Working on campus

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since I last posted, but end of the semester, holidays, and the beginning of a new semester took its toll on me. :) Nevertheless, I want to talk to you guys about employment on campus. What? You didn't know it was possible? Oh yes, it is!!

To be a student worker on campus you must qualify.  In your first semester, you must provide a successful midterm report to the International Office in order to request on-campus employment. If you have already completed your first semester, just stop by at the International Office and request a letter to show you are ready to work as an international student.  You bring the letter to the Career Center to learn which campus departements are hiring. 

Student workers are allowed to work no more than 19hrs / week during school session, and no more than 40hrs/week on school breaks. You must maintain your F-1 status and a valid I-20.

I started working on-campus during my second semester, and [un]fortunately this will be my last one since I'm graduating in May. The International Office was searching for bloggers, and I had an interview with the director and woot woot!! I got the job! :) Since then I have had the chance to interact with faculty and staff, and my networking started to develop. I ended up applying for a second job on campus, still at the International Office, as a student worker helping with administrative processes and helping international students with documentation, walking them to where their classes are, and so on. Working on campus has given me a great insight on how school is behind all the books and classes. I've had a chance to see how all the processes work from the moment a student apply to the moment he/she arrives on campus for their orientation day, and I have to tell you it is an amazing feeling to help them step by step during the process. It's rewarding!

I truly recommend on-campus employment to all my friends, and to all of you perspective students as well! It's a great opportunity to learn work ethics in the United States, an even greater opportunity for networking (trust me, this is extremely important for your career), and it's also a good way to make that extra money.

I hope I shed some light in this process. If you're more interested, or if you would like to ask me some questions, feel free to drop me a line!