Starting with the question if students can do part-time jobs in the U.S? YES! Students can do part-time jobs in the U.S, provided they work up to 20 hours per week while the school is in session and full-time when the school is not in session or during the annual vacation. As per the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the on-campus jobs must be located on the campus of the school or off-campus at the site of an educationally affiliated organization.
This mean if you want to find part-time job in USA as a student, the job must be located on the campus of the school or off-campus at the educationally affiliated organization.
The wages for the part time jobs are attractive. As per the U.S. Department of Labor, the federal minimum wage for covered non-exempt employees is $7.25 per hour. On average, the part-time job salary in the U.S. may go up to $20 per hour.
Some of the resources to find part-time job in USA as a student are career services office, student unions, networking, university departments, and online platforms.
The top part-time jobs for international students in the U.S. are campus ambassador, teaching assistant, receptionist, library assistant, research study assistant, department assistant, food runner or catering assistant, tutor or peer mentor, and sales assistant, etc.
How to Find Part-Time Job in USA as a Student
To find part-time job in USA as a student could be a time-taking and challenging process. Therefore, international students must be aware of the ways and resources through which they can find a part-time job in the U.S. Some of the resources in order to find a part-time job are given below:
- Student Unions: These can help you by providing crucial information about the upcoming vacancies and the process to apply for them.
- Career Services Offices: You can also contact the career services offices at your respective universities to know about part-time jobs in the U.S.
- University Departments: If there are multiple departments at your university, chances are that there will be several temporary jobs available at these departments. So, it is best to go around and enquire about the positions.
- Online platforms: It is advised to stay updated with your university’s official website or online community in order to know about job openings. You can also stay connected with the social media websites like Facebook to know about part-time job openings.
International students can also do online part-time jobs in the U.S. Some of the online part-time jobs are:
- Online Tutor
- Graphic Designer
- Coder
- Content Writer
- Blogger
- Translator
- Web Developer
- Social Media Manager
List of Part-Time Jobs in USA for Students
Here are the 10 most popular on-campus jobs that you can take up at American universities.
- Research Study Assistant – Research Assistant collects information or conducts research and assists professors for a particular subject. They also work with other researchers who require research assistants for any work. This job is particularly relevant and useful for those who wish to pursue a PhD or enter academia later on.
- Babysitter – Yes, this can be an on-campus job too! University employees, including professors and administrative staff, usually favor college students when choosing a babysitter, so if you like working with kids, check with your student employment office for openings available. Babysitters make good money (somewhere between $10-$15 per hour) and your hours will be used up differently on different days, depending on what age of kids you babysit.
- Barista – Most college students live off coffee as they consider sleep to be a luxury. With so many exciting things happening in their lives, coffee is the most in-demand drink on campuses. If you love coffee yourself, work at a barista and you will learn a lot about coffee, espresso, tea, and other drinks. You will be given employee discounts that will save a lot of your money on coffee cravings.
- Catering Assistant and Food Runners – Catering assistants can work in university cafeterias and restaurants. These jobs are well suited for those students who are pursuing hospitality courses as they can get a hands-on experience in catering. However, this does not mean that other students cannot opt for this job. Who wants to miss the smell of freshly baked cookies?
- Sales Job – Sales jobs are one of the best part time jobs in USA for foreigners since these allow the international students to interact with others. Not only does it help them in making some extra bucks, but also allows them to mix up in the new society. Students can work as sales assistants at the campus grocery store, bookstores, clothing stores, etc.
- Library Monitor – Responsibilities in this job include maintaining the decorum and a quiet atmosphere in the college library and supervision of study places. This is a job that will offer you a lot of quiet time to catch up on your own studies or to prepare for an upcoming exam. So along with making some extra cash, you will be making time for your academics too, or if you’re an ardent reader this job offers you a great opportunity to explore new works.
- Teaching Assistant – If you are devoted to your academics, you can apply for these academic posts. There are two types of profiles – “teaching fellows” are usually graduate students, whereas, “teaching assistants” could be graduates too but they have less formal responsibilities such as handing out and collecting assignments. There are almost no formal openings for this post, so you must network well with your professors for this post.
- Tour Guide – Campus tours are a popular campus activity in the US among prospective students and applicants along with their parents. Since the American campuses are huge in size with a lot of historic architecture of importance, guided and paid tours are just a way to know the campus better. You can take up this job in the second, third or fourth year when you are well acquainted with your campus. In this job, you will be directly reporting to the Admissions Department of your college. This job requires you to be outgoing and friendly in order to give group tours, personal tours, and talk to potential students about all that the college has to offer.
- Peer Tutor – The way you can tutor your peers and juniors in India, you can also tutor them in your USA universities. If your university has an educational resource center, there may be a formal tutoring position you can apply for. Colleges that place a lot of importance on athletic programs usually recruit tutors to work with athletes who don’t get enough time to devote to studies.
- Academic Department Assistant – This is primarily a clerical job where you will have to deal with paperwork sorting and filing. Ask your Head of Department for the opportunities available. Departments generally give priority to students within the field. If you work within your own department, it is a good chance to make connections and network with professors, along with understanding the functioning of your department.
- Campus Tech Support – Check with your computer support department for assistant job openings. If you are a computer savvy or majoring in a technical field, look for a job at your college’s computer center. All US universities offer tech support to libraries, classrooms, and laboratories so it becomes an important job position to hold. Moreover, you will be required to work only in case of emergencies, so during the downtime, you can focus on your academics.
- Production Assistant – American universities are known for the importance they place on extra-curricular activities like dances, concerts, comedy shows, and plays. All these events require a lot of backstage and technical work. So if you are interested in cultural performances, this is a great job which will get you paid and you will get to watch performances free of cost while you work.
- University Book Store Assistant – All universities have a bookstore on campus that sells course books, reference books, works of fiction, along school supplies. Not only does it come with the convenience of being on campus, but you may even get really useful employee discounts on books, stationery, or other supplies. You can contact the bookstore manager directly to inquire about job openings.
