Student Employment

Finding a Student Employment Position

All jobs available to students are posted on the OtterJobs section of the Career Development website. Staff and faculty should consult Advertising On-Campus Jobs for Students to learn how to list their open positions on OtterJobs.

If work-study is part of your financial aid package, visit the Financial Aid website for more information on finding a federal work-study position.

Hiring Procedures: Departments

Once a student candidate has been interviewed and selected for an available student assistant position, HR will then manage the onboarding process. The hiring department is responsible for submitting the Unit 15 Student Employment Packet (PDF) to Human Resources to initiate the student hiring process: 

• Submit the Unit 15 Student Employment Packet: The completed packet, including the Student Employment Action Form (SEAF), position description, checklist for student background check and signed supervisor agreement, must be emailed to studentemployment@csumb.edu at least ten (10) business days before the expected start date. Positions requiring a background check and/or Live Scan clearance will require additional processing time.
• HR Onboarding: New student employees will be contacted directly by Student Employment with the Student New Hire Onboarding Process instructions, where the student will complete their I-9 employment eligibility verification, new hire paperwork and tax withholding.
• HR Review and Employment Authorization: After the student completes all required onboarding steps, HR will verify their work authorization and academic eligibility for student employment. Once cleared, the student employee and hiring department will receive the Student Employment Authorization Notice email from studentemployment@csumb.edu, indicating the student’s authorization to begin working and the effective dates of their appointment. 

Important: Students may not begin working until they receive the Student Employment Authorization Notice from HR.

International Students

If the selected candidate is an international student, the student must consult with the International Programs Office before accepting employment. Additional guidance is available on the International Programs website.

Unit 11 Academic Student Employment

Effective Fall 2025, the Unit 11 Academic Student Employment Packet should be used for hiring student positions covered by the Unit 11 Collective Bargaining Agreement. This includes hiring for instructional student assistant, graduate assistant and teaching associate positions.

Important: The completed Unit 11 packet must be submitted to studentemployment@csumb.edu at least fifteen (15) business days prior to the employee’s expected start date.

Unit 11 CBA Requirements

All open Unit 11 positions must be posted on the Career Development student jobs portal.

• The Academic Student Employee must be provided fourteen (14) days from the date of written notice to accept their appointment.
• Notify Student Employment as soon as possible, and no later than thirty (30) days prior to any Unit 11 employee orientation sessions.
• Provide written notification to all Unit 11 employees within the first fourteen (14) days of their appointment period if an evaluation will take place.

Refer to Article 2 and 6 of the Unit 11 CBA for guidance regarding conditions of appointment and discipline for Academic Student Employees.

Graduate Assistants (GAs)

Under immediate supervision, the Graduate Assistant assists a regular faculty member or the teaching staff with various professional and technical duties generally associated with the subjects or programs in which the assistant is pursuing graduate work. This work should not take precedence over the student's timely completion of the graduate degree program.

The Graduate Assistant is distinguished from those classifications used for undergraduate student help in the instructional program who perform clerical or other routine tasks, such as grading examinations, recording grades, etc., by the following:

• Graduate Assistants are provided part-time employment and practical experience in fields related to their advanced study.
• Graduate Assistants provide professional non-teaching assistance to faculty members.

Graduate Assistant work may involve supervising students in a classroom, workshop, or laboratory (where final responsibility for the class and its entire instruction, including the performance of the Graduate Assistant, is vested in a member of the faculty); training students in the use of equipment or other resources; assisting faculty with research and preparation of course materials; participating in the evaluation of students’ work; tutoring students; and other related work.

Graduate Assistants are not responsible for the instructional content of a course, selecting student assignments, planning examinations, determining the term grade for students, instructing the entire enrollment of a course, or providing the entire instruction of a group of students enrolled in a course. Graduate Assistants may not be employed to assist in a course in which he/she is enrolled, nor should they be consulted regarding the grading of their peers.

