Lai, Langara alumnus and exec- utive advisor for the LBA. Lai said the event is a great opportu- nity for all students pursuing the job market. “We're open to all students regard- R:::: to work? The Langara Busi- less to what program you're in,” he said. “What we want to do is to foster a sense of community and provide stu- dents with opportunities to develop their skills and learn to take it to the business world.” While the event is still in its plan- ning stages, LBA co-president Emma Leigha Munro said that she hopes to cast 60 alumni as mentors. “It should be successful and hope- fully many professional connections will be made,” she said. Earlier this month, the LBA hosted a few other events to help students get hired. A workshop called “The Art of Suiting Up” was designed to help stu- dents dress appropriately for an inter- view. The “How To Get Hired” work- shop helped students strengthen their resume writing and interview presen- tation skills, while another workshop taught students how to improve their LinkedIn profiles. hand up to job seekers Langara students will get a chance to shine when employers visit the campus next week By KARLY BLATS alling all students and gradu- ates! Tuck in your shirts, comb your hair and get ready for Stu- dent Employment Day, coming to Langara next Tuesday. The free event will take place Feb. 25 in the foyer of Langara’s A building from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., where employ- ers’ representatives will be set up to talk with students about a number of summer, full- and part-time employ- ment opportunities. Carolyn Bourcier, host of the em- ployment day and program assistant for Langara’s co-operative education department, said this event is a great way for students to talk to employers about summer jobs and to network with representatives from corporate, government and non-profit sectors. “For students, it gets them thinking about their future and job employ- ment,” she said. “That’s kind of what the fair does. Every institution has them, they’re always fun.” The Vancouver Police Department will be among the employers recruit- ing. “We hire for all positions on an ongo- ing basis,” VPD Const. John Roberts said. “We currently have an immediate need for traffic authority members - those are the people that you see di- recting traffic at the major events.” Roberts said most people think they’re not qualified so they just don’t bother applying. He suggested inter- ested students attend a monthly infor- mation session held at the Justice Insti- tute of B.C. in New Westminster to pick up an application for the police force. Monaghan Golf, a golf management company, will also be seeking summer employees at the fair. Tom Monaghan, president of the company, said it’s not necessary to have golf experience and that a “good, positive attitude” is more important. He’s looking to hire a shop retail clerk, a course labourer and a supervi- sor to help teach kids golf. “The great thing about it is the envi- ronment is awesome and it’s a job that if you do well, you can come back year after year,” he said. Along with being a chance for stu- dents to learn about career opportuni- ties related to their field of study, the fair will feature giveaways, prizes anda big draw, Bourcier said. KARLY BLATS photo Topshop’s style advisors give Langara students advice on how to suit up for the work force. HOT TIPS to get hired A positive attitude is crucial Research — find out which employers will be at the fair Make sure your resume is updated and bring extra copies Dress professionally — it says a lot about how seriously you take your job search Prepare thoughtful, focused and open- ended questions to ask the employer representatives Source: www.yorku.ca