Studying in the United States: non-immigrant visas are not allowed to work.

Many students want to work while studying in the United States, so that they can subsidize their families or gain social experience. But in fact, in the United States, people who come to the United States with non-immigrant visas such as student visa (F- 1), exchange scholar visa (J- 1) and tourist visa (B- 1) are usually not allowed to work in the United States. If American students work in violation of American laws, their student visas will be revoked after they are caught, and then they will be repatriated to China or even go to immigration? Blacklist? The consequence is that you can't set foot on American land for several years or even for life. Having said that, American students can still get some legal job opportunities on their own. As an assistant in the gym, my spoken English is improving gradually.

In the United States, every university computer room, library and gymnasium will recruit a large number of students as teaching assistants. When I first arrived in America, I applied for the opportunity to work in the school gymnasium. My job is mainly to distribute towels and locks to people who come to the gym to exercise, and to rent sports equipment. At that time, my salary was seven dollars an hour and I worked 20 hours a week. In the United States, the salary of on-campus work is generally based on the state's minimum hourly wage. Because the economic development of each state is different, the standard of minimum wage is also different. The minimum wage in Missouri where I live is $7.25 per hour, so my on-campus salary is paid according to this standard.

At that time, I was on duty at the front desk with an Indian girl, a Bulgarian boy (the main force of the school tennis team) and an American boy (the student reporter of the school newspaper) in turn. I had been in America for less than a month, and my spoken English was poor. I either don't know how to express what I want to say in English, or I can't understand what others say at all. Sometimes my colleagues will play a joke on me, but I can't understand their meaning for a long time, so I played a lot of jokes at work.

One day, I was on duty with a Bulgarian boy. He sent the dirty towels to the laundry, and I stayed at the front desk on duty. Soon, a tall American boy came. As soon as he came in, he smiled and said to me, hey, miss, give me a football! ? I immediately smiled and handed him a football. I don't know. The big boy stared at me blankly and said, I need a football. ? Although I knew the different names of English and American football long before I went abroad, when it came to practical use, I still didn't react and told him confidently: this is football! ? He repeated:? I need a football. ? Then I pointed to the football and said it again:? Football! ? At last, the American boy was completely defeated by me. Just then, my partner happened to come back from the laundry room. I explained the reason to him and saw that he immediately handed the big boy a football. It was then that I came to my senses and felt ashamed. You know, in American English, football means football and soccer means rugby. It seems that it still needs a process to apply the knowledge in books to real life.

Another time, early in the morning, I went to the early shift alone. A retired old professor came to the gymnasium for a morning tour. After swimming and bathing, she ran to the front desk and told me excitedly that there was no shower caddy in her bathroom. I have no idea what she means. I thought she said wedding candy. At that time, I was still thinking: do Americans still eat sugar in the shower? I smiled at the old lady, sincerely apologized to her, and grabbed a handful of candy from the candy jar next to the front desk computer and put it in front of her. I hope this will make you feel better next time you take a shower! ? As a result, the old lady was suddenly amused by me. I saw that she took a piece of paper and began to draw on it. I didn't know she was talking about a shower box (hanging on a shelf in the bathroom with shampoo and shower gel in it) until I saw the picture she drew. There is no shower box in her bathroom, which makes her very angry. She was supposed to complain about me, but I didn't know? Is it the right number? Successfully solved all her unhappiness in the early morning with a handful of saccharification.

I have a good time working in the gym. I learned a lot of new words about sports equipment and various sports, and also learned a lot of common sayings and slang used by Americans. I was the first China girl to work in a gym. As you know, I just came to America and want to learn English well, so everyone is considerate and tries their best to help me improve my oral English and adapt to the new environment as soon as possible. Working in the gym for a month, everyone will remember me. Every time I come to the gym for duty, whether it's the gym staff or the student professor who is still exercising, I will be warmly greeted when I see him. Americans are very friendly. As long as you are thick-skinned, dare to speak and ask questions, and are not afraid of making jokes, your English will certainly improve quickly and you will make many new friends.

Being a research assistant in the department is full of professional gains.

After working in the gymnasium for two months, our department sent a notice saying that Professor Flanders in the department had received a large amount of project research funds and now needed to recruit a student as a research assistant. Interested parties please submit your personal application to the professor immediately. So, I quickly handed in my application. It wasn't long before I received the employment notice. The research assistant works 20 hours a week and earns $880 a month. Because there are restrictions on the working hours of international students in the United States (the working hours can't exceed 20 hours per week), I have to quit my job in the gym.

