USA Employment Opportunities for International Students
Off-Campus Employment -Curricular Practical Training (CPT)-Work and Study in the USA!
Students who want to work in full-time, PAID, off-campus employment, must
participate in a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Internship option.
The purpose of Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is to integrate real-life
employment training with a student's education. Immigration Service
regulations allow international students who are enrolled in a Curricular
Practical Training to work in paid internship
positions. Through CPT, also known as a work-study, cooperative Education,
internship, or co-op option, international students who are studying in a
U.S. university or college may work up to 40 hours per
week in
U.S. based companies. This CPT option is designed to give students
practical work experience in these curriculum-related employment
opportunities with local U.S. based corporations and businesses.
Graduate students may engage in internship employment, as early as the
beginning of the student's academic program, if they are in a program or
class where internship employment is mandatory from the beginning of the
students'
study. Along with the mandatory internship or CPT employment, students will
need to take a total of 15 to 18 courses, depending on the enrolled program.
Legal Overview of "Integral" Part of Curriculum
The option of Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is for international students enrolled in participating school's degree programs or classes. CPT is authorized by the U.S. Homeland Security Department for F-1 international students and is equivalent to the CPT option for U.S. students. F-1 students wishing to participate in an off-campus training opportunity must enroll in a program or course that is "an integral part of an established curriculum". CPT must be an integral part of a program or a course of study.
The training, which must be directly related to the student's major field of study, is defined as "alternate work-study, internship, cooperative education, or any other type of required internship or practicum, which is offered by sponsoring employers through cooperative agreements with the school" (Title 8, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 214.2 (f)(10).
Mandatory CPT
HTIR Work Study, locates graduate schools which have mandatory CPT. That is, the school has CPT opportunities, which are set up to have the curriculum require paid internship jobs and these jobs are part of the whole program or course of study. Mandatory CPT requires students to begin their curricular training immediately, usually in the first of the first year of study. This is very different than CPT opportunities offered at many universities where the applicant cannot start the CPT employment until he/she has been in school for at least one academic year (usually nine months).
On-Campus Employment
F-1 students are legally allowed to work at least 20 hours a week in on-campus employment. Students can begin working on-campus as soon as they have located a job. This type of employment can be any position that involves the school. For example, being a tutor, assisting a professor as an assistant, or working in the library are just a few of the many types of school employment opportunities available to international students.
Off-Campus Employment-Optional Practical Training (OPT)
Optional Practical Training (OPT) is available for students to engage in employment for one year after graduating from their bachelor or master program. Students graduating in a STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) can extend their OPT for an additional 17 months.
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