WORKING WHILE STUDYING :
Curricular Practical Training (CPT), Optional Practical Training (OPT), or Academic Training (AT). Please refer our Career section for more information about these programs. In the following section, we address the various questions regarding working while studying in the US: Most of the openings for on-campus jobs are available at the beginning of the semester. So, you should start looking for on-campus jobs much before the semester begins. Typically, students work at a particular job  for the entire semester.

In most cases you just need to provide a resume (CV) for applying to the on-campus job. For more specific jobs such as maintaining a computer lab, you may have to show prior experience working with computers. Some jobs may also require you to provide recommendation letter(s) along with your application. Student assistants are entitled for certain amount of salary. Typically students assistants earn about $5.50 and above per hour. The amount of salary depends on the type of job that you do, the department, and the university. In most cases you will be paid on an hourly basis. However, you cannot expect so much out of student assistant’s salary as it will be close to the minimum hourly state salary. Nonetheless, it will help you cover some of your expenses. You can only work off-campus if you get an approval from the USCIS / your International Student Office / your Financial Aid Responsible Officer, depending on the type of your visa and the type of work that you will be doing off-campus. Please visit our career section – work authorization for more detail. If you work off-campus without a proper employment authorization, your will be considered as working illegally in the US, and you might face deportation. Therefore, it is highly advisable that you do not do so.

WORKING AFTER THE COURSE HAS ENDED
Employment is the category most freely permitted by the USCIS regulations, and it does not require USCIS approval. However, although F-1 status includes an on-campus employment privilege, on-campus employment opportunities at most schools are limited. Even if you can obtain a job on campus, you may not rely on it to prove financial resources for the year, and often these jobs are not related to your studies. Many schools do require that you obtain permission from the International Student Office prior to accepting any on-campus employment, and may not permit such employment in a student’s first semester or year.

For on-campus work, an F-1 student is subject to the following rules:

• You must maintain valid F-1 status
• You can work up to 20 hours per week while school is in session
• You can work full-time on campus during holidays and vacation periods if you intend to register for the next academic semester.
• The employment may not displace (take a job away from) a U.S. resident

The definition of on-campus employment includes:

• Work performed on the school’s premises directly for your school (including work affiliated with a grant or assistantship).
• Work performed for on-location commercial firms which provide services for students on campus, such as the school bookstore or cafeteria. (Employment with on-site commercial firms which do not provide direct student services, such as a construction company building a school building, is not deemed on-campus employment for the purposes of the rule.)
• Work performed at an off-campus location which is educationally affiliated with the school. The educational affiliation must be associated with the school’s established curriculum or related to contractually funded research projects at the post-graduate level. In any event, the employment must be an integral part of the student’s educational program. Since your status is always contingent on your school’s support, you must seek guidance and clearance from your International Student Office prior to applying for or accepting any employment, and you should request their particular interpretation of any ambiguous situation. You will also need your school’s guidance to ensure that you file all appropriate forms with USCIS and receive any necessary USCIS approval.