Typical activities of Graduate Assistants may include:

1. Assisting in the instruction of students by 
   • conducting small discussion groups related to large lecture or television courses and the like, 
   • supervising laboratory periods, 
   • workshops, 
   • production courses or other course activities, 
   • assisting by handling equipment, 
   • performing demonstrations, 
   • maintaining office hours to provide direct individual contact between student and graduate assistant, 
   • clarifying course material or course content for students;
2. Providing assistance to faculty conducting authorized research by 
   • collecting and arranging data
   • developing source materials
   • summarizing reports
   • searching the literature and compiling bibliographies
   • developing and operating research equipment
   • preparing and caring for research materials
   • assisting in the conduct of experiments, etc.; and/or 
3. Generally assisting faculty in 
   • evaluating student work and examinations; 
   • preparing course materials and aids, or 
   • performing other functions requiring knowledge and background beyond that generally possessed by undergraduate assistants.

Instructional Student Assistants (ISAs)

Under supervision, Instructional Student Assistants in this classification perform teaching, grading or tutoring duties for the majority of work hours in a given appointment in a given academic department or equivalent administrative unit over the course of an academic term. Assignments are made by an academic department or equivalent administrative unit by a specific supervisor at a CSU campus.

Incumbents in this classification work part-time (typically 20 hours per week) during academic periods and may work full-time during academic break periods. Incumbents may have concurrent assignments in other Student Assistant classifications as long as the maximum hours are not exceeded.

The Instructional Student Assistant classification is distinguished from other Student Assistant classifications by the nature of work performed. The majority of work performed in a given appointment in a given academic department or equivalent administrative unit over the course of an academic term by Instructional Student Assistants is tutoring, grading and/or teaching work while the other Student Assistants perform other duties, including clerical, technical, custodial, laborer or other work as assigned.

Teaching Associates (TAs)

The Teaching Associate classification provides currently enrolled or admitted CSU graduate students with part-time employment that offers practical teaching experience in fields related to their advanced studies. They teach university courses and may also assist faculty or teaching staff with various professional and technical activities. Work assignments are closely associated with their program of study or the academic department in which they are enrolled.

The Teaching Associate classification is distinguished from the Graduate Assistant and Student Assistant classifications by assignments that primarily involve classroom and laboratory instruction. Responsibility for a course may be vested in the Teaching Associate under the direct supervision of an appropriate faculty member.

Teaching Associates are typically responsible for:

• providing classroom and/or laboratory instruction, 
• making assignments to students, 
• preparing course materials, 
• administering examinations, 
• assessing student performance, 
• tutoring students and 
• determining course grades.

Also, incumbents may assist faculty with field experience, supervision, simulation exercises and/or research projects.

Student Assistants (State Side)

Student Assistant: CSU Guidelines

The Office of the Chancellor is responsible for the review, analysis and communication of the Student​ Assistant guidelines. To view the current employment guidelines for student assistants, please visit CSU Guidelines for Student Assistants (PDF).

Student Assistant: Classification Standards

Student Assistants are CSU students who work in various areas of a campus. Student Assistants may work up to, but not in excess of, 20 hours per week during academic periods and may work up to 40 hours per week during academic break periods.

Under direct supervision, Student Assistants perform duties ranging from unskilled to skilled and/or specialized, in a variety of positions that typically require the use of manual, clerical, public contact and/or analytical skills. Assignments have limited use of discretion and judgment. Work is regularly reviewed and may entail detailed instructions. Specific job duties are defined by the appropriate campus department.

The Student Assistant classification is distinguished from the Student Trainee, On-Campus Work Study classification in that the Student Trainee positions must meet eligibility requirements of the Work-Study Program as determined by the campus’s Financial Aid Office. The Student Assistant classification is distinguished from the Instructional Student Assistant, Graduate Assistant, and Teaching Associate classifications in that the Student Assistant does not perform academic-related duties such as instruction, tutoring, grading, evaluating, research or assisting faculty with classroom activities.

Related Documents and Forms

• Student Assistant Guidelines (PDF)
• Student Trainee On-Campus Work Study Classification Standards (PDF)