Brianne Kong is a sophomore integrated marketing communication major from South Korea. Like many others, she believes that work experience is an integral part of university life.
But she hasn’t had the best experience searching for a job.
Kong said there were several times this fall where she was unable to get the job she desired and she thinks it was because she was an international student.
“If you want a high-paying job, you have to be fake: More extroverted, more interested, more ‘kiss ass,’’’ Kong said. “I have to stand out more for sure.”
Other international students have similarly struggled. With strict federal restrictions for both on and off-campus opportunities, international students said they believe they have a disadvantage when it comes to landing a job.
Legality of international students working
Those wanting to study in the United States must apply for a visa category called the F-1 visa, according to a U.S State Department article.
To apply for the F-1 visa, there are several steps required, including submitting an online visa application, turning in all required documents, paying the $160 fee and participating in an in-person interview with an officer in the U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
While international student enrollment had already declined nationwide by 11% during the Trump administration, the pandemic shutdowns and bureaucratic rules resulted in a 43% greater plummet last year, according to a May 21 Los Angeles Times article.
Kate Suryatip, student services and administrative manager at Pepperdine, manages employment paperwork so student workers are hired and paid properly. One challenge she sees international students facing is securing a United States Social Security number to be eligible for employment. Due to the pandemic, Social Security offices are closed for in-person appointments, resulting in severe delays, Suriyatip said.
There has been a significant decline in the number of international students that were hired this year compared to years preceding the pandemic, Suriyatip said. However, she said international students were not at a disadvantage compared with domestic students when it comes to employment opportunities at Pepperdine.
“Regardless of an F-1 visa holder or a domestic student or a permanent resident, all students are eligible to apply for jobs on campus,” Suriyatip said. “So there’s no discrimination on that regard.”
However, the struggles international students said they face tells a different story.
Federal Work-Study hurdles
Another hurdle for international students is what on-campus jobs they can apply for. Many on campus jobs are restricted to domestic students who have Federal Work Study, Student Employment Director Shelby White said.
The Federal Work-Study Program provides financial assistance for students with U.S. citizenship through work opportunities. The Pepperdine Financial Assistance Office determines Federal Work-Study awards for students. White said departments who hire students eligible for federal work study only pay for 25% of the students income — the federal government pays for the remaining 75%.
“I was at a disadvantage because I couldn’t apply to a job even if I was interested in it because so many on-campus jobs require students to be eligible for Federal Work Study,” said Sophia Mozhui, junior business administration major. “My visa restricted me from getting these grants or work study programs.”
Valerie Hyunh, senior business administration major, agreed with Mozhui that her ineligibility for Federal Work Study limits on-campus work opportunities. This makes the job application process for non-Work Study positions more competitive.
Both women eventually found on-campus jobs. Mozhui is currently working as a student worker at Smothers Theatre and has an internship with the International Programs Offices. Hyunh is currently a math tutor and president’s associate’s assistant.
Pepperdine Work Program opportunities
Senior psychology major Raica Kwizera said the biggest downfall for international students is they do not know of the variety of opportunities available at Pepperdine.
Pepperdine Work Program (PWP) is an institutional work program offered to students in need of financial assistance. To qualify for this program, students must be offered the PWP funds as part of their financial assistance award, according to a Pepperdine Work Program page.
Most international students who are searching for on-campus employment are eligible for PWP, White said. She said if students are not granted the PWP upon their arrival, the Student Employment Center encourages students to connect with the Financial Aid Office at Pepperdine to become eligible for this program.
“I think the biggest hindrance is that international students don’t know to ask for [Pepperdine work study] which allows them to be eligible for more jobs on-campus and the other opportunities available for them,” White said.
Off-campus restrictions
International students with an F-1 visa cannot work off-campus during their first academic year, but may engage in a Curricular Practical Training program (CPT) in the following years, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
This limits off-campus work experience as students can only work in fields directly connected to their majors, according to a Dec. 12 ICE.gov article.
There are a few more hurdles that international students may encounter as they apply for employment, said Marla Pontrelli, director of Career Education and Coaching for Seaver College.
“They have to be mindful of different parameters set up with their status just because of their OPT and CPT,” Pontrelli said. “Because there are very clear specific guidelines around that and it’s important for international students to be aware of those.”
Mozhui was not aware of the CPT requirement when she was applying for an off-campus internship with a start-up company this past summer, until she thought to check with the Office of International Student Services. Beginning the application late, Mozhui said the process was time-consuming.
“For [international students] to do something off campus, we always have to go through so many additional steps because of our visa and legal requirements,” Mozhui said. “It’s just generally a greater disadvantage for international students than domestic. They don’t have any paperwork.”
Her CPT never got approved and she was unable to participate in her internship.
Get “plugged-in”
While international students face more setbacks and bureaucratic hurdles than domestic students, some students also let general misconceptions hinder them in regard to employment.
“I thought international students couldn’t work during university,” first-year finance major Cole Jang said.
Jang said he wanted to gain work experience for the skills acquired during employment such as time management, independence and proactiveness. However, due to confusion on the legal boundaries of his visa, Jang did not apply to any on-campus jobs this year.
Acknowledging the obstacles international students like Jang face in getting work experience, Kwizera highlighted the importance of getting “plugged-in.”
Kwizera came to Pepperdine from Rwanda in East Africa with the mindset to get involved with her new community and take advantage of every opportunity. She is currently working as an intern in the Office of Admissions and worked as a technology intern at the First Republic Bank this past summer.
“Had that initial drive to find resources and take advantage of those resources not happened, finding opportunities would have been so much harder,” Kwizera said.
She now wants to help other students plug in.
“[I’m] still plugged in, still looking to serve the community as much as I can as a student,” Kwizera said. “But also [plan to] give back in the way that I remember I was given so much during my freshman year.”
Hyunh, like Kwizera, said she got her current job in the president’s office because she was proactive. While at home during COVID-19, she used her resources available to her in the community to help market her family’s business in Vietnam. As a result, Hyunh said the employers for her president’s associate position were impressed with her drive to get “plugged-in.”
Hyunh also touched upon the prevailing stigma that international students come from an economically-elite background, and therefore do not need the income provided in employment. Although she and others said the stigma is prevalent at Pepperdine, Hyunh also said this stigma helps encourage the “plugged-in” phenomenon.
“If you explain well enough on how you grow independently and want to earn your own achievements, gaining work experience should be fine,” Hyunh said.
Michele Lee completed the reporting for this story in Jour 241 in Fall 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Christina Littlefield and Dr. Theresa de los Santos. Dr. Littlefield supervised the web version of the story.
