Working opportunities for international students
Renee Savage gives a presentation to international students at DVC about the Curricular Practical Training and Optional Practical Traning, which lets international students get employment training and work at paid internship positions. Dec. 01, 2015.
December 12, 2015
There are multiple ways to approach working on and off campus for international students.
On Dec. 1 Diablo Valley College’s International Student Admission office (ISAS) held a workshop on Curricular Practical Training and Optional Practical Training.
Students in the F1 category can find employment opportunities both on and off campus work experience called CPT.
From their first semester at DVC, international students are able to get on campus work experiences such as at the library, student admission center, student union center, and international student admission office. DVC usually hires students every single semester. It is recommended to apply a semester earlier, because DVC wants to be prepared before a new semester begins.
There are also off campus working opportunities such as part-time jobs and paid internships through CPT during semester. Students are able to work off campus one year after they have registered at DVC, if they have maintained F1 status in an academic program. It is required that your off campus part-time job or paid internship is related to your major.
Renee Savage, an advisor from DVC ISAS office, said, “A first step is visiting ISAS advisor to confirm eligibility. And then it is required to have a job or internship before enrolling in this class because CPT course number and objective will be specific to a particular job.”
If you need any help, you can always visit the Career and Employment Services for employment information in the student admission building. The final step is bringing job offer letters to ISAS advisor for I20 authorization. In Fall/Spring semester, working hours are limited from 10 to 20 but in summer semester, it is from 25 to 37.5.
Through OPT, you can work a full-time for up to 12 months. To do this, you must be in F1 status for one year in an academic program at DVC. Also, it is required to earn an Associate Degree or Certificate at the time of OPT application.
Students may apply up to 90 days before programs completion and up to 60 days after. Then you must obtain employment authorization card from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service. The application process is more complicated than CPT. For more details, meet with ISAS advisors.
