An Outline For Students Seeking Internships Or Employment: Fill & Download for Free

This is a great question. Nomad Credit recently outlined many things to be aware of for international students when looking for work on or off campus when in the United States. I believe the answer you’re looking for can be found below.Recently, we have detailed how international students on F1 and J1 visas can be employed while studying abroad in the United States. A common employment opportunity that international students on both F1 and J1 visas can explore is on campus employment. Receiving on campus employment is arguably the easiest path an international student can go in terms of employment opportunities. There are three requirements in order to receive on campus employment:The employment must not displace a United States Citizen,An international student can only work a maximum of twenty hours per week while classes are in session, but may work full time while classes are not in session or while the school is on a vacation or break period.An international student must report their work to a designated school official and have a certification letter to show to the Social Security Administration in order to receive Social Security Number.A few other important things to note about on-campus employment is that the employment must, with no exceptions, be affiliated with the institution or university that you are attending and must provide service(s) to the students attending that university or institution. In some cases, working for an educationally affiliated institution is allowed, such as working at a research lab.If you receive on-campus employment, that employment can begin up to thirty days prior to the start of the program that you are enrolled in. For example, if your program were to start on August 31st, then the earliest you could start your potential on campus employment would be August 1st. On-campus employment can be performed as long as you are enrolled in a program, or even if you have a pending application for a reinstatement or a change of status. However, it is important to note that prior to your performance of any work, the designated school official must be notified.A designated school official updates and maintains records for international students for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. They also help international students avoid problems and solve them when they come up. An example of this is helping international students work legally while on their visa in the United States.Some examples of on-campus work include, but are not limited to:Teaching assistant,Research assistant,Library student worker,Campus bookstore worker,Cafeteria worker.Again, these are just examples of what on-campus jobs would look like. This is by no means an exhaustive list.A great place to start to look for is at the DSO office, or office of the designated school official. Not only might they be able to point you in the direction of areas that need staffing, but they will help you make sure that any work your perform or employment you receive does not violate the rules of the current visa you are on. It is extremely important that you follow the guidelines of employment for the specific visa you are on so you do not violate the rules and put your visa status in jeopardy.While seeking on-campus employment, there are a few tips to help you land a job. First off, have confidence! If you are confident, that will show your interviewer that you are confident in yourself and will be confident in your work. Another tip is to approach a prospective employer, don't wait for them to come to you. It is always suggested that you reach out in order to express your interest in the position. Finally, it is suggested that you practice some common interview questions. This will help prepare you for the real thing.Although any type of on-campus employment may seem enticing (everyone likes a little extra money!) there are a few suggested things to look for in your prospective on-campus employment. You should look to make sure that the pay equals the amount of work that you are expected to perform. For example, one job might seem to pay less, but at that job you would have more down time in order to do school work while at work. It is also suggested that you look for a job that will boost your resume in some way. For example, a job that entails computer work if you are seeking a job in the computer science field or a related field can help give your resume a boost. Finally, it is also suggested to look for a job that can lead to a promotion, or better job.Having a job on campus can be a way to help pay for your expenses while studying in the U.S. If you need help finding other options to fund your studies please visit usat www.nomadcredit.com. We’d be happy to help you search and compare options for education loans or study loans, too. Please send us an email at [email protected] if you have any questions! We are happy to help.

Absolutely. I helped to coordinate many of the applications myself. There are some important details to keep in mind, though.Firstly, the US Government accepts new applications beginning April 1st each year. For many years now, the numbers of new applications have exceeded the government’s ‘cap’ on the number of H-1Bs it will issue. That means new H-1Bs are awarded based on a lottery system. It also means, as a practical matter, that there is an effective 1-day window each year when you can apply for a new H-1B visa (April 1st). Visas awarded through this process become effective from October 1 (if I recall correctly).Your situation will be different according to many factors, but consider which of the following scenarios seems most relevant to you:(1) You are hired by GS from another employer where you already hold an H-1B visa.Usually this one is the easiest, because you can typically transfer an active H-1B visa between employers without too much issue. The issue described above regarding the cap etc. won’t apply to you in all likelihood. If they’ve hired you, a leading employer like GS will help you secure the visa transfer.(2) You are a non-US citizen studying for your degree at a US university on an F-1 student visaThis is a common scenario in entry-level college recruiting. You are able to work for a US employer under Optional Practical Training (OPT), which allows you to complete the all-important summer internship and commence full-time employment upon graduation. Leading firms like GS will typically sponsor candidates in this situation for an H-1B (or another viable visa where the candidate’s specific situation allows). Note that, either way, the issues with the cap outlined above still apply, clearly, so there are no guarantees as to the outcome.(3) You are a non-US national currently studying or working outside the USThis one is usually a non-starter. If you’re a student, there is no viable path to obtaining a visa on a timeframe that will allow you to start with the rest of your class, or possibly at all. Unlike overseas students studying in the US, you do not have the benefit of OPT to create temporary work authorization. Firms will generally not attempt to consider or sponsor students in this situation. Your most likely bet would be to start work for a US headquartered firm in an international office where you do have work authorization, then seek a transfer. After one year of employment with the international office of a US firm, you become eligible for an entirely different category of visa, thus allowing you to sidestep the H-1B lottery.Disclaimer: the commentary here is based solely on my own experience and general knowledge in this area. It should not be taken as indicative of the current policy of any company. For immigration and work authorization advice, consult an immigration lawyer.

Currently, a college degree generally implies 2 things -- moderate coverage of a specialization area, and exposure to a set of general education topics. For many people, they really don't need all of that for the kind of employment they may seek.One change would be a better job of testing out of some of the basic courses and general education topics. That would require structuring the material into something other than semester long courses, but into smaller knowledge units. Some students might well test out of as much as 2 years of courses as a result.With a more granular organization, students might also be in a better position to learn topics on their own, or using methods other than regular classes. This would also allow summers to be spent on studies, or study along with internships. Actually, internships during the year could be matched with part-time education with testing along the way.Community colleges can provide many people with an adequate technical preparation in less time than a more traditional college. Material from a community college might also be structured to satisfy some of those module objectives I outlined above.There are social growth issues associated with a college education that are still valuable, but it isn't clear that a full 4 years are needed for that.Restructuring material away from discipline-oriented courses to multidisciplinary study could result in savings of time and appreciation of the interrelationship of various fields of study. My own undergrad was structured this way -- all the non-major core courses were interdisciplinary across at least 2 and sometimes 3 traditional fields. (This was the Alternate College, now Delta College, at SUNY Brockport, originally funded by the Carnegie Foundation.)Online courses and MOOCs might be an adjunct, but I don't seem them as a general replacement for a degree. I have discussed this here: MOOCs vs. Traditional Courses.