I am writing to express my concerns about limited job opportunities for international students at De Anza College. I am a De Anza international student and I really enjoy the way things work here in the school environment.

International students are restricted to on-campus employment and are not permitted to work more than 19 hours per week, otherwise they will be violating the law and lose their legal F1 status.

Jing, 17, said that her family has saved up all their life for her to go to college without needing to get a loan. She is one of a few thousand international students here who find it difficult to make ends meet, because the cost of living in Silicon Valley is so high.

“I have applied to every job there is on campus but I haven’t heard anything back,” Jing said. “Although the main purpose for me to come here is to study, I could financially support myself by getting a job to lighten the burden of my parents.”

These are some things I propose to solve this issue. In the hiring process, the employer should host an interview to see if they really qualify, meet a certain GPA requirement and provide a trial period before starting work instead of coldly declining them immediately when asked for job vacancies. Having more job opportunities available for international students will not only help them solve their financial burden, but also help them to be more mature and experienced in the real world. Students will socialize with other students while working, so the campus will be more diversified with more social interactions among students from all walks of life.

If this problem is resolved, the more motivated we will be to strive to learn, socialize and improve ourselves in this large community at De Anza.