Employment Specialist Jobs for OPT Students
Employment Specialist roles involve career counseling, job placement, and workforce development work that maps directly to degrees in human resources, counseling, social work, and psychology. OPT students have 12 months of work authorization, with STEM OPT extension available if your degree qualifies. Employers in workforce agencies, nonprofits, and university career centers regularly hire for these positions.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Be the Job Coach you always wanted to be at BAYADA Home Health Care! BAYADA Home Health Care is seeking a dedicated Job Coach to join our team in the Philadelphia, PA area. In this rewarding role, you will work one-on-one with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), providing personalized job coaching and training within community-based work settings. As a Job Coach (Employment Specialist), you will play a vital role in helping individuals explore career interests, secure meaningful employment, and develop the skills needed to succeed and thrive in the workplace. This is an opportunity to make a lasting impact by supporting clients in achieving independence and reaching their fullest potential. You will be part of a team that cares and a company that believes in leading with our values. We provide an opportunity for you to make a difference in the lives of others and offer flexibility in our roles to match your needs.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
How You’ll Make an Impact:
- Empowering an Individual to obtain meaningful employment
- Assist with enhancing job skills by monitoring progress through documentation
- Educate employers on the benefits and opportunities of working with people with disabilities
- Advocating for inclusion on the job and reasonable accommodations for the individual
- Making an impact on the community
COMPENSATION & SCHEDULE
- Competitive pay rates with a weekly pay schedule
- Flexible scheduling
- Short commute times (we try to match opportunities near your home)
BENEFITS YOU’LL LOVE
- Health Insurance: Medical, dental, vision, prescription coverage, FSA, and HSA options
- Education & Development: Scholarship and development opportunities, free courses, and on-the-job training
- Recognition & Rewards: Recognition programs, referral bonuses
- Positive Work Environment: Stable and supportive work environment with around-the-clock clinical support and a team environment that cares
- Paid Time Off: PTO (paid time off)
- Other Benefits: 401(k) with company match, employer-paid life insurance, employee assistance program (EAP)
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- One year of experience working with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)
- High school diploma or equivalent
- ACRE Certification (preferred)
- And/or CESP (preferred)
THRIVE IN A CULTURE THAT CARES
We prioritize your well-being, fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment that promotes a sense of belonging, where you can achieve your goals. Don't just take our word for it:
- Rated 3.8 stars on Indeed & Glassdoor
- Newsweek's Greatest Workplace for Overall, Women, Parents & Families, Diversity
- Forbes Best Employers for Veterans
BAYADA recognizes and rewards our job coaches who set and maintain the highest standards of excellence. Join our caring team today!
LOCATION
Locations We’re Hiring: Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia
PAY
Weekly; $25 based on experience
As an accredited, regulated, certified, and licensed home health care provider, BAYADA complies with all state/local mandates. BAYADA is celebrating 50 years of compassion, excellence, and reliability. Learn more about our 50th anniversary celebration and how you can join in here.
BAYADA Home Health Care, Inc., and its associated entities and joint venture partners, are Equal Opportunity Employers. All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, military status, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.
INTRODUCTION
Be the Job Coach you always wanted to be at BAYADA Home Health Care! BAYADA Home Health Care is seeking a dedicated Job Coach to join our team in the Philadelphia, PA area. In this rewarding role, you will work one-on-one with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), providing personalized job coaching and training within community-based work settings. As a Job Coach (Employment Specialist), you will play a vital role in helping individuals explore career interests, secure meaningful employment, and develop the skills needed to succeed and thrive in the workplace. This is an opportunity to make a lasting impact by supporting clients in achieving independence and reaching their fullest potential. You will be part of a team that cares and a company that believes in leading with our values. We provide an opportunity for you to make a difference in the lives of others and offer flexibility in our roles to match your needs.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
How You’ll Make an Impact:
- Empowering an Individual to obtain meaningful employment
- Assist with enhancing job skills by monitoring progress through documentation
- Educate employers on the benefits and opportunities of working with people with disabilities
- Advocating for inclusion on the job and reasonable accommodations for the individual
- Making an impact on the community
COMPENSATION & SCHEDULE
- Competitive pay rates with a weekly pay schedule
- Flexible scheduling
- Short commute times (we try to match opportunities near your home)
BENEFITS YOU’LL LOVE
- Health Insurance: Medical, dental, vision, prescription coverage, FSA, and HSA options
- Education & Development: Scholarship and development opportunities, free courses, and on-the-job training
- Recognition & Rewards: Recognition programs, referral bonuses
- Positive Work Environment: Stable and supportive work environment with around-the-clock clinical support and a team environment that cares
- Paid Time Off: PTO (paid time off)
- Other Benefits: 401(k) with company match, employer-paid life insurance, employee assistance program (EAP)
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- One year of experience working with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)
- High school diploma or equivalent
- ACRE Certification (preferred)
- And/or CESP (preferred)
THRIVE IN A CULTURE THAT CARES
We prioritize your well-being, fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment that promotes a sense of belonging, where you can achieve your goals. Don't just take our word for it:
- Rated 3.8 stars on Indeed & Glassdoor
- Newsweek's Greatest Workplace for Overall, Women, Parents & Families, Diversity
- Forbes Best Employers for Veterans
BAYADA recognizes and rewards our job coaches who set and maintain the highest standards of excellence. Join our caring team today!
