Going to college is fun, however, it is quite expensive and usually, American students would try to find a job during their college career to support them with expenses. As International students, we can also do it too. I am writing today to tell you guys my experience of working  on campus as an international student.

I moved to the University of Cincinnati (UC) in August 2019 after spending my summer in Vietnam with my family. During my high school years in the U.S, I found out students like me can also work on college campuses to have a financial income. Therefore, during my summer, I spent time looking on uc.edu/jobs website to see what opportunities are there for International Students. Once I went to UC, one of my priorities was to make connections and also from my friends, I found out some information about jobs availability. I applied and failed the first time, but found out about the Student Ambassador position at the International Admissions and got accepted to work my second semester of my freshman year.

After I got the job, there was some paperwork I needed to do before I could officially start working. I first had to make an appointment with UC International Services to register for the system. The paperwork required was mainly my passport. I-20, visa and I-94. This process only took me less than 2 weeks since I got the job offer. Then, I just needed to go downtown to get my Social Security Number and after that I am good to go. The good thing is that all of these processes are free of charge! 

Working as a Student Ambassador is an amazing opportunity. Not only do I get paid to work here but I also learn a lot of administrative skills and have the opportunity to work in a professional office setting with other Ambassadors and Staff. We do a lot of fun projects together such as making YouTube video about International Students trying American snacks to go to different events on campus together. Besides all of the external growth, I also notice having a job also makes me more responsible. For example, I have to learn how to manage my time well between classes and work.

There are a lot of opportunities to work at the University of Cincinnati as a student worker just like me. One give away tip is that connections will take you a long way so don’t be shy and be involved on campus.