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.
Summer Work Study Positions for 2024-2025!
Admissions & Records Work-Study
Department: Admissions & Records
Date Posted: 4/29/2025
Semester/Year: Summer 2025
Location: Donaldson Campus
Hours: Up to 20-29 hours per week
Hourly Pay Rate: $14.00
Position(s) Available: 1
Supervisor: Marika Adamek , Assistant Registrar—406-447-6909
Duties include but are not limited to, filing and record management, answering a multiline phone, accepting documentation from students attending or applying to the college, making phone calls on behalf of the Admissions Counselors and Registrar, and answering questions of students and the public that enter the Welcome Center. The Work Study may assist students during registration on our computers, assist in mailings that both Admissions and Records generate, and assist with Recruitment efforts through data entry, assembling packets, and answering questions regarding the admissions process and Helena College programs.
Other requirements: knowledge of Word, Excel, Outlook, and Canvas recommended, but are not required.
Financial Aid Work-Study
Department: Financial Aid Office
Date Posted: 4/29/2025
Semester/Year: Summer 2025
Location: Donaldson Welcome Center
Hours: Up to 20-29 hours per week
Hourly Pay Rate: $14.00
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: Excellent customer service and phone etiquette skills, attention to detail, filing and computer skills, as well as critical thinking. Must maintain a HIGH level of ethical behavior and confidentiality of any and all information regarding students and personnel.
Facilities & Maintenance Work-Study
Department: Facilities & Maintenance Department
Date Posted: 4/29/2025
Semester/Year: Summer 2025
Location: Donaldson Campus/Airport Campus on occasion
Hours: Flexible, up to 20-29 hours per week
Hourly Pay Rate: $13.00
Position(s) Available: 1
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 events. 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. Maintenance work to include 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.
Holter Museum of Art: Front of Museum Assistant
Location: 12 E Lawrence Street, Helena, MT 59601
Date Posted: 10/15/2024
Semester/Year: Fall 2024/Spring 2025/Summer 2025
Hourly Pay Rate: $15.00
Hours: Up to 20-29 hours per week
Position(s) Available: 1
Contact: Hannah Harvey, Museum Curator
Description: The Holter Museum of Art is looking for a work-study student who is friendly, detail-oriented and able to multi-task to serve our organization’s front of the museum team. In this position will be interacting with the public, greeting visitors, tracking visitor data, educating visitors on exhibitions and programs, and generally helping with front of museum activities and needs.
Responsibilities: Greet people entering the building, answer questions, update them on current exhibitions, programs and events, provide directions, encourage donations, and alert staff when someone is there to meet or visit with them. Answer the phone and deliver messages as needed. Responsibilities also include ccustomer service skills and clerk duties for people purchasing items in the store and taking admission fees. Tracking visitor data and aassist in daily cleaning activities. Assist in setting up for events when necessary, as well as with data entry, mailings, and other administrative tasks. This position will also serve as the face of the Holter, offering friendly service to those entering the building or calling on the phone and any other duties as assigned.
Qualifications: Must be enrolled as a student at Helena College. Applicants must be ooutgoing and energetic. Computer and technology proficiency and savvy. Must have the aability to work independently, must be detail oriented and have the aability to stay calm in hectic situations
Holter Museum of Art: Front of Museum Assistant
Location: 12 E Lawrence Street, Helena, MT 59601
Date Posted: 10/15/2024
Semester/Year: Fall 2024/Spring 2025/Summer 2025
Hourly Pay Rate: $15.00
Hours: Up to 20-29 hours per week
Position(s) Available: 1
Contact: Gianna Sherman, Museum Curator
Description: The Holter Museum of Art is looking for a work-study student who is friendly, detail-oriented and able to multi-task, likes to work with their hands to serve our organization’s exhibitions and education team. In this position, you will be working with the Curator, Registrar and Education teams to assist in projects around the museum and assisting teachers during education programs. This is an active position and you must be able to follow directions and work well with others.
Responsibilities: Assisting in the education programs by preparing materials, keeping supplies stocked, and helping teachers in classrooms when necessary. General maintenance of galleries by patching, painting, and cleaning galleries. Assisting Curator and Registrar with handling artwork during installation and reinstallation of exhibits. Assist with setting up for events. Assist in daily cleaning activities in the classrooms and art storage closet. Working the front desk when needed to substitute. Assisting with data entry, mailings, and other administrative tasks. Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications: Must be enrolled as a student at Helena College. Must be ooutgoing and energetic as well as enjoy working with hands and in a moderately physical environment. Applicant preferred to have had some experience working with hand tools. Muct be ccomputer and technology proficiency and savvy. Applicant must also have the aability to work independently, be detail oriented and have the aability to stay calm in hectic situations.
