International students in the US can work on a student visa. We tell you where you can get a job, where how much they pay and how to avoid problems with the migration service.

The F1 student visa allows you to work 20 hours a week during your studies and 40 hours during your holidays. Without permission from the migration service, you can work on campus at the university and take internships from the first year of study. If there is not enough money, get a work permit outside the university and officially get a part-time job.

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On campus

Undergraduate students often work in the university's libraries, canteens, and laboratories. The average salary is $10-15 per hour.

You can find out about vacancies, leave an application and resume at the Career Center or the International Student Office. If there are no offers, the student will be on a waiting list and contacted when they become available. To avoid waiting, you can independently look for work in the territory of the university. If the supervisor likes the student, he will be issued out of turn.

Undergraduates and graduate students can get a job as assistants to the department or the professor. They handle paperwork, lead couples, or help with research. Assistants earn an average of $20 an hour.

To become an assistant in the department, you need to have high academic performance, complete a test task and show scientific articles. With professors, students agree on work personally. Usually, teachers hire those who are passionate and engaged in research in the same scientific field. 

Internships

There are two types of paid internships: Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT). You can work for them for no more than 12 months during each stage of study - at the undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels.

The CPT is often a mandatory university internship. Students are admitted to it after nine months of residence in the United States and can choose from the proposed options. The duration of the internship and earnings depend on the program. But usually, it is higher than when working on campus.

OPT is an internship that can be done at an external company during your studies or after you complete your degree. For example, an internship for three months during the summer holidays at the undergraduate level. Or take a break before entering the magistracy and work in the company for a year.

To get an internship at a company, you need to get permission from the USCIS migration service. Permission requires documents from the International Student Office and Designated School Official at the university. The Migration Service can issue a permit for up to three months.

After obtaining permission, the student independently searches for a company that will accept him for an internship. The salary depends on the skills of the student but will be higher than in other cases.

 

outside the university

Only those students who are experiencing financial difficulties can obtain official permission to work outside the university. This can be done in the second year of study with good academic performance.

To obtain permission, you need to collect documents about a change in the family's financial situation, the loss of a sponsor, or the poor economic situation in the country and submit them to USCIS. And also to prove that the salary from work on campus or internship does not cover all expenses.

This decision should be resorted to only in extreme cases and after consultation with the Designated School Official at the university. USCIS rarely issues such work permits, because it may doubt that the student has enough money to continue his studies, and will send him home.

Some students find informal work in the city: cleaners, and waiters in cafes and gas stations. Hourly pay will not be higher than on campus, but you can earn an extra $ 200-300 a week on tips.

Illegal work is a risk. It is fraught with problems with the migration service, expulsion from the university, and deportation. Or they just won't pay. 

conclusions

The easiest way to find a job is to find out about vacancies on campus. With a bachelor's degree, you can work in different departments of the university, and after that, you can get a job as an assistant in a department or with a professor.

You can earn more on CPT and OPT internships, but they are limited in time - no more than 12 months for each level of education.

Permission to work officially outside the university can only be obtained in case of financial difficulties. It is difficult and there is a chance that the migration service will send you home.

Illegal work is for the brave and the desperate. Therefore, it is better to work on campus and do internships.