Work-Study Overview
Work-Study (CPT) Overview
The purpose of a Work-Study or Curricular Practical
Training (CPT) program is to integrate real-life employment training with a
student's education
Immigration Service regulations allow international
master study students who are enrolled in an "internship" (also known as a
Work Study, CPT, Cooperative Education or Co-op program) to work in
internship positions for as many months as the duration of the program will
allow. Through the work study program, international students may work up to
40+ hours per week.
This CPT option is designed to give students
practical work experience in curriculum-related employment with local US
based corporations and businesses. For those who select the work-study
option, paid internship employment is mandatory, beginning in the
first semester of the first academic year of the student's program.
Along with the mandatory internship employment, students will need to take a
total of 15 to 18 courses, depending on the enrolled program.
Legal Overview
The option of Curricular
Practical Training (CPT) is for international students enrolled in any HTIR
participating school's master degree programs. CPT is authorized by
the U.S. Homeland Security Department for F-1 international students and is
equivalent to the CPT option for U.S. students.
F-1 students wishing to participate in an off-campus training program that
is “an integral part of an established curriculum” must first obtain work
authorization for Curricular Practical Training (CPT). The training,
which must be directly related to the student’s major field of study, is
defined as ”alternate work/study, internship, cooperative education, or any
other type of required internship or practicum, which is offered by
sponsoring employers through cooperative agreements with the school” (Title
8, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 214.2 (f)(10).
HTIR Work-Study Program is unique
HTIR work study programs have the curriculum
set up so that the internships jobs are mandatory and therefore, a student
must begin his/her curricular training immediately upon registration and
securing his/her social security number.
HTIR Work-Study Programs
students can begin working in their first semester of study. This is
very different than CPT programs at most universities where the applicant
can not start the CPT employment until he/she has been in school for at
least one academic year (nine months). Also, most universities do not
have a unique program designed specifically for the International applicant.
HTIR, in alliance with the schools, has created a unique program that helps
International candidates be successful in the United States workforce.
The international candidate will learn about resume building, interviewing
etiquette, U.S. customs, U.S. law in the workplace and English Phonetics.
By the time the candidate graduates from the HTIR work-study program he/she
will be a prime candidate for an H-1b job or a good job in his/her home
country
Gain
Practical Skills
The practical training
that students receive by working in a U.S. based company gives them skills
and experience that cannot be obtained in a normal classroom-only education
format, thus giving an advantage in achieving life goals after graduation.
Earn US dollars
The wages that are paid
to the students for their CPT employment are equal to the wages paid to U.S.
employees in the same kind of employment. Net earnings are retained by
the students and used for their personal or educational needs.
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