Library Learning Hub Work-Study
Department: Library Learning Hub
Date Posted: 4/29/2025
Semester/Year: Summer 2025
Location: Donaldson Campus
Hours: Up to 20-29 hours per week
Hourly Pay Rate: $13.00
Position(s) Available: 2
Supervisor: Kris Goss, Director of Library Services—406-447-6942
Duties: Answer phones, greet and assist 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 catalog, the library circulation system, Moodle, MyHC, and Outlook Calendar for scheduling, as well as other Microsoft 365 products.
Graphic Design and Photography Work-Study
Department: Marketing & Communication
Date Posted: 4/29/2025
Semester/Year: Summer 2025
Location: Donaldson Campus/Airport Campus on occasion
Hourly pay rate: $15.00
Hours: Up to 20-29 hours per week
Position(s) Available: 1
Contact: Abigail Rausch, Director of Marketing, Communication, & Alumni Relations - 406-447-6954
The Helena College Marketing & Communications Department is seeking energetic, creative thinkers with strong writing skills interested in sharing the stories of our campus community.
Duties include: Brainstorm student-focused materials and digital content, Assist with email and collateral production, Create newsletter and social media content following brand guidelines, Assist with maintaining the online calendar, Scout campus for branding and signage issues, Work with the marketing manager on projects as they come up, Alumni programming development, Assisting with First Thursday planning and promotion.
Other duties could include photography and videography based on applicant's interest.
Qualifications: Strong writing, editing and communication skills required, Social media experience on multiple platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube) preferred. Self-starter, Creative thinker with a positive attitude, Detail oriented, Ability to work independently and meet deadlines.
Extras (but not necessary): Experience communicating with diverse audiences, Community engagement, Writing experience, Graphic design experience, Marketing experience, Photoshop experience.
The Salon at Helena College Work Study
Department: Cosmetology
Date Posted: 4/29/2025
Semester/Year: Summer 2025
Location: Donaldson Campus
Hours: 15-19 hours per week (some Saturdays)
Hourly Pay Rate: $15.00
Position(s) Available: 2
Supervisor: Dawn Anderson, Director of Cosmetology- 406-447-6937
Duties and Responsibilities: We are looking for an experienced professional who excels at organization, is customer service orientated, and who loves to help students pursue their cosmetology career!
As the front desk receptionist, you will have the opportunity to support educational aspects of the school by presenting a professional, knowledgeable "face" of the student salon. You will be working with students and the public to ensure smooth day to day operations, while being part of the educational and professional growth of our students! You will also support student retail sales of product used on clients.
Some day-to-day responsibilities included but are not limited to: Dependability and reliability are a must in this position with an excellent attendance record with minimal late arrival or leaving early. Answering phone lines while assisting customers, students, and staff being a role model for students and embodying professionalism, maturity and exceptional organizational skills. Balance and reconcile daily cash and make safe drops each night. Maintain and update booking software program to coordinate student and client schedules as well as assisting with documenting and tracking student services lists. Respond to all inquiries regarding services, admissions, and general school information from clients, students, staff, and delivery companies. As well as maintain a high level of cleanliness and organization to the Salon lobby while assisting students with selling retail products to their clients as well as rebooking them.
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).
Work Study Student Appreciation Week!
Work Study Student Appreciation Week is April 13-17, 2026.
Why We Celebrate:
Helena College employs a wide variety of Work Study Students 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 work study students contribute so much to the campus community and provide 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 within Helena College to recognize them for all their hard work not only during Work Study Student Appreciation Week, but all throughout the year to let them know that their efforts are valued.
Work Study Supervisors nominate their student workers for the Work Study Student of the Year Award!
Purpose:
The Helena College Work Study Student 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 by the Work Study Supervisor each year and submitted to the Scholarship & Work Study Officer.
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.
Past Work Study Student of the Year Awards!
2024-2025 Work Study Student of the Year:
Amanda Moulton - Admissions & Records
2018-2019 Work Study Student of the Year:
Lakota Lawson- Admissions & Records
2017-2018 Work Study Student of the Year:
Stanley Munson- Financial Aid Office
2015-2016 Work Study Student of the Year:
Gregory Matteucci- Machine Shop
2014-2015 Work Study Student 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.
