Are you an international student planning to work in the United States legally after graduation? The good news is the United States immigration laws allow international students to get employment after graduation. However, they must follow the strict guidelines governing working in the United States.
Naturally, getting employment in any country if you are not a citizen is tough, and the US is no exception. The United States continues to require foreign workers, and international students who are interested and qualified are encouraged to apply. Let’s look at some of the top work opportunities for international students in the US and the requirements needed to kickstart your employment career.
Do international students need a visa to work in the US?
Yes. International students who want to stay and work after graduation require a visa to work in the United States. When you are still in school, your F-1 visa caters to your stay in the states and expires when you finish your studies. However, you can still use this visa to extend your stay for up to 12 months by enrolling in an Optional Practical Training program, an off-campus employment opportunity for F-1 students.
For those in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) industry, the STEM Optional Practical Training extension allows you to work for up to 24 months after graduation. Note that with these opportunities, you have to apply early enough as they could take up to 4 months to process your application. There are so many STEM courses that are eligible under this extension.
International students can also apply for the H-1B Visa (non-immigrant visa) granted for three years with an option of extending it for further three years. In this case, your sponsoring US employer will initiate the visa process. The visa application usually takes place every April and your employer has only one chance to apply yearly. There is also an option of the EB-5 visa allowing immigrants to become permanent residents.
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Job Opportunities in the US for International Students
There are many work opportunities for international students in the US, including entry-level roles to gain experience before transferring to other major roles. Here are five introductory on-campus and off-campus roles that you can apply for as soon as you graduate
1. Library Assistant
This role is mostly taken at the university campus or colleges as support staff. Tasks involved in this role include: helping the librarian to manage the library space and students, keeping books organized on the shelves, helping students and other staff members locate what they are looking for, ensuring that books borrowed are returned on time, and making book recommendations.
To qualify for this role, you must possess relevant educational experience, including higher education in the related discipline, excellent organizational skills, oral and customer care skills, the ability to work as part of a team, and the ability to carry heavy volumes or push book trolleys.
The average pay is 13.24 USD per hour with flexible working hours, making it an excellent option for international students looking for a footing in the US job market.
2. Call Center Jobs
International students can work as customer support staff at different call centers across the US. For this role, you will need to have excellent knowledge of the company’s products or services,
possess excellent listening, oral, and communication skills, be computer literate, know how to negotiate, have troubleshooting skills, and have an empathetic attitude.
The role includes attending to both inbound and outbound calls, responding to customers’ queries and addressing any concerns, informing clients or customers about the company’s new products, policies, or services, and updating customer and client accounts.
The average salary for call center support staff in the US is 28,499 USD annually. Call center jobs are excellent for honing interpersonal skills and preparing you for other roles that require you to work directly with clients and customers.
3. Campus Ambassador
This is an excellent on-campus role in the institution you graduated from because it involves promoting your university or college to other students interested in enrolling. Other activities include organizing events, developing strategic collaborations, and devising creative marketing ideas.
If you enjoy meeting new people, possess excellent communication skills, and are good at marketing, this role is also one of the work options in the United States you should consider. It’s a great learning opportunity as it provides a glimpse into working for corporate organizations helping you gain experience for your resume.
You also get to interact with other institutions and get special access to events and conferences, giving you more opportunities for networking and building your career. The average salary is 10.94 USD per hour for a campus ambassador in the US.
See Also: Best Universities in USA for International Students
4. Software Developer
Entry-level software job opportunities are specifically for STEM students under the STEM OPT extension visa. This role includes working with the senior software developers to build software by writing code and helping fix errors to improve the performance of different software programs in the organization. Additionally, this work opportunity in the US may include teaming up with various departments and customers on technical issues involving software design and maintenance.
To qualify for this role, you need at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related degree. You also need to be creative, have good knowledge of programming languages, and understand the software development life cycle.
The average pay for an entry-level software developer in the US is 88,385 USD annually. You have an opportunity to earn more as you gain more experience and explore other roles in the software development industry.
5. Finance Executive
International students who have graduated with an MBA are eligible to apply for this role. This could involve working for the university or an outside organization. As a finance executive, your roles include monitoring the company’s expenses, income, and investments. Other activities include monitoring financial and economic trends and liaising with other top executives to go through financial reports, budgeting and taxes.
An ideal candidate for this role should possess exceptional numerical skills, organizational skills, strong analytical skills, and a background in Accounting or Business Administration. Candidates with an MBA and those who have undertaken professional courses like CPA are highly preferred.
The average pay for this role is 104,700 USD annually. This role should prepare you for major roles like Chief Financial Officer or Finance Vice President.
To start exploring various work opportunities in the United States after graduation, you should make an appointment with any of the University’s career advisors before you graduate. If you’re looking to pursue postgraduate education as well, feel free to check out this article on how to apply to universities in the United States.
We hope this article on work opportunities in the United States for international students is informative and helpful. Feel free to visit our USA Scholarships Page for more information about the different universities and scholarship opportunities in the USA!
