Work Study Opportunities

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 2023-2024

 

America Reads Work-Study

Department: Financial Aid Office

Date Posted: 7/1/2023

Semester/Year: Fall 2023/Spring 2024

Location: Local Elementary Schools

Hourly pay rate: Starting at $13.00

Hours: Up to 10 hours per week for two positions; or up to 20 hours per week for one position

Position(s) Available: 2 

Supervisor: Valerie Curtin , Executive Director of Compliance & Financial Aid—406-447-6913

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.

 

Bookstore/Coffeeshop Work-Study

Department: Retail Services

Date Posted: 2/1/2024

Semester/Year: Fall 2023/ Spring 2024

Location: Donaldson Campus

Hourly pay rate: Starting at $13.00

Hours: Up to 20 hours per week

Position(s) Available: 2

Supervisor: HCBookstore@HelenaCollege.edu

Duties: Offering exceptional customer service; cashiering, Stocking food and supplies; cleaning, helping with food preparation, making coffee if necessary. 

Expectations: Applicants must be able to stand at register for extended period and lift a minimum of 25 pounds. Attention to detail is required as well as reliability, punctuality and willingness to learn. Prior barista experience is preferred but not required.

 

Cashier’s Office Work-Study
Department: Business Services

Date Posted: 2/8/2024

Semester/Year: Fall 2023/Spring 2024

Location: Donaldson Campus

Hourly pay rate: Starting at $14.00

Hours: up to 10 hours per week

Position(s) Available: 1

Supervisor: Cari Schwen, Executive Director of Fiscal 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: 2/1/2024

Semester/Year: Fall 2023/Spring 2024

Location: Donaldson Campus/Airport Campus on occasion

Hourly pay rate: Starting at $13.00

Hours: Flexible, up to 20 hours per week

Position(s) Available: 1

Contact: John Rutherford , Director of Facilities and Maintenance – office 406-447-6917

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. 

 

Fire & Emergency Services Work Study Assistant Position

Department: Fire and Emergency Services

Semester/Year: Spring 2024

Location: Airport Campus

Hourly Rate: $15.00

Hours: Up to 20 hours per week

Position(s) Available: 1

Contact: Nolan Eggen  email: Nolan.eggen@helenacollege.edu  phone: (406)447-6982

Duties: Responsible for cleaning of the fire and emergency bays, as well as all equipment needed for regular operations of courses or hands one activities. Performing regular maintenance on all vehicles in the fire and emergency center bay areas. Assisting with set up and tear down of course activities or projects needed as determined by position supervisor.

Other Requirements: (if applicable) This position will occasionally require lifting equipment roughly 25lbs - 50lbs crawling under/over various emergency equipment, climbing ladders, working in enclose areas, as well as standing for long periods of time while performing duties. Able to work with a team and independently, as well as have time management skills. Attention to detail is required as well as reliability, punctuality, and willingness to learn. Must have an interest in the Fire and Emergency Programs at Helena College and or be enrolled in the program.

 

K-12 Partnerships Work-Study

Department: K-12 Partnerships

Date Posted: 2/12/2024

Semester/Year: Fall 2023/Spring 2024

Location: Donaldson Campus/Airport Campus on occasion

Hourly pay rate: $13.00

Hours: up to 5 hours per week

Position(s) Available: 1

Contact: Cheryl Ravenscroft,  Dual Enrollment Coordinator - 406-447-6993

Duties: The K-12 Partnerships Student Assistant will work collaboratively to support creative projects to generate content that can be used for prospective and current dual enrollment students and families. Projects may include: creating short instructional videos with screenpal, reviewing website content, designing graphics for use on the website and for other dual enrollment materials, assist in the planning and promotion of career exploration events, creating newsletter content for students, parents, and/or school staff. 

Qualifications: Should have graphic design experience, and web design experience.

 

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, 2024.

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!

Overview

Nomination Form

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

Helena College Chat