Entry by Pat Patterson; from the October INTERNnetwork:
It is no secret that internships are becoming more competitive, especially if you are an international student who may not be completely assimilated into American business culture. For this reason, Gary Beaulieu, Butler University director of internship and career services, advises, âIt is important for international students to start looking for an internship early â as early as a year in advance of when you plan on interning. Also, begin networking immediately and visit your career services office early and often.â
Students need either an F-1 or J-1 visa to intern in the United States. We highlight the differences below:
F-1 visa: With an F-1 visa, an international student can intern as either part of his or her Optional Practical Training (OPT) or Curricular Practical Training (CPT).
General OPT Requirements:
- Employment must be âdirectly relatedâ to the studentâs major.
- Student must maintain lawful F-1 status.
- Student must apply for OPT before completion of all work toward a degree.
- Students who have engaged in 12 months or more of full-time CPT are not eligible for OPT.
- OPT is permitted for up to 12 months full-time in total. Part-time OPT (while still in school) reduces available full-time OPT by half of the amount of part-time work (if a student works part-time for six months, for instance, he or she can work full-time for up to nine months).
General CPT Requirements:
- Student must have been enrolled in school full-time for one year on valid F-1 status (except for graduate students where the program requires immediate CPT).
- The CPT employment must be an integral part of the studentâs degree program or requirement for a course for which he or she receives academic credit.
- Student must have received a job offer that qualifies before he or she submits a CPT authorization request.
- Studentâs job offer must be in his or her major or field of study.
Learn more about U.S. employment rules for F1 students
J-1 visa: With a J-1 visa, an international studentâs internship is referred to as âacademic training.â International students are eligible for 18 months of academic training with a J-1 visa.
Learn more about J-1 visa requirements
Consider the following tips for conducting an international internship search in Indiana:
Networking: As an international student, you should take a proactive approach to your internship search. Networking is one way to do so. If you are not familiar with networking, it is the process of developing and maintaining contacts with a variety of people who might be helpful to you and your career. Visit your schoolâs career services office to learn about upcoming networking opportunities. Also, access Indiana INTERNnet to view upcoming career events throughout Indiana.
When marketing yourself to potential employers, use your international status to your advantage. Talk about difficulties you have overcome living and studying in a foreign country as examples of your ability to learn new things quickly, openness to growth and resourcefulness.
Finding opportunities: When researching internship opportunities, you may want to begin by looking at organizations with an international presence, as they may have more experience hiring international students. You should also ask someone in your schoolâs career services office about which companies have a history of hiring international students, where previous international students have interned and if there are international alumni who are willing to offer assistance.
Additional online resources providing assistance in locating Indiana internships:
Remember, cultures and business practices differ from country to country. In the United States, resumĂ©s, cover letters and job interviews may be completely different than what youâre accustomed to. Check with your schoolâs career services office to learn more about American business culture.
For further reference, a great resource for international students seeking Indiana employment is the âInternational Students Employment Guideâ found in the âInternship and Career Servicesâ section of Butler Universityâs web site.
