Helena College offers Montana State and Federal Work-Study Programs. The Work-Study Programs provide on- and off-campus employment opportunities to students in order to help meet their educational expenses. The Work-Study Program is funded through part of a total financial aid award based upon financial need. Students must be eligible in order to qualify for employment.
Students who participate in the Work-Study Program are paid biweekly. Students earn their Work-Study award on an hourly basis, the same way they would at a regular job.
Job Search & Responsibilities
The Work-Study Program provides students flexibility and responsibility. The Scholarship & Work Study Officer does not provide job placement for students; thus, jobs are not guaranteed for any student who is eligible for a Work-Study award.
Helena College operates its Work-Study Program in a “free market” environment, which means that the College does not assign you to a specific job. You are free to apply to any open position. The job search process allows for open communication between the student and supervisor and encourages students to contact only those departments and/or supervisors of jobs of interest. If a student has trouble finding a job or has not received responses from one or more supervisors after several attempts by email or phone, he/she should contact the Scholarship & Work Study Officer for assistance.
Although many employers post vacancies on the Work-Study Positions webpage throughout the academic year, most job openings are posted at the start of the school year in July and August. Don’t wait! Begin applying to positions early.
We recommend that you apply for several positions. The more positions you apply to the better your chances are of obtaining a job. Applying to just one position and waiting to hear back before applying to additional openings is not a good strategy.
If you do not hear back from an employer, follow up no more than a week or two later to reinforce your interest in the position and inquire about the status of your application.
To check your eligibility and obtain applications, please contact the Scholarship & Work Study Officer or the Financial Aid Office.
For more information regarding the Work-Study Program at Helena College, please review the Student Employment Handbook. If you are a supervisor looking for information here is the Work-Study Supervisor Handbook.
Positions for 2022-2023
America Reads Work-Study
Department: Financial Aid Office
Date Posted: 7/12/2022
Semester/Year: Fall 2022/Spring 2023
Location: Local Elementary Schools
Hours: Up to 10 hours per week
Position(s) Available: several
Supervisor: Kyra Merchen, Work-Study Officer—406-447-6914
Duties: Literacy Tutors may be employed in a pre-reading or reading program for individual students or groups of preschool through elementary students, and also Family Literacy programs. Math Tutors may be employed to serve children in kindergarten through ninth grade.
Cashier’s Office Work-Study
Department: Business Office
Date Posted: 7/12/2022
Semester/Year: Fall 2022/Spring 2023
Location: Donaldson Campus
Hours: up to 15 hours per week
Position(s) Available: 1
Supervisor: Cari Schwen, Director of Business Services—406-447-6920
Duties: Include but are not limited to: answering customer questions, providing information on procedures or policies; counting money in cash drawers at the beginning of shifts to ensure the amounts are correct and that there is adequate change; issuing receipts, refunds, credits, or change due to customers; maintain clean and orderly working areas; receive payment by cash, check, credit cards, vouchers, or automatic debits; direct customer complaints; calculate total payments received during a time period and reconcile this with total database transactions; perform general office duties including sorting mail, copying, faxing and filing; and handing confidential information. To be able to perform the duties specified above, the cashier assistant must be computer literate, have a good knowledge of Microsoft Office, have an accounting/math background, and have exceptional communication skills. Attention to detail is required as well as reliability, punctuality, and willingness to learn.
Facilities & Maintenance Work-Study
Department: Facilities & Maintenance Department
Date Posted: 7/12/2022
Semester/Year: Fall 2022/Spring 2023
Location: Donaldson Campus/Airport Campus on occasion
Hours: Flexible, up to 20 hours per week
Position(s) Available: 2
Contact: Tommi Haikka, Assistant Director of Facilities and Maintenance – office 406-447-6936, cell 406-594-3419
Duties: Responsible for event venue set-up of furniture and fixtures including cleaning before and after the event. Greeting and interacting with college staff, faculty, and guests to satisfy their needs including last-minute changes. Perform general routine custodial work such as sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, emptying trash and recycling, cleaning windows, shoveling snow; cleaning, sanitizing, and resupplying restrooms as well as special custodial work. Parking lot attendant/ticketing. Key inventory/assistance. Proficient at filing and organizing. Experience with Microsoft Office programs, including Excel. Maintenance work includes fixing and repairing and general maintenance.
Other requirements: Must possess good customer service skills. Maintain a HIGH level of ethical behavior. Able to work with a team and independently, as well as have time management skills.
Financial Aid Work-Study
Department: Financial Aid Office
Date Posted: 7/12/2022
Semester/Year: Fall 2022/Spring 2023
Location: Donaldson Welcome Center
Hours: Up to 20 hours per week
Position(s) Available: 1
Supervisor: Valerie Curtin, Executive Director of Compliance & Financial Aid—406-447-6913
Duties: Help new and returning students file FAFSAs, assist with completing financial aid paperwork, answer questions regarding financial aid, update databases, do mailings, records management, and assist the financial aid staff with other projects. Organize publications and events for financial literacy.
Other requirements: good customer service skills, good phone etiquette, filing skills, computer skills, and critical thinking. Must maintain a HIGH level of ethical behavior and confidentiality of any and all information regarding students and personnel.
