There are some things you have to do whether you are staying or leaving. Keep these in mind as you prepare to leave your school:
1. Get at least three copies of your school transcript. Find out how to get more copies if you need more.
2. Get contact information of classmates and professors.
3. Pay fees, return books or school equipment.
4. Check expiration date of student ID. This way, you know until when you can continue using school facilities.
5. Register with the alumni office. This way, you can keep in touch with the school.
6. Apply for university email (optional). Some universities assign email for perpetuity. Others may ask you to register. At NYU, you may apply for email that you can forward to your personal email. Why would you want this? It looks good in your resume and also proves that you studied in the university.
Work
Are you allowed to work?
You first have to find out if you’re allowed to work. If you have a scholarship similar to the Fulbright Scholarship, you will be required to return immediately to the Philippines after completing your studies.
In the United States, F-1 students are allowed optional practical training for a total of one year. This is separate from on-campus work that doesn’t require a permit as long as you are a full-time student. Practical training means employment in a field directly related to your field of study. There are two types of practical training, pre-completion and post completion.
Pre-completion Practical Training. As the name suggests, you can start working before you complete your studies BUT it requires you to apply when you have been in full status (full-time student and haven’t left the country) as an F-1 student for nine months (full academic year). Work may be done 1) during annual vacation; 2) after completion of all course work, while working on your thesis/dissertation/project; and/or 3) during the academic year while pursuing a full course load.
Post Completion Training. You can start applying for post completion training when your department can verify that you finished all the requirements for your degree. Again, you must be in status for at least nine months. If you took advantage of pre-completion training, and worked for three months full-time, you will only have nine months left (remember you are only given a year to work on the F-1 visa). And if you worked part-time for three months, you will only have ten and a half months left. Part-time work is considered 20 hours a week, half of a standard full time job that uses up 40 hours a week.
After applying to the designated school official (usually the international student’s office in your school), and they will issue you a recommendation for practical training, along with instructions to mail the documents to the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS). The INS authorizes the actual work permission, namely, the Employment Authorization Document (EAD). There is a $175 processing fee (confirm the fee since it might have gone up since we last checked) which you must pay directly to the INS. If the INS does not approve or deny your EAD application within 90 days, you may request an interim EAD. You can also contact the INS for the status of your application either by phone or over the web.
2. Get contact information of classmates and professors.
3. Pay fees, return books or school equipment.
4. Check expiration date of student ID. This way, you know until when you can continue using school facilities.
5. Register with the alumni office. This way, you can keep in touch with the school.
6. Apply for university email (optional). Some universities assign email for perpetuity. Others may ask you to register. At NYU, you may apply for email that you can forward to your personal email. Why would you want this? It looks good in your resume and also proves that you studied in the university.
Work
Are you allowed to work?
You first have to find out if you’re allowed to work. If you have a scholarship similar to the Fulbright Scholarship, you will be required to return immediately to the Philippines after completing your studies.
In the United States, F-1 students are allowed optional practical training for a total of one year. This is separate from on-campus work that doesn’t require a permit as long as you are a full-time student. Practical training means employment in a field directly related to your field of study. There are two types of practical training, pre-completion and post completion.
Pre-completion Practical Training. As the name suggests, you can start working before you complete your studies BUT it requires you to apply when you have been in full status (full-time student and haven’t left the country) as an F-1 student for nine months (full academic year). Work may be done 1) during annual vacation; 2) after completion of all course work, while working on your thesis/dissertation/project; and/or 3) during the academic year while pursuing a full course load.
Post Completion Training. You can start applying for post completion training when your department can verify that you finished all the requirements for your degree. Again, you must be in status for at least nine months. If you took advantage of pre-completion training, and worked for three months full-time, you will only have nine months left (remember you are only given a year to work on the F-1 visa). And if you worked part-time for three months, you will only have ten and a half months left. Part-time work is considered 20 hours a week, half of a standard full time job that uses up 40 hours a week.
After applying to the designated school official (usually the international student’s office in your school), and they will issue you a recommendation for practical training, along with instructions to mail the documents to the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS). The INS authorizes the actual work permission, namely, the Employment Authorization Document (EAD). There is a $175 processing fee (confirm the fee since it might have gone up since we last checked) which you must pay directly to the INS. If the INS does not approve or deny your EAD application within 90 days, you may request an interim EAD. You can also contact the INS for the status of your application either by phone or over the web.
So what does this all mean? You have to time finding a job and getting the EAD.
Once you are given permission to work in January and you only found work in March, you will only have ten months of practical training left. You are not allowed to begin legal employment until it has been authorized by the INS.
If this will be the first time you will work, you probably don’t have a social security card. You have to apply for this before you graduate. The process isn’t as tedious as getting an EAD. But don’t think you can start working as long as you have a Social Security Number, the card will say, “Valid for work only with INS authorization.”
Consult with your school’s office for international students for details. And as the INS also requires approval from them dealing with them will be unavoidable.
Once you are given permission to work in January and you only found work in March, you will only have ten months of practical training left. You are not allowed to begin legal employment until it has been authorized by the INS.
If this will be the first time you will work, you probably don’t have a social security card. You have to apply for this before you graduate. The process isn’t as tedious as getting an EAD. But don’t think you can start working as long as you have a Social Security Number, the card will say, “Valid for work only with INS authorization.”
Consult with your school’s office for international students for details. And as the INS also requires approval from them dealing with them will be unavoidable.
