Employment

What is Employment?

"Employment" means the performance of services on either a part-time or full-time basis for compensation, financial or otherwise, including self-employment. Although investing is not considered employment, working in a business in which a student is an investor is considered employment.

Full-time J-1 students may engage in two types of employment: (1) academic training related to your course of study, and (2) other employment related to academic funding, on-campus work, or economic necessity.

On-Campus Employment

On-campus employment is defined as employment (1) located on the University premises or (2) at an off-campus location which is educationally affiliated with the school. J-1 students with a UMCP DS-2019 may accept employment on the College Park campus after receiving approval from IES, provided that the student is enrolled in a full course of study. On-campus employment is limited to 20 hours per week during the semester and 40 hours during vacation breaks.

 

(1) University premises employment
On-campus employment primarily refers to positions paid by UMCP. Unless the on-campus employment is funded by an assistantship, fellowship or scholarship, you must receive written authorization from IES before beginning work.  Employment with outside organizations which are physically located on this campus may be considered on-campus employment only if they provide direct services to students (such as the bookstore or dining services). Employment with an outside contractor which does not provide services to students is considered off-campus employment (such as a construction company building a new structure on campus).

Bring in the following documents to receive authorization

• Job offer letter
• J-1 Student Employment Approval
• Exchange students must receive permission from their academic advisor before working on campus.
  

(2) Educationally-affiliated off-campus locations
To determine whether an off-campus location is educationally affiliated with the institution, USCIS looks to see whether the affiliation is associated with the University’s established curriculum or related to contractually funded research projects at the post-graduate level. In this case, the employment must be directly related to the student’s educational program. Students interested in this employment will need clearance from IES to establish and document the contractual relationship between the employer and the University. Contact IES for more information.

Academic Training

Academic Training (AT) is the name that the U.S. Department of State uses for certain types of study-related, off-campus internships for students in J-1 status. It is available both before and after the completion of your program of study. You must obtain Academic Training authorization BEFORE you begin working.

Volunteering

In order to volunteer, the position must be unpaid and classified as a volunteer position . Typical volunteer opportunities include school fund raisers or volunteering for a public service. A position that would normally be paid is not considered a volunteer opportunity. Please refer to the Fair Labor Standards Act for more information.