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Types of Employment Available in USA Universities and Colleges
Work and Study in the USA
On-campus paid employment:
International students are allowed to work up to 20 hours per week, beginning in the first year, for on-campus employment.
Off-campus FIRST YEAR Curricular Practical Training (CPT):
Paid employment or internships up to 40 hours per week, as early as the first semester of study. This is authorized by SEVIS only for graduate students at universities where such employment is a mandatory component of the curriculum and is required to begin immediately.
Off-campus Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or internships:
Up to 40 hours per week of off-campus paid employment starting after one year of study. This is authorized by SEVIS if Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is offered by the university and is an integral part of the curriculum.
Optional Practical Training (OPT):
Students who graduate from a US university or college are allowed to participate in employment for one year after graduation. Students need to apply for OPT through the schooll. Students graduating from STEM majors are allowed an extra year of OPT.
Read more about work options in U.S. colleges and universities
How to earn money in the U.S. while going to school
Work Study paid internship options are a big draw for international students interested in pursuing a higher education degree. These internships provide both real life learning in conjunction with their studies at the university, as well as earning money to help pay for tuition and living arrangements. What makes HTIR options unique from most other study abroad programs is that the universities HTIR works with have establish mandatory curricular practical training (CPT) options, which legally allow students to being working in off-campus paid employment immediately
Students participate in a CPT internship program are able to not only gain valuable work experience, but also are able to earn U.S. wages to help pay for their educational and living expenses. [Read more of this article …]
Why are Students Interested in the Work Study Option?
When students are asked why they are interested in a Master's Work Study program, this is what they say: I will have better job prospects with a higher educational degree. I can acquire work experience. I can help pay for the cost of my education. I can make international friends and be of greater value to the workforce in my home country. [Read more of this article …]
U.S. Employment Article by Jon Cleary
Are you a glass half full or half empty person? It is a very important question if you are trying to decide if you should enroll in the Curriculum Practical Training (CPT) here in the United States. Why is this question so important? It is important because of the current state of not only the U.S. economy but the global economy. If you listen to any of the news outlets that cover the U.S. economy it would be very hard to believe that anything is going good for the economy here in the United States. [Read more of this article …]