If you need work authorization, there is no sense concealing the fact that you don’t have it because you are not going to gain anything from it.—Felipe Estrella, Columbia School of Business, New York
In Australia, students and their dependents will only be able to apply for a student visa with work rights after they arrive and the student has commenced their course of study. This visa allows the student to work 20 hours a week while studying. After you complete your studies, you will have to check if you can apply for any of the following: Skilled Independent Overseas Student, or Skilled Sponsored Overseas Student. You have to satisfy basic requirements and accumulate enough points to qualify. According to the GradLink website, some of the basic requirements are the following:
1. Skill. All applicants must meet Australian standards for an occupation nominated from the Skilled Occupations list.
2. Age. All applicants must be under 45 at the time of lodging their immigration application.
3. English Language Ability.
4. Have applied for residency within six months of completion of their courses.
5. Have passed the points test.
If you are a student in Japan and want to work there, you will have to apply for a change in your status-of-residence. One of the requirements includes getting the following documents from your employer: copy of employment contract (should clearly state what kind of work you will engage in, the duration of your employment and remuneration), copies of the company registration (issued within three months of application) and financial statements, and corporate guide (one that clearly describes the content of your employer’s business). After you submit the necessary documents the immigration bureau will make an examination and notify you by mail regarding the outcome.
1. Skill. All applicants must meet Australian standards for an occupation nominated from the Skilled Occupations list.
2. Age. All applicants must be under 45 at the time of lodging their immigration application.
3. English Language Ability.
4. Have applied for residency within six months of completion of their courses.
5. Have passed the points test.
If you are a student in Japan and want to work there, you will have to apply for a change in your status-of-residence. One of the requirements includes getting the following documents from your employer: copy of employment contract (should clearly state what kind of work you will engage in, the duration of your employment and remuneration), copies of the company registration (issued within three months of application) and financial statements, and corporate guide (one that clearly describes the content of your employer’s business). After you submit the necessary documents the immigration bureau will make an examination and notify you by mail regarding the outcome.
My parents didn’t want me to work in Japan. On hindsight, it was a good decision. Most of my friends who stayed are stuck teaching English. Women do routine secretarial work, including making coffee for their bosses. Certainly not a good thing for me.—Bibi Choa, Sophia University, Tokyo
In Europe, Filipinos are generally not allowed to work full-time and may need to change status if you want to work after graduation. In the UK, students who are not members of a European Economic Area (EEA) are allowed to work if the hours and type of work you do are:
1. Student must not work for more than 20 hours per week during term time except where the placement is a necessary part of the education institution.
2. Student must not engage in business, self-employment or the provision of a service as a professional sportsperson or entertainer.
3. They must not pursue a career by filling a permanent, full-time vacancy.
However, there are positions called “shortage occupations” where an employer can apply for a work permit, to enable them to offer a job to someone who would otherwise not be allowed to work in Great Britain. The list frequently changes but here is a sample of “shortage occupations”: Electronic Engineers and Physicists specialists, Railway Engineers, Structural/Bridge Engineers, Transportation and Highways Engineers, Doctors (specialists in Accident and Emergency, Ophthalmology, Nuclear Medicine, etc.), General Healthcare, Nurses, Information Technology, Actuaries, CAA Licenses Aircraft Engineers, Teachers and Veterinary Surgeons.
International Organizations
Another alternative is to work for an international organization that can sponsor your visa. Some of the more popular international organizations are: United Nations (UN), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organization (WTO), ADB (Asian Development Bank), and International Labour Organization (ILO).
The Job Search
It’s a competitive world out there. Even with a graduate degree, you will soon discover it’s not enough to get you hired. It’s safe to assume that your prospective employer will know very little about the Philippines. Don’t be offended if graduating with honors from a top Philippine university has no impact.
1. Student must not work for more than 20 hours per week during term time except where the placement is a necessary part of the education institution.
2. Student must not engage in business, self-employment or the provision of a service as a professional sportsperson or entertainer.
3. They must not pursue a career by filling a permanent, full-time vacancy.
However, there are positions called “shortage occupations” where an employer can apply for a work permit, to enable them to offer a job to someone who would otherwise not be allowed to work in Great Britain. The list frequently changes but here is a sample of “shortage occupations”: Electronic Engineers and Physicists specialists, Railway Engineers, Structural/Bridge Engineers, Transportation and Highways Engineers, Doctors (specialists in Accident and Emergency, Ophthalmology, Nuclear Medicine, etc.), General Healthcare, Nurses, Information Technology, Actuaries, CAA Licenses Aircraft Engineers, Teachers and Veterinary Surgeons.
International Organizations
Another alternative is to work for an international organization that can sponsor your visa. Some of the more popular international organizations are: United Nations (UN), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organization (WTO), ADB (Asian Development Bank), and International Labour Organization (ILO).
The Job Search
It’s a competitive world out there. Even with a graduate degree, you will soon discover it’s not enough to get you hired. It’s safe to assume that your prospective employer will know very little about the Philippines. Don’t be offended if graduating with honors from a top Philippine university has no impact.
Titchie: A degree from the University of the Philippines didn’t mean anything. Working at a top television company, ABS-CBN also had no impact. It was difficult to distinguish yourself among your fellow jobseekers, especially if they studied in the US schools and worked in US companies. Even if I had years of production work in the Philippines, my three-month internship at Nickelodeon had more weight than that.
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