Employment

Students are allowed to work on-campus for no more than 20 hours per week, except during summer and holidays, then full time is permitted. As a new student, your on-campus employment can begin no sooner than 30 days prior to the start of classes.

To find a job on campus, you must reach out to different departments on campus to see who may be hiring. Some examples include: working as a safety aide, in the cafeteria, library, computer, math, writing, and tutoring labs, or even in the Office of International Education!

Departments Hiring On Campus

Berkeley City College Learning Resources Center

Berkeley City College:

• Andrea Williams, Career Center Coordinator: bcc-careertransfercenter@peralta.edu

College of Alameda:

• Stefanie Bradshaw, Director of Workforce System: sbradshaw@peralta.edu
• Tiffany Ghoddoucy, Intake Specialist: Tiffany.ghoddoucy@peralta.edu
• Main Office: coa-ncitiescc@peralta.edu

• Sarah Backes-Diaz, Career Counselor: sbackesdiaz@peralta.edu
• Raya Zion, Employment Services Center and Industry Engagement Manager: rzion@peralta.edu
• Susie O’Bryant, Career Coach: susieobryant@gmail.com

Merritt College:

• Sara Alturk, Counselor: salturk@peralta.edu (More Information)
• Cheryl Maier, Employment Placement Specialist: Cheryl.Maier@peralta.edu

• List of past OPT Employers – See where our students have worked previously while on OPT to get an idea of where you may be able to work.
• OPT Student Profile Form – Fill out to share your information with potential employers. (If you are an employer looking to hire an international student, please fill out our Employer Information Form here)
• Sign up for Berkeley City College Weekly Events and Announcements
• Laney College’s job search database EagleHire
• California Career Zone
• Focus 2 – A Career, Major and Education Planning System (Email bcc-careertransfercenter@peralta.edu for login information)
• College Central Network Services for Merritt College
• Streaming Job Fair – Weekly Employer Hiring Spotlight Series
• College Leap Internships for OPT students (More Information Here)
• Craigslist
• Monster
• Indeed
• Wayup
• Careerbuilder
• Glassdoor
• LinkedIn
• Google Student Internships
• UpwardlyGlobal – Free Online Courses for Your Job Search
• Volunteer Match
• Roadtrip Nation – School code “LANEY19”
• Other Career-Related Websites

RECORDING: Part 1 (Intro) / Part 2 (Presentation)
Resume Action Verbs 
Sample Resume 1
Sample Resume 2
Sample Cover Letter
5 Parts to a Cover Letter

1. First, log into your international student portal.
2. Once logged in, click on Student Requests & Documents and scroll down to click on the OPT Request icon on the right. If you do not see the request you might be outside the time when OPT applications are open. Please read through the application process carefully.
3. If you are interested in applying for PRE-COMPLETION OPT instead, please indicate that on your OPT request in ISP.

Please fill out OPT Request by answering the questions and click Done and Read through OPT Training Rules and Regulations and Travel information.

You will also need to attach the following documents to your OPT Application Record in GPS:

1. Petition to Graduate signed by a counselor. (Please contact Todd Shima, international counselor at tshima@peralta.edu for assistance)
2. A completed I-765 application (For Question #27, use (C) (3) (B) for Post-Completion OPT)- https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-765.pdf
3. Your most recent I-94 (which can be downloaded here: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/)

Please email Karla David once you upload it to ISP and you will then receive a new I-20 with directions for filing and all the documents you will need to mail.

Once you have done so, here are the documents you will need to collect in order to file for OPT:

• New OPT I-20 (Emailed to you)
• Complete the I-765 application (For Question #27, use (C) (3) (A) for Pre-Completion OPT or (C) (3) (B) for Post-Completion OPT) – https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-765.pdf
• Print off your I-94 here: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/
• Collect copies of past I-20s
• Copy of passport bio page
• Copy of F-1 visa
• 2 passport photos
• $410 fee to “Department of Homeland Security” by check or money order. You may also pay by credit card using this form – https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/g-1450.pdf
• Form G-1145 to receive E-Notifications of Application – https://www.uscis.gov/g-1145

You will receive an email with instructions on creating an SEVP Portal account. This email will come from do-not-reply.sevp@ice.dhs.gov. If you do not see the email, check your spam or junk mail folder. If you still do not see it, contact Thomas Torres-Gil to have the email sent again.

Try this link if you don’t get the email: https://sevp.ice.gov/opt/#/login

The SEVP Portal will allow you to update your employment information which you are required to report. As a reminder, while you are on OPT, you are required to report your employment related to your course of study within 10 days of being hired and are not permitted to be out of employment for more than 90 total days during your approved OPT period.

On the SEVP portal, you may also:

• View details about your post-completion OPT.
• Report changes to your address, telephone, and employer information.
• View and update data on all your employers in one place.

Any data updates you make in the portal will be sent directly to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System.

Please email Karla David once you update your employment information so she can create a new I-20 for you.

You will have several options to consider:

• Transfer out to another school – You will need to submit a letter of acceptance and complete our transfer-out process so that we can transfer you out before the date your 60-day grace period will end. Please keep in mind that your new program must begin within 5 months of your OPT End Date.
• You may also re-apply to our colleges for the next available term. To do so, you must re-apply to our college by our transfer deadline. Please follow the instructions on the How to Apply page to apply as a transfer student, and make an appointment with one of our admissions staff by visiting our Staff Profiles page to see what is required to return and inform them of your decision to return to our college.
• The final option is for you to return to your home country or submit documentation to our office informing us of a change of status. Please complete our Departure process in your ISP account for these options.

If no action is taken, your I-20 will be automatically completed 60 days after your OPT End date.