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IT Internship In the US For a Foreigner?

Posted by kdawson on from the foot-in-the-door dept.

grk writes "I am from Europe, studying Business Informatics. I have plenty of IT-related work experience (from my part-time job and summer jobs) ranging from Project Management and Software Planning to Programming. In the 5th semester my curriculum has scheduled an internship for February 2009 preceding bachelor examinations and bachelor thesis. It will last for about three months. I would like to do my internship in the US, but I do not know how to start. Is it common to send unsolicited applications to companies in the US? Try the big corporations? Should I go for an employment agency? Which ones to choose from? What about the pay? Where I come from it is common to pay only a fraction of what your work is actually worth if it's called an 'internship.' Does this apply to the US as well? Any other recommendations?"

15 of 298 comments (clear)

  1. I'm guessing... by niceone · · Score: 4, Insightful

    But I would have thought the visa hassles would put most companies off doing something as short as a 3 month internship.

    --
    ccalam - acoustic versions of new songs.
    1. Re:I'm guessing... by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 5, Insightful

      But I would have thought the visa hassles would put most companies off doing something as short as a 3 month internship.

      Having been through the US visa process myself as a Brit I would have thought the hassle and expense of going through it would put most individuals off doing it and certainly for something as short as 3 months.

    2. Re:I'm guessing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I hear this often that no Americans apply for internships, but in reality they are never externally posted domestically, so no US citizens know about them.

      Its the usual ploy for more excuses to fire Americans for dirt cheap I-9 labor, when complete outsourcing can't be done in a department.

    3. Re:I'm guessing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I totally agree, 3 months is pretty short. I am from Europe too and did a 6-months internship in the US. The preparation for visa etc, took me almost a year. Well, I have to admit that I worked in the aviation industry and had to undergo some special security things which took a while...
      In my opinion, anything less than 6 months is (1) not worth the effort and (2) probably useless for any company, since there is simply no time to fully integrate you into their processes.

      As for the applications: I had absolutely no luck sending applications across the country. Only personal connections made it possible and got me connected with the right people in the targeted companies.

      If I were you, look for a European-based company with a branch in the US. Those are much more familiar with your (visa-) circumstances, and might have already done this type of internship before. I know that some "global players" (or whatever they are called) accept applications in the home country, but allow you to do your internship abroad. In those cases, they usually help you quite a bit with the visa stuff.

  2. talk to your university by thermian · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In my undergraduate university they had contacts with US companies looking for interns. Go talk to your careers office.

    Don't expect high pay, you are a risk, and they'll want to minimise it, and expect to work more then you've ever worked before. That's what you need to do to shine anywhere though.

    --
    A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.' - D. Adams
  3. Why? by eln · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It would probably be a lot easier to do your internship locally and then apply for a job in the US after you graduate.

    Hell, if your ultimate goal is to work in the US, your best bet is probably to do your internship in India or China and then market yourself to US employers as an "outsourcing specialist".

  4. Craigslist by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 2, Insightful

    http://sfbay.craigslist.org/

    Here in the SF Bay Area, most IT recruiters are always reading Craigslist looking for candidates, and many tech companies regularly post ads seeking interns. If you post your resume regularly and reply to open intern positions, I'm sure someone will take interest. Also, make sure your visa is in order BEFORE you begin talking with the company, otherwise they'll just consider you a waste of time.

  5. Re:What again!? by tkw954 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The differences between applying for a temporary working visa for Canada and one for the US are like night and day. I'd say the important question for someone applying for a Canadian visa is "which forms do I fill out?", while the question for someone considering a US visa is "is it possible?" followed by "is the time and expense worth it?"

  6. Don't bother with the paperwork by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I live in California, where there are Millions of undocumented workers. They seem to get along just fine.

    Especially in a sanctuary city, all of which have plenty of high-tech opportunities.

    I am sure a college educated English speaker would be protected from any embarrassing questions about their legal status in those towns, right?

  7. Good luck with the pay part... by damn_registrars · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Where I come from it is common to pay only a fraction of what your work is actually worth if it's called an 'internship.' Does this apply to the US as well?

    Here in the states, its not uncommon for interns (especially if they are still working on their undergraduate degree) to get paid nothing. And considering how difficult it can be to hire someone who isn't a US citizen, you may want to be ready to work for "the experience" (ie, no pay) just in order to have something to put on your CV.

    And then when you're done being abused here, you'll realize how much better the rest of the industrialized world treats its inhabitants.

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  8. Backwards? by fishbowl · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Wait.. Why would someone who has an education and presumably a future, choose to leave the paradise that is Europe in order to go *to* the US?

    --
    -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
  9. You forgot what aboot our special relationship! by ObiWonKanblomi · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The US has nothing to offer us that we don't already have.

    Hold up a second! You forgot to mention of our special relations:
    1. Trade. Canada is the largest trading partner of the US.
    2. Food. You don't get all your food from the great plains of your country. Otherwise you would have yearly fall harvests.

    a low crime rate
    What about the ethnic tensions you country refuses to admit? http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/11/america/montreal.php

    I'm hoping you'd reply by saying "that's another part of Canada". That'll make us sound even more similar. =)

  10. Re:Canada by Rakishi · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Canadians are very aware of how distinct we are from the US

    Given your post you apparently have little idea of what the US is like which makes me wonder how you can claim to know you're different from it.

  11. You are from Europe? Stay in Europe! by jotaeleemeese · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The US does not want you.

    They will make a pain for you to get a visa and if you have a funny sounding name you will be put in all kind of sinister lists and your laptop may be confiscated on arrival for no reason whatsoever.

    If you are from an EU country you can apply to companies in other EU countries (most big US companies have big offices in the EU) for internshios, since guess what? You are legally entitled to do so.

    I ignore which reasons you may have for thinking going to the US now is such a good idea, from the professional point of view you can achieve the same or better development by applying to companies in the EU. If you really must go to the US you can join an US company with the view to be relocated there eventually, or perhaps to travel there as part of your duties in a regular job.

    --
    IANAL but write like a drunk one.
  12. Re:I'm not xenophobic by linhares · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Stay home. IT jobs are getting scarce enough without you coming here and driving the demand for American IT personnel even lower. Please, it has nothing to do with your religion or your ethnicity or your cultural background. On a purely economic level: stay the fuck out.

    I'd go to America do start a company or to do basic research. The problem would be being surrounded by people like you, from the DHS to colleagues.