On-Campus Employment

Students in J-1 status need to inform ISSS prior to beginning employment so that on-campus work authorization can be authorized in SEVIS.

For Middlebury College Students

On-campus job postings are available on Workable. Be sure to choose “United States, Vermont, Middlebury” for the location and “Student” for the department. Student hourly wage amounts vary, depending on the position and your experience. You can familiarize yourself with the Human Resources Student Employment information by visiting their website.

As a student in F-1 or J-1 status, you must adhere to both the U.S. Homeland Security and institutional guidelines indicated below. 

Guidelines

• If you are a new international student who is in “initial status,” you cannot begin work until the start of the semester in which you begin your studies. This is an institutional policy.
• For F-1 students: You may begin on-campus positions without ISSS approval if your I-94 arrival record reflects being in F-1 status.
• For J-1 students: In addition to confirming J-1 status, you must receive approval from ISSS before beginning your on-campus job.
  • To request the ISSS authorization, you must obtain a Verification of Employment from Human Resources and upload that via the ISSS Document Submission form.  Select the reason for submission of “Other” and put “J-1 Student On-campus Work Authorization Request” in the explanation box.
  • ISSS will review the request within 3-5 working days of receipt.
  • DO NOT START WORKING UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION FROM ISSS OR THE START DATE OF EMPLOYMENT WHICHEVER IS LATER.  Working without the written authorization is seen as unauthorized work and would negatively impact your J-1 status and may require termination of your J-1 SEVIS record.
• All international students who obtain on-campus employment positions will be required to fill out human resources paperwork. This will include the I-9 form (to confirm eligible to work in the U.S. legally), which will require but not limited to the current Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 and I-94 arrival record.
• Only US Citizens and Legal Permanent Residents are eligible for any employment roles indicated as Federal Work-study - F-1 and J-1 students are not eligible for these positions.
• F-1 students can participate in on-campus employment throughout their studies as long as you are maintaining your student status.
• J-1 students can participate in on-campus employment pursuant to the written on-campus work authorization granted by ISSS before they begin employment and are otherwise maintaining their status.
• All students may not engage in work for on-campus positions when located outside of the U.S.  From within the U.S., students may be able to engage in their positions remotely with prior approval from Human Resources. This is an institutional policy.
  • J-1 Students may not be able to engage in remote work within the U.S. without impacting their status and should consult with ISSS before doing any remote work to determine if they can do this.
• All student employment positions are limited to 20 hours per week total, this is an institutional policy.
  • F-1 students may hold more than one position on campus, but the hours per week are still limited to 20 in total.
  • J-1 students may hold more than one position on campus, but must have written authorization for each position and the total hours worked for all positions authorized combined may not exceed the 20 hours while school is in session.
• Full-time work for non-student employment positions may be possible.  This is rare however and ISSS should be consulted prior to accepting or engaging in such a position:
  • F-1 students can work full-time (20 hours or more) during official school breaks (i.e., summer vacation and winter and spring break). Be especially diligent to understand when these breaks are as the official break period is based upon the college academic calendar, not the individual class/exam schedule.
  • J-1s students must request work authorization from ISSS to work more than 20 hours per week during official school breaks (i.e., summer vacation and winter and spring break).
    • Follow the instructions for J-1 students above to request an amendment to your current on-campus work authorization in order to increase the number of hours per week intended to work during any official school breaks BEFORE the start of the break.
• International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) recommends that new students plan to work only 5-10 hours per week (or less, depending on course load) during the first term. That way, students can determine the amount of time they need to complete their academic responsibilities and whether they can manage more hours in a campus job.
• All international students cannot engage in on-campus employment once they complete their programs, unless it is in their field of study and the proper off-campus work authorization has been obtained.
• F-1 students can continue to work on campus between programs if changing levels at the college, e.g., if you are moving from the undergraduate level to graduate level.
• J-1 students must consult with ISSS regarding whether or not they would be permitted to continue working on-campus between program level changes - a new on-campus work authorization request will need to be made if it is determined it will be allowed.  (NOTE: changing of levels is only done for Institute-sponsored graduate degree-seeking J-1 students.)
• F-1 students are responsible for ensuring they adhere to this guidance. Working more than 20 hours per week when school is in session may be perceived as a violation of status by U.S. Homeland Security and would result in a termination of the SEVIS record and the student’s F-1 status.
• J-1 students must adhere to the authorization granted by ISSS for on-campus work.  Working more than ISSS authorized would be perceived as unauthorized work and could result in termination of your J-1 student status.
• Once you have obtained on-campus employment, you must obtain a Social Security Number (SSN) from the Social Security Administration. The SSN is a tax identification number, and once you hold employment in the U.S., you must have a SSN to file your State and Federal taxes.
  • You may begin your on-campus position before obtaining the SSN.
  • You must obtain the SSN before the end of the first semester/term you begin employment. This is an institutional policy.
  • For more information about this process, please see the Living in the U.S. website and click on “Social Security Information.”

For Middlebury Institute Students

On-campus job postings are available on Workable. Be sure to choose “United States, California, Monterey” for the location and “Student” for the department.

Guidelines

• If you are a new international student who is in “initial status,” you cannot begin work until the start of the semester in which you begin your studies. This is an institutional policy.
• All international students who obtain on-campus employment positions must fill out the required human resources paperwork. For J-1 students: In addition to completing the human resources paperwork, you must also receive approval from ISSS prior to beginning your on-campus job.
• You can participate in on-campus employment throughout your studies as long as you are maintaining your student status.
• You are limited to 20 hours per week during the academic session.
• You can work full-time (20 hours or more) during official school breaks (i.e., summer vacation and winter and spring break).
• You cannot engage in on-campus employment once you complete your program, unless it is in your field of study and you have the proper work authorization.
• You can continue to work on campus between programs if you are changing levels at the Institute; e.g., if you are moving from a language training program to a degree program or from the undergraduate level to graduate level.

Once you have obtained on-campus employment (and written authorization, if J-1), you must obtain a Social Security Number (SSN) from the Social Security Administration. The SSN is a tax identification number, and once you hold employment in the U.S., you must have an SSN to file your state and federal taxes. For more information about this process, please read our Social Security Information.

Updated on 11/10/2025