Every year, thousands of students across Canada look for something more meaningful than a typical summer job. They want real experience, real responsibility, and a chance to prove themselves in a way that will matter once they graduate. For over four decades, the Student Works Management Program has offered exactly that: a hands-on opportunity for young people to run a real business, lead a team, and learn how to manage clients, projects, operations, and finances before they enter the workforce full-time. Yet with any program that promises genuine responsibility and high earning potential, it’s natural for prospective students to ask a simple question: Is Student Works legit?
Every year, thousands of students across Canada look for something more meaningful than a typical summer job. They want real experience, real responsibility, and a chance to prove themselves in a way that will matter once they graduate. For over four decades, the Student Works Management Program has offered exactly that: a hands-on opportunity for young people to run a real business, lead a team, and learn how to manage clients, projects, operations, and finances before they enter the workforce full-time. Yet with any program that promises genuine responsibility and high earning potential, it’s natural for prospective students to ask a simple question: Is Student Works legit?
The short answer is yes. Student Works is recognized by Manage HR Magazine as the Top Canada Leadership Development Training/Coaching Company 2022. The longer answer is what this article is about: a transparent, detailed explanation of how our program works, what students gain from it, what the work truly looks like, what the earning potential actually is, and why this experience has helped shape the careers of thousands of young entrepreneurs and professionals across Canada.
How the Student Works Management Program Actually Operates
The Student Works Management Program is built around one core idea: the best way to learn business is by doing business. Our operators don’t sit through theoretical lessons or participate in simulations. They take full responsibility for running a real service business in their local community, offering painting or window cleaning services during the summer. From the moment they begin training, they are learning the actual responsibilities required to run a successful service business. They learn how to prospect for leads, how to sell work, how to hire and train a team, how to manage production, how to resolve client issues, and how to maintain quality and safety standards on every job site. This is not a mock exercise, our operators meet real clients, provide real services, and manage real revenue.
Why We Don’t Charge Upfront Franchise Fees
Unlike traditional franchises, we do not charge upfront franchise fees or require large financial commitments. We intentionally remove these barriers so that motivated students, regardless of their financial background, can join the program. There are no sign-up fees and no payments made to Student Works to start the business. However, running any business requires some initial resources. Students need a vehicle and should have approximately $1,500 – $2,500 to cover startup expenses such as marketing materials, gas, phone costs, tools, and other supplies. These are not program fees; they are the normal costs of running a service-based business and are fully under the operator’s control.
What Makes Our Program Different From Typical Student Jobs
The structure of the year is part of what makes the experience so transformative. During the winter months, students commit about fifteen hours a week to training and pre-season preparation. This includes seventy hours of classroom training, both in person and online, covering sales, marketing, estimating, production systems, leadership communication, and business fundamentals. In addition, every student receives over one hundred hours of in-field training alongside an experienced business coach, learning directly on real homes and with real clients. Winter is also the time when operators begin prospecting, generating leads, meeting clients, providing quotes, and building their sales pipeline for the summer season.
When summer arrives, the program shifts into full-scale operation. Operators work approximately forty to sixty hours a week managing crews, scheduling jobs, overseeing production, solving client issues, and ensuring that every project meets our quality standards. They handle payroll, manage budgets, communicate with clients, and navigate all the unexpected challenges that real businesses face. Many of those who complete the program say that they learned more in this one season than in years of traditional schooling or part-time work, because every day requires them to step into leadership roles and make decisions that matter. Learn more about the program curriculum.
A True Look at Earnings and Revenue in the Program
Earnings in the program vary, just like in any business, but typical results are well-documented. On average first-year operators generate $121,000 in revenue. Operators are paid based on the work they secure and complete, while the painters they hire earn hourly wages. Some operators earn modest profits their first year, others earn significantly more, and some choose to return for a second or third year where revenue often doubles or triples because the foundation from year one is already in place.
Our licensing fee structure is intentionally built to motivate strong performance. While licensing fees can be up to thirty percent, they decrease as revenue increases, meaning operators keep more of what they earn at higher production levels. This reverse-scaled design has proven effective for decades and encourages operators to grow their business aggressively once they have their systems in place.
The Commitment Required to Succeed as a Student Works Operator
Like any legitimate opportunity with real responsibility, results vary based on effort, discipline, and the willingness to develop leadership skills. Some students struggle because they expect a straightforward summer job rather than a commitment that demands consistency, communication, and resilience. Others excel and describe the experience as life-changing. One example that illustrates what is possible when a student truly leans into the program is the story of Amer Abu Shakra, a Student Works alumna who has been featured on the Student Works podcast. Before joining, he was earning $18 an hour at a bank and felt unsure about how to grow professionally. During his time with Student Works, he broke the all-time rookie record and eventually ran a $500,000 business while still in school in his second year with the program. In one year, he earned enough to pay off his entire student debt. Years later, he founded contracting.com, which has since generated more than $3 million in annual revenue and employs several Student Works alumni. His story is not typical, but it demonstrates the upper bound of what is possible when discipline, coaching, and ambition meet opportunity.
