Internships for International Students Enrolled in U.S. Colleges and Universities (learn about our innternships for international students here)

We offer two internships to help international students improve their prospects for getting a great job. All it takes is four hours per week with our prestigious nonprofit to enhance your resume with American work experience.

The program is very flexible so as to accommodate your studies. Because the activity is virtual (online), you can do it anywhere and at any time.

These internships constitute volunteering for a nonprofit, and so they do not require CPT or any approvals.

We have three types of internship in this program:

Data AnnalyticsInternships

As a Data Analytics Intern, you will use Python and Beautiful Soup to scrape websites for information on nonprofits, schools, teachers, student organizations, and academic departments.

Digital Research Internships

As a Digital Research Intern, you will take a leadership role in researching information on a wide range of stakeholders, including nonprofits, schools, teachers, student organizations, academic departments, businesses, celebrities, and social media influencers.

Digital Engagement Internships

As a Digital Enagement Intern, you will assume an important position in raising awareness of our nonprofit's many programs. That includes online outreach to college communities, nonprofits, schools and teachers, businesses, celebrities, and social media influencers.

Internships for International Student on OPT (learn about our OPT internships here)

As you know, OPT rules allow you only 90 days of unemployment. Hitting 90 days and having to leave the country would be a disaster. Further, any unemployed days during year-1 also reduce your allowable unemployment days during a STEM Extension.

Some students get research positions with professors, but there are not enough professors to provide many students with opportunities. Staffing companies might provide an offer letter, but they are very expensive and risky.

The best way to stop the OPT unemployment clock is with an unpaid internship with our prestigious nonprofit. It will:

• • stop the OPT unemployment clock while you job hunt
  • enhance your resume to make you a more competitive candidate for employment

We have opportunities that align with your field of study.

CPT Internships

We plan on offering CPT internships soon. If you are interested, please use the contact form at the bottom of this FAQ page.

Summer Internships

We plan on offering summer internships soon. If you are interested, please use the contact form at the bottom of this FAQ page.

ImportantGifts Inc. / dba ChangingThePresent is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our website is here.

We channel to nonprofits some of the fortune people normally spend buying birthday, wedding, and holiday presents. We do that by making the experience of a donation, given in a friend's name, feel like a rewarding gift and a great alternative to buying yet more "stuff."

You can read more about us at https://changingthepresent.org/pages/our-story

We started with about 400 leading nonprofits. Q1 of 2025, we will be opening the site to all nonprofits and to all K-12 schools and teachers. We are preparing to launching a number of additional initiatives, including:

ProfilesForHumanity.org

Student-Orgs.org

MentorsLikeMe.org

Secret Santa

Hours

Our internships can be done on your own schedule, whenever is most convenient for you.

• • Our International Internships for current students require 4 hours per week.
  • Our OPT internships require 21 hours per week.

Location

All of our internships are virtual (online).

Start Dates

We are flexible to meet your needs. You can start your internship at any time. No need to wait for a new semester or a new month.

Duration of Internships

You can stay with us as long as you want.

• • Most International Interns (current students) will remain with us for at least 4 months so that the credential looks good on their resume, but it is up to them.
  • Most OPT Interns stay with us until they start their full-time job, so that they incur as few unemployment days as possible.  

Termination of Internships

We hate it when we have to do it, but we are forced to terminate internships if an intern does not make their monthly payments on time or if they do not work the required hours.

International Internships for Current Students

Please read here about the internships for international students. The application form is at the bottom of that page.

OPT Internships for Recent Graduates

Here is the application form for OPT internships.  

Timing

We try to respond to applications within two to three business days.

Monthly Fees for Interns

Here are the small fees we need to charge to provide internships:

• • Our OPT internships require payment of a monthly fee, currently set at $75 per month.
  • Our International Internships for current students require payment of a monthly fee, currently set at $24 per month.

We expect to increase both of those amounts soon, but once you begin your internship with us, your fees will not increase.

In all cases, the first payment is due on the official start date, and subsequent payments are due on that same day of each month durinng the time the intern is with us. There is no refund if you leave before the end of a month for which you have paid.

We do not currently have recurring payments; the intern is required to visit the site and make their monthly payments. We ask that they put the scheduled payments in their online calendar so that they remember and we do not need to spend time reminding them.

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For both types of internships (International Internships for current students and OPT Internships, we provide an Offer Letter after we accept your application and you have completed the onboarding materials, including payment of the first month's fee.

At any time completion after the first month of your internship, we will gladly provide a confirmation letter to indicate your work here and a Certificate of Achievement to show the same.