On-Campus Employment

Academic Training is a J-1 work authorization that allows exchange students to participate in an employment experience. The employment experience must be related to the student’s field of study at Illinois State. It is the only way for J-1 students to work off-campus. The length of Academic Training a student is eligible for is 18 months or the total amount of time the student has studied at Illinois State, whichever is shorter. PhD students are eligible for a total of 36 months of AT. Students may be approved for AT during enrollment at ISU or after completing their program.

What is Considered On-Campus?

On-campus employment takes place on the school's premises. If you are applying for a job on campus and you learn that an entity other than the University is going to pay you, please check with your ISSS Advisor before accepting the job.

Finding a Job

View current student employment and graduate assistantship postings. You can also inquire in-person about employment opportunities. Some of the top campus locations hiring student workers:

Work Hour Limitations

F-1 Students

New students may not begin on-campus employment more than 30 days prior to the actual start of classes
May work up to 20 hours per week during fall/spring
May work up to 28 hours per week during official university vacation periods (see the Academic Calendar). If summer is your first or last semester, then it is no longer considered a vacation period and you can only work up to 20 hours per week.
Must have a valid I-20 and be maintaining F-1 status

J-1 Students

Need to receive written authorization from ISSS before you begin working
- If you DO NOT HAVE a social security number (SSN) then you should request authorization by completing the steps on the Social Security page of our website under the heading "How do I apply for an SSN?"
- If you already HAVE a social security number (SSN) then you should request authorization by submitting a J-1 On-Campus Employment Request in the ISSS Portal.

NOTE: These instructions are only for ISU sponsored J-1 students. If you are sponsored by an outside organization (e.g. Fulbright, SACM, World Learning, etc.) then you must contact your sponsor for information on how to request work authorization.

Must receive work authorization for each new employer (follow the same steps above to request written authorization before beginning each new job)
May work up to 20 hours per week during fall/spring
May work up to 28 hours per week during vacation periods (see Academic Calendar). If summer is your first or last semester, then it is no longer considered a vacation period and you can only work up to 20 hours per week.
Must have valid DS-2019 and be maintaining J-1 status

Remote Work

As stated in the Post-COVID FAQ (bottom of page 6), students can engage in remote on-campus work opportunities as long as the employer can explain how the student is providing services associated with the employment while not at the location of the employer. Please contact Human Resources if you have questions regarding the University's remote work policies related to a specific position.

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Calculating Your Work Hours

Definition of Work Week

F-1/J-1 students can work up to 20 hours per week, while school is in session. At ISU, the "work week" is from Monday to Sunday. Any work week that has an active class day is subject to this regulation, so you should limit your employment to 20 hours for that full work week.

Calculating GA Hours

Students with Graduate Assistantships have an assigned FTE stipulated in their GA contract. Your FTE correlates to a specific number of hours per week. For example, a 0.50 FTE is equivalent to 20 hours per week. Students with Graduate Assistantships also have specific dates stipulated in their GA contract. While your GA contract is in effect, it is counting against your hour per week limit.

Therefore, an F-1/J-1 student with a 0.50 FTE Graduate Assistantship cannot work in any other on-campus position, while school is in session and their contract is in effect.

Work During Breaks

During official university breaks, F-1/J-1 students are permitted to work up to 28 hours per week. The dates of these breaks are determined by the Academic Calendar. Winter break begins the Monday after the Fall semester ends and ends the Sunday before Spring semester classes begin. Summer break begins the Monday after Spring semester ends and ends the Sunday before Fall semester classes begin.

Students with Graduate Assistantships must continue to count the hourly equivalent of their GA against their number of hours per week during University breaks. For example, an F-1 student with a 0.50 FTE Graduate Assistantship during the Spring semester (equivalent to 20 hours per week) would only be permitted to work an additional 8 hours during spring break.

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Next Steps

Here are next steps after accepting a job offer.

Form I-9

All new employees must complete an I-9 form. The purpose of this form is to verify your identity and that you have proper authorization to work. You will fill this form out at Human Resources in the Nelson Smith Building Room 101. Make sure to bring: your passport, I-20/DS 2019, I-94, and Social Security card (if you have one).

Social Security Number

If you don't already have one, you will need to be issued a Social Security Number (SSN) soon after beginning employment. Please visit the Social Security page of our website for further details.

Taxes

You will receive tax documents in January for the purpose of filing your taxes by April 15th. If you have any questions, please contact the Tax Specialist at taxoffice@ilstu.edu or (309) 438-7677.

Working off campus is not permitted without specific permission from the International Student and Scholar Services or from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

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On-Campus Employment FAQ

How many hours can I work on campus during the Summer term?

If your were enrolled in the Spring semester and will continue your program the following Fall semester, then Summer is considered a vacation period and you can work up to 28 hours per week.

If summer is your first or last semester , you are limited to 20 hours per week.

Can I work on campus more than 20 hours per week in my final term, if I have a reduced course load?

No. International students in F-1 or J-1 status can only work more than 20 hours per week on campus during official university breaks.

Can I volunteer?

It's important to understand the difference between a volunteer and an employee. Some think the only difference is that an employee gets paid and a volunteer does not, but that is not true. Unpaid work can still be considered employment.

Whether the Department of Labor (DOL) considers you an employee or a volunteer is based upon several factors and focuses on the relationship between the employer and potential employee.

According to the DOL Fact Sheet:

Individuals may volunteer time to religious, charitable, civic, humanitarian, or similar non-profit organizations as a public service and not be covered by the FLSA. Individuals generally may not, however, volunteer in commercial activities run by a non-profit organization such as a gift shop. A volunteer generally will not be considered an employee for FLSA purposes if the individual volunteers freely for public service, religious or humanitarian objectives, and without contemplation or receipt of compensation. Typically, such volunteers serve on a part-time basis and do not displace regular employed workers or perform work that would otherwise be performed by regular employees.

F-1 and J-1 students are permitted to perform volunteer work that meets the DOL criteria without any prior authorization. Some examples include volunteering to hand out blankets at a homeless shelter, visit the elderly in a nursing home, or fold bandages for the Red Cross.

If you are unsure whether an opportunity qualifies as volunteer work, ISSS recommends you reference the Department of Labor website and consult with an immigration attorney and a labor attorney. The link here will guide you to a list of attorneys in the state of Illinois that specialize in labor and employment law. You can find links here to help you find an experienced immigration attorney. If the "volunteer" work you performed is later deemed by U.S. labor laws to constitute employment, then you would have worked without employment authorization. Unauthorized employment can impact your legal status and future visa applications and your employer could be at risk for substantial fines.

If the volunteer opportunity is through ISU, then you should consult Human Resources prior to performing any volunteer work.

Can I get a job as a cashier at a local fast food restaurant or as a delivery/uber driver?

No. F-1 and J-1 students are not permitted to work off campus without prior authorization. In most cases, off-campus work authorization cannot be approved until after you have completed one full academic year (Fall + Spring) and the work must be directly related to your degree program. Never work off campus before first speaking with your ISSS Advisor.

Visit our Curricular Practical Training page for more details about off-campus work eligibility.