IT Work-Study
Department: IT
Date Posted: 7/12/2022
Semester/Year: Fall 2022/Spring 2023
Location: Donaldson Campus/Airport Campus on occasion
Hours: up to 20 hours per week
Position(s) Available: 2
Contact: Mel Ewing, Chief Information Officer CIO - 406-447-6958
Duties: This position will be able to gain experience and exposure to IT systems, services, and needed soft skills by assisting the IT Department staff with various projects and daily helpdesk tickets. Those duties may include but are not limited to providing tier-one level IT support, including; AV room set up, PC troubleshooting and repair, software, systems, and operating system support/administration, and twisted-pair cabling and termination. This position will occasionally require lifting upwards to 25lbs, crawling under/behind desks, climbing ladders, and working in enclosed areas.
Qualifications: Must be enrolled in a Computer Technology Program.
Library Learning Hub Work-Study
Department: Library Learning Hub
Date Posted: 7/12/2022
Semester/Year: Fall 2022/Spring 2023
Location: Donaldson Campus
Hours: 14 hours per week
Position(s) Available: 2
Supervisor: Della Dubbe, Director of Library Services—406-447-6942
Duties: Answering phones, greeting, and assisting Library Learning Hub (LLH) users. Help students/users with the copier, printing, and computers. Perform clerical and housekeeping tasks as assigned – scheduling, shelving, word processing, copying, sorting, filing, dusting, etc.
Required skills: good customer service skills, accuracy, and reliability. Willingness to learn enough about the college to refer and direct students to the office that will fulfill their needs. Basic knowledge of, and/or willingness to learn, the technology used by the college: will need to be able to use and assist with OneSearch, Alma library circulation system, Moodle, Starfish, MyHC, and Outlook Calendar for scheduling, as well as other Microsoft products.
New Tiered Payscale for Work-Study
The three tiers have been determined by
- The range and complexity of job duties,
- The knowledge and skills requirements necessary to perform the job, and
- Equity (wage relationships with other student employees doing similar work).
Student Earning Ceiling
The chart below reflects the estimated number of hours a student may work per week to fully utilize his/her employment eligibility during the academic year. These figures are based on a possible 30 weeks of work for the academic year (excluding breaks).
Student Employment Week
Student Employment Week is April 10-14, 2023.
Why We Celebrate
Helena College employs a wide variety of student workers who perform invaluable services with passion, commitment, and initiative. All while developing important skills and experience they will carry with them into their future careers upon graduation. Our student employees contribute so much to the campus community and providing access and support to our students’ success.
In addition, through the Federal Work Study Program, several local nonprofit agencies hire Helena College students to work in community service positions for their organizations.
We encourage all departments to recognize them for their hard work not only during Student Employment Week, but throughout the year to let them know that their efforts are valued.
Student Employee of the Year Nominations
Supervisors nominate their student workers for Student Employee of the Year.
Nominate your employee!
Purpose
The Helena College Student Employee of the Year Award was established to recognize and help promote the outstanding contributions and achievements of Helena College students who effectively combine campus work with their academic commitments. We look to supervisors within the college to nominate student employees who they feel are especially worthy of recognition based on their performance.
Nominee Criteria
Nomination forms should be completed and submitted to the Scholarship & Work Study Officer. To be considered, nominations must be complete and submitted NO LATER THAN 5:00 pm, February 10th of each year. Additional letters of nomination may be submitted by following the instructions at the bottom of the nomination form.
To be eligible for consideration, the nominee must be:
- Currently enrolled in at least 6 credits as a Helena College student;
- Working at least 10 hours a week on- or off-campus as a Work Study student;
- Employed with the same department/office for at least 6 months during the selection period which is the academic year July 1 st to June 30th; and
- Must be maintaining good academic standing.
- Nominees are not restricted to students employed through the Federal/State Work Study Programs. All student employees are eligible for consideration.
Please keep the following guidelines in mind:
- Must be nominated by a Helena College employee.
- You may attach an additional support documents that are each no more than 2 pages in length.
- A committee comprised of the Work Study Committee and a representative of Helena College Student Government Association will select the Student Employee of the Year. The student employee selected will be announced during the Student Employment Week.
Tips for nominating your student employee
- It is best to gather all letters of support and additional documentation before completing the nomination form. Please note that you may only attach two additional support documents that are each no more than 2 pages in length. These may also be emailed to the Work Study Coordinator.
- Nominations will be reviewed for minimum eligibility requirements. Only students meeting the minimum eligibility requirements will be reviewed further. The Student Employee of the Year should be maintaining academic performance while working.
- Reviewers will be reading for specific examples of how this student demonstrates the following: Team work/Collaboration, Commitment, Excellence in Attitude, Initiative & Creativity, and Problem Solving. Avoid only using general statements.
- The nominators of the students selected as Student Employees of the Year will be notified in advance to the awards ceremony to ensure they will attend.
Should you require additional information, please call (406)-447-6914.
Past Student Employee of the Year Awards
2018-2019 Student Employee of the Year
Lakota Lawson- Admissions & Records
2017-2018 Student Employee of the Year
Stanley Munson- Financial Aid Office
2015-2016 Student Employee of the Year
Gregory Matteucci- Machine Shop
2014-2015 Student Employee of the Year
Lori Cooper- Student Support Center
Notice to all Helena College Work Study Students:
All payroll information/changes may be made at Cyberbear.
Instructions: Login to Cyberbear using the above link. Below the sign in boxes under the Need Help With Your Account? heading click What's My NetID? Enter the requested information to retrieve your NetID and then click the Forgot Password link to obtain password to login.
To obtain calendars of time periods and time sheets go to HR Forms page under Payroll.
Please contact the Helena College Financial Aid Department at 406-447-6916 with any questions.
Helena College provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, or political beliefs.
