By: Saad Hirani at UC Berkeley
An important part of managing life in college as an international student is being able to save money or contribute to tuition.
International fees are almost thrice as much as in-state fees for students who study in the U.S., and can often be a huge financial burden.
Obtaining an on campus job can help decrease this stress and is often a primary source for international students. A variety of jobs are available at universities, which try to make use of student employment to decrease their wage bills.
An important part of managing life in college as an international student is being able to save money or contribute to tuition.
International fees are almost thrice as much as in-state fees for students who study in the U.S., and can often be a huge financial burden.
Obtaining an on campus job can help decrease this stress and is often a primary source for international students. A variety of jobs are available at universities, which try to make use of student employment to decrease their wage bills.
Those interested in pursuing field related jobs can often apply for undergraduate research, or other skill related jobs in specific departments at colleges.
Tutoring jobs are also widely offered at many colleges, such as UC Berkeley.
As an international student, I believe the most important consideration for an on campus job is that they do not require a work authorization, such as CPT (Critical Practical Training). This allows students to earn money without having to worry about being enrolled in a CPT course and losing their OPT (Optical Practical Training) privileges if they work too many hours.
CPT is offered to international students as a temporary permission to work in an occupation that is directly related to the student’s major; the student must also be enrolled in a class that requires this type of training.
OPT is offered to international graduate and undergraduate students as the opportunity to work legally in the U.S. for a year.
In addition, these types of jobs can also help you attain a social security number, since you would be receiving a paycheck.
For these reasons, working on-campus is highly recommended for international students.
Although work requirements and eligibilities tend to be restricted, in public universities and larger private schools, several opportunities exist for international students to ease their finances while studying abroad.
Relevant Sources:
Tutoring jobs are also widely offered at many colleges, such as UC Berkeley.
As an international student, I believe the most important consideration for an on campus job is that they do not require a work authorization, such as CPT (Critical Practical Training). This allows students to earn money without having to worry about being enrolled in a CPT course and losing their OPT (Optical Practical Training) privileges if they work too many hours.
CPT is offered to international students as a temporary permission to work in an occupation that is directly related to the student’s major; the student must also be enrolled in a class that requires this type of training.
OPT is offered to international graduate and undergraduate students as the opportunity to work legally in the U.S. for a year.
In addition, these types of jobs can also help you attain a social security number, since you would be receiving a paycheck.
For these reasons, working on-campus is highly recommended for international students.
Although work requirements and eligibilities tend to be restricted, in public universities and larger private schools, several opportunities exist for international students to ease their finances while studying abroad.
Relevant Sources:
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