Amer’s own words capture both the highs and the challenges. He has said, “In one of my years in Student Works, I was able to pay off my student debt in one year. I’m not saying that’s going to be everyone’s experience, but there’s no ceiling here, you provide value, you will get value.” He also openly discusses the difficulties he faced after the program, including a break-even year in his own business where he spent $100,000 on advertising just to make $100,000 back. Entrepreneurship is not linear, and we highlight both the successes and the struggles so students understand that this program builds real business skills, not shortcuts or guaranteed outcomes. As he puts it, “Contracting.com would not have existed without Student Works. The skills I learned, the people I met, and the money I was able to make through the program have truly changed my life.”
Addressing the “Is Student Works a Scam?” Question Clearly
Much of the skepticism we see online comes from misunderstandings about how our financial model works. Some students assume that because representatives speak in university classrooms, the program must be based on recruitment. This is not the case. Student Works earns nothing from onboarding new students. There are no enrollment fees, initiation costs, or payments to join. The only money that flows through the program comes from real clients who pay for real painting and window cleaning services. Student Works earns licensing fees only when an operator successfully sells and completes work. In other words, the company succeeds only when the student succeeds, which is why our coaching structure exists in the first place. Learn more about our culture.
The Training, Coaching, and Systems Behind Our Operators’ Success
Every operator receives weekly mentorship from an experienced business coach, both in person and online. Coaches conduct job site visits, attend sales meetings, provide strategic guidance, and help operators troubleshoot performance issues. Operators also gain access to our custom CRM platform, where they track leads, manage quotes, schedule their projects, handle payroll, monitor client payments, and access more than 400 training processes and operational resources. Behind the scenes, our office team handles administrative tasks such as business registration, payroll services, insurance support, and material ordering so operators can focus on leadership, sales, and production.
The level of support is intentionally intensive because the workload is real. Running a business requires effort. The winter season demands discipline as operators balance school, sales, and personal commitments. The summer season requires long hours, strong communication skills, and the ability to lead a crew that depends on you for their income and their safety. Many students say the summer feels like the most challenging work they have ever done, and also the most rewarding. The structure forces you to grow into someone who takes responsibility, solves problems under pressure, and leads with confidence.
Who Thrives in the Program and Who Likely Won’t Enjoy It
Because of this intensity, the type of person who thrives in the program is almost always ambitious, disciplined, and coachable. They are the students who show up consistently, who listen to feedback, who want to push themselves, and who are willing to work harder in one summer than most people do in several. The students who struggle are usually those who expected something simpler or who were not prepared for the leadership demands of managing a team and delivering client service in real conditions. This program is not a good fit for someone seeking easy money or a low-responsibility summer job. It is an excellent fit for someone who wants to build leadership skills that will last a lifetime.
Why the Work Is Hard and Why It’s Worth It
Operators who complete the program often describe it as the most impactful learning experience of their early adulthood. They talk about the confidence they gained, the lifelong friendships formed, the mentors who guided them, and the professional growth that came from being held accountable for real results. They also talk candidly about how challenging the experience can be, especially during peak production weeks. But almost universally, they describe the challenge as worth it. They understand, in hindsight, that learning to lead, sell, manage pressure, solve problems, and take ownership so early in life gives them an enormous advantage in the workforce.
So, Is Student Works Legit?
Yes, and more importantly, it is substantial. It is a real business, with real responsibilities, real clients, real revenue, and real consequences. It is not designed to be easy, nor is it meant to appeal to everyone. It is built for students who want to challenge themselves, earn income based on performance, and learn leadership and management skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives. For those students, this program offers an experience that very few opportunities in Canada can match. Watch testimonials from Student Works alumni.
We believe in transparency because the right students succeed when they understand exactly what they are stepping into. If you are motivated, ambitious, and ready to commit to a meaningful challenge, the Student Works Management Program can change the trajectory of your career. If you are looking for a simple, low-pressure summer job, this won’t be the right fit. But if you want to learn how to run a business before most people even know where to begin, this is the opportunity that will give you that foundation.
By Chris Thomson, Founder of Student Works, with over 45 years of experience developing and mentoring young business leaders across Canada.