LOCATION
Locations We’re Hiring: Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia
PAY
Weekly; $25 based on experience
As an accredited, regulated, certified, and licensed home health care provider, BAYADA complies with all state/local mandates. BAYADA is celebrating 50 years of compassion, excellence, and reliability. Learn more about our 50th anniversary celebration and how you can join in here.
BAYADA Home Health Care, Inc., and its associated entities and joint venture partners, are Equal Opportunity Employers. All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, military status, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.
How to Get Visa Sponsorship as an Employment Specialist
Target workforce development organizations
Nonprofits, government-contracted workforce agencies, and community colleges hire Employment Specialists regularly and tend to have more flexible sponsorship policies than corporate employers. These organizations often have experience navigating work authorization for mission-driven hires.
Connect your degree directly to the role
Employment Specialist positions typically require a degree in counseling, social work, psychology, or human resources. In your application materials, make the connection explicit between your field of study and the role's core responsibilities like career assessment and job coaching.
Highlight case management experience
Employers hiring Employment Specialists want evidence of structured client interaction. Internships, practicums, or volunteer roles involving intake assessments, service plans, or client caseloads are strong differentiators that demonstrate you can handle the job from day one.
Apply early in your OPT window
Starting your search in the first few months of OPT authorization gives employers and their HR teams time to process your work authorization documentation without urgency. Late-stage OPT applications with weeks remaining often get deprioritized by cautious hiring managers.
Clarify your STEM OPT eligibility upfront
If your degree is in a STEM-designated field like applied psychology or information systems, confirm your eligibility for a 24-month extension before interviewing. Communicating a longer authorization runway directly reduces employer hesitation about investing in onboarding and training.
Prepare a clear work authorization one-pager
Many Employment Specialist hiring managers work in social services or education, not corporate HR, and may be unfamiliar with OPT. A brief, jargon-free summary explaining your authorization period, what employers are required to do, and E-Verify obligations removes common friction points early.
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Get Access To All JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Can F-1 OPT students work as Employment Specialists?
Yes. Employment Specialist roles qualify for OPT as long as the position is directly related to your field of study. Degrees in counseling, social work, human resources, or psychology typically satisfy this requirement. You'll need to ensure the job description aligns with your major before accepting an offer, as unrelated work can jeopardize your F-1 status.
Where can I find Employment Specialist jobs that accept OPT students?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for F-1 OPT students and filters jobs by work authorization compatibility. Workforce development agencies, nonprofit career centers, and university employment offices post these roles most frequently. Migrate Mate lets you browse Employment Specialist openings without having to manually filter out employers unwilling to work with OPT candidates.
Do Employment Specialist roles qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Only if your underlying degree is in a STEM-designated field. Most Employment Specialist positions are tied to degrees in counseling, social work, or human resources, which are not STEM-designated. However, if you studied applied psychology, organizational behavior, or a data-focused HR discipline listed on the STEM OPT designated degree program list, you may qualify for the 24-month extension.
What types of employers hire Employment Specialists on OPT?
The most common employers are government-contracted workforce development agencies, community action nonprofits, university career centers, vocational rehabilitation programs, and state labor departments. These organizations regularly work with candidates who have temporary work authorization and are more accustomed to the E-Verify process and OPT documentation requirements than smaller private employers.
What should I tell an employer who is unfamiliar with OPT authorization?
Explain that OPT is federally authorized work permission for F-1 students, that it requires no sponsorship or petition filing from the employer during the initial 12-month period, and that employers simply verify your Employment Authorization Document through E-Verify. Providing a brief written summary of these points early in the hiring process tends to resolve most employer hesitation quickly.
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