Volunteering & Programme Roles | Join Us

VOLUNTEER & INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Do real work, build verifiable experience

WYE offers project-based roles to eligible students and young researchers. Every formal role carries a clear type, a named lead, a defined scope, expected outcomes, and time records.

Special Issue Research Volunteer Read the CPT / OPT Guide
A volunteer team collaborating remotely W4 · VOLUNTEERING & PROGRAMME ROLES
CONNECTED TO THE LEVEL 2 SPECIAL TOPIC AWARD · NOW ESTABLISHED

WYE Special Issue Research Volunteer

Connected to the Level 2 competition and Special Issues

The Level 2 Special Topic Award can connect with this role, recording volunteer service for participants who complete genuine public-project tasks. What can be certified are contributions assigned, documented, and verified by WYE; writing time spent solely on one’s own entry should not automatically count in full.

Activities that count towards volunteer records
  • Data collection, cleaning, and source verification
  • Curating and thematically coding Chinese and English forum material
  • Literature and fact checking
  • Chart production and data notes
  • Translation and bilingual proofreading
  • Citation formatting and library curation
  • Accessible chart descriptions
  • Editorial assistance and building the issue’s public resources
Volunteer records include
  • The volunteer role title
  • The Special Issue or research project name
  • Start and end dates
  • Verified actual service hours
  • Specific tasks and deliverables
  • The project lead or reviewer
  • Links to public outputs (where applicable)

WYE does not promise that this experience satisfies any school credit, graduation requirement, visa, CPT, OPT, internship, or employment eligibility; recognition by external institutions is decided by those institutions under their own rules.

Register and apply for a volunteer role → Write to us about roles About the Level 2 Special Topic Award Current Special Issue: Misreading Each Other — Common Misconceptions in Chinese and American Public Views of the Other’s Economy

Possible roles

Special Issue Research Volunteer · Now established Editorial volunteer Student reviewer Research assistant Chapter coordinator Events volunteer Content & communications intern Economics education intern Data & research intern Workshop assistant Student mentor (where qualified and supervised)

Role classification

Every role must belong clearly to one of the following types, never a blend:

Paid work
Unpaid volunteering
Mentored learning / training
Internship

Role classification and immigration work authorization are separate questions. WYE calling an opportunity volunteering, an internship, or paid work does not make it automatically qualify for CPT, OPT, STEM OPT, school credit, or any visa requirement.

Application & work process

Apply → role matching → interview or task assessment
Written duties → onboarding → supervised work
Hours and output records → evaluation → verified certification

What participants may receive

  • A clear project scope and supervisor
  • Skills practice and feedback
  • Records of completed tasks and hours
  • Volunteer or role certification where applicable
  • Recommendation letters based on real performance, never issued automatically
  • Eligibility to apply for stipends or paid roles
  • Possible long-term roles where genuine need and funding exist
  • Guides to international-student practical training rules and genuine role documentation support

International student support summary

WYE can offer eligible international students genuine, field-related project roles, accurately stating duties, supervision, location, dates, hours, and outcomes, and issuing certification based on actual activity.

WYE has no authority to approve CPT or OPT, cannot provide immigration status, guarantee school credit, or promise a role’s qualification, and cannot substitute for the student’s school DSO or a qualified immigration attorney.

What WYE can provide
  • A genuine role or offer letter
  • Verifiable organisation and role details for school CPT forms
  • Supervisor contact details and a supervision plan
  • A written scope of work and onboarding records
  • Genuine hours and output records
  • Mid-term or final evaluations
  • Completion, volunteering, or employment certification
  • Notice of role changes or early termination
What WYE will not provide
  • Guarantees of CPT, OPT, STEM OPT, school credit, visa, or status outcomes
  • Backdating, retroactive signing, false offers, fictitious roles, invented hours, or untrue duties
  • Trial work, training, or “start now, paper later” before authorization
  • Nominal roles without genuine tasks, supervision, and outputs
  • Claims of STEM OPT support before E-Verify, Form I-983, compensation, and supervision requirements are met

Opportunities vary by programme and are subject to eligibility, selection, supervisory capacity, compliant role classification, funding, and actual availability. Applying or participating guarantees no role, pay, recommendation, internship credit, employment, work authorization, immigration status, or future staff position. International students must obtain all school and government authorizations before beginning any activity.

Define your growth through real work

Roles now open: WYE Special Issue Research Volunteer (linked to Level 2), school chapter coordinator, and research and editorial assistants on the summer Evanston joint internship. Other roles open in batches as programmes require — register a WYE account for role notifications, or write to us describing the direction you want to work in.

Register and apply for a volunteer role → Write to us about roles Register a WYE account for notifications CPT / OPT Guide