Professor Flanders' research project is mainly to monitor and count the quality of Missouri higher education projects. This project is funded and supported by the Missouri Ministry of Higher Education, and is jointly studied by the education colleges of Missouri 17 universities. Professor Flanders is the general manager of the project. During my year as a research assistant, I learned a lot from Professor Flanders. The educational research knowledge I learned in class was quickly applied to practical work. Moreover, through my work, I have also made clear the research direction and purpose of my major. Professor Flanders took good care of me. Every time the project holds a seminar, she will take me and introduce me to her colleagues, the local education bureau and the national education department.

One year later, with the cooperation of Qi Xin of the project team, all the research data were released and the final research report was written. I made a vivid research report in the form of slides, which made Professor Genvrain very satisfied. She appreciated me beyond words. After the one-year labor contract ended, Professor Flanders recommended me to the dean. With her strong recommendation, I successfully became a research assistant in the department. As a research assistant in a department, an average of 20 hours a week will be assigned to 4 ~ 5 professors, and the work is actually more like a secretary. The job content is generally to help professors print documents and organize the materials in the department. As a research assistant in the department, the department will help you pay the tuition fees for each semester and give you a living allowance of $880 a month, which is a great benefit to me.

After working in the department for a semester, the vice president of the School of Education asked me to set aside 10 hours from the 20-hour work week to give her work. What is the vice president's research topic? What is the proportion of ethnic minorities (blacks, Asians, Latinos, Indians, etc.)? ) as a professor and administrator in the college of education of American universities? . I need to help her contact the education colleges of universities all over the United States and get the survey data. I have worked for her for three years from 2009 to now. During this period, I not only solved my tuition and living expenses, but also made some small achievements in academics (my name is also on the book published by the vice president). Colleagues who work day and night are the teachers who give us lectures in class. There is no serious and antagonistic teacher-student relationship in life. A professor is a teacher, a colleague and a friend. For international students, there is no more ideal job!

Being a Chinese teacher in a public school is both practical and life-like.

As a research assistant in the department, I don't have to go to work during the summer vacation, so naturally I don't get paid. In this way, I can only get nine months of living expenses a year, and the remaining three months of living expenses are not settled. So, before the summer vacation, I have to find a summer job to support myself. After studying in the United States for one year, international students can apply for an off-campus internship, but the internship must be related to their major and need the approval of their tutors and schools. After being signed and approved by their tutors and the international student office of the school, international students will be granted an internship license named CPT (Course Practical Training), which is a kind of internship license specially approved by the officials of the international student office of the school on the basis of the student visa and authorized by the Immigration Bureau. With this permit, international students can legally work outside the school. During the winter and summer vacations, international students with internship permits can work full-time and 40 hours a week.

Because my major is education, I can only apply for teaching and other jobs if I work outside the school. In 2009, I was lucky enough to apply for a job as a Chinese teaching assistant in a public school. The salary is $65,438 per hour, and I work 40 hours a week. I successfully obtained the CPT internship permit and started my Chinese teaching career. After the first summer vacation, my work unit spoke highly of my work performance. The following summer vacation, I didn't go to that public school as a teaching assistant because I had other things to do. In the third summer vacation, I became a Chinese teacher in a public school, and my salary rose to $27 per hour. During this period, many parents want to ask me to help their children with Chinese privately, and several Chinese schools in my city have extended olive branches to me. But because of the visa and identity restrictions of international students, I didn't agree.

After several years of struggle, I not only worked in the United States to support myself, but also found my own happiness. I got married here and became a permanent resident, which broke away from the restrictions of international students on working hours and work content. It feels like a fish has returned to the sea and can finally do what I have always wanted to do. Now, I still continue to be a research assistant in the department and also teach part-time in the local Chinese school. In addition, I have four Chinese tutors, and my daily schedule is full. I will work in several different places in one day, go home at night to continue my studies, do research and write papers, and go to the local Chinese church in the United States as a volunteer with my husband on weekends, so my life is very fulfilling.

Looking back on these three years of fighting? Foreign? In my work and life, my biggest gain is not how much money I earned, but that I learned more about American culture, got familiar with the rules and regulations and laws here, better integrated into the local society and made more friends. My life circle is no longer limited to classrooms, libraries and dormitories.

The United States is a country that stresses honesty and the rule of law. If international students are lucky enough to play? Black? Workers, once found, the consequences are unimaginable; Even if you are lucky and don't get caught, when you apply for a green card after graduation, it will become a stain on your life and it will be difficult to get a foothold in the United States. In fact, there are many opportunities for international students to work legally in the United States. Although the competition is fierce, others can do it, so can we. Working legally while studying abroad can also lay a good foundation for future career. Why not?