Q & A Table of Contents
Working In A Foreign Country
From: Raj, India
Question: I have a job at hand but since I'm an international student and permitted to work only for 15 hours a week, I might have to quit that job - could you guide me as to how could I negotiate ?
Response: It all depends on the parties with whom you anticipate negotiating. I see three- and-a-half possibilities: your employer, your school, the host country, and (the half-possibility) your native country. The following list of suggestions is in order of priority. You may want to consider whether my perceptions of priorities and yours are the same before you take any action.
If you are limited to working 15 hours per week, and if your basic interest is to gain money, then you might want to negotiate with your employer for a pay increase. If you are doing a good job and your employer needs you, perhaps that can work. It may be that working on weekends or at night yields a higher hourly wage than work during weekday mornings, for example.
On the other hand, if your primary objective is to gain experience, some sort of academic credit, or a good reference for future jobs it may make more sense to ask your employer to continue paying you for the 15 hours per week -- and volunteer another 5 hours per week (for example) to gain more experience.
If your school found you the job, or if your school needs to have you earning money to help pay your fees or living expenses, perhaps they have an administrator who has dealt with this problem before and can offer you ideas. There may be a governmental exception to the 15 hour limit which applies to students during the academic year. You might not be allowed to work in the country when school is not in session -- but you need to explore that.
The government agency of your host country probably has an interest in keeping 'foreigners' from taking jobs away from their own citizens. They also don't want 'foreigners' becoming a drain on government resources (welfare, medical care, etc.). You might work with your school's person who deals with foreign students to see whether it is possible to apply for an exception to the 15 hour limit.
Your native country is the least likely resource for you -- but there may be some sort of reciprocal relationship between your host country and your native country regarding work rules relating to short-term residents such as students. Perhaps your native country's consulate can give you information and advice.
Good luck,
Steve
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