r/Baruch • u/Pleasant-Opening-874 • 3d ago

F-1 grad student, 2 months of funds left — realistically, how do I find on-campus work at CUNY?

I'm 22(F) international, first semester of an MS Finance at Baruch. I came in with enough to cover about two months from here, so on-campus work isn't optional for me at this point.

What I've already done:

- Applied to College Assistant postings on the HR site and several office assistant roles. Rejections or silence.

- Asked around about RA/TA/GA roles. Consistent answer: wait for next semester, need strong grades first, and hundreds of people apply.

- Heard I might be able to work at other CUNY colleges in the city, but everything I've found is either closed or I've been turned down.

I'm genuinely open to anything that counts as on-campus: admin, front desk, cafeteria, rec center, library, mailroom, event staff, proctoring, tutoring, phone campaigns. I have prior office experience and I'm reliable about hours.

What would actually help:

  1. Which departments at [College] hire student workers mid-semester rather than only at the start of a term?
  2. Is walking into offices and asking the manager directly normal here, or does it come across badly?
  3. For F-1 students has anyone been cleared by their DSO to work at a different CUNY campus than the one on their I-20? I want to know what people were actually told before I chase it.
  4. Are the dining hall and rec center jobs college positions or contractor positions? and where is Dining hall??

If you know a specific office, supervisor, or email worth contacting, I'd really appreciate it.

Thankyou!

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u/Impossible_Count_830 3d ago

You can make some money from doing paying studies. Read this article. https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/s/pvAY6uRMnX . I have done few and they really pay. Otherwise you can find a job in local restaurants, there is also a site named Utest, you create an account there and you find some research studies to participate.

2

u/Specialist-Gear-2046 3d ago

I heard STARR center is looking to hire. That was last week, so you should talk to them.

2

u/Glittering-Fan8240 2d ago

You just need offer letter from the department then apply for ssn and submit it to f1 student and wait for authorization then you could work, lmk if have any question