New International Faculty

Taxes and Withholding  

The U.S. payroll practice of 'withholding' for taxes and benefits may be unusual and, through lack of understanding, can lead new faculty to make poor choices when they meet with representatives of New School Human Resources to complete their payroll and benefits paperwork. 

For international faculty, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service provides a list of frequently asked questions and information for new immigrants. And while their services aren’t endorsed by the university, you may also find the information on this site helpful. Please also be sure to review the information about Working at The New School, which explains "withholding," taxes and benefits. New School administrators are prevented by law from providing you with advice on tax and benefits selections; you are encouraged to speak with a tax professional for additional advice. 

The U.S. University Learning Environment 

Culture is the knowledge and values shared by a group, and worldview is the cognitive and affective lenses through which people construe their experiences and make sense of the world around them. International faculty, in addition to the expertise they have in their field, bring valued diversity of worldview and life experience to the New School community. 

There can be cultural differences in the U.S classroom compared to other countries. The U.S university education commonly consists of four years of "undergraduate" study at a post-secondary institution. In the U.S., many universities promote a liberal arts tradition that emphasizes study across many disciplines and, at the New School, the interrogation of the histories, "canons" and assertions of those disciplines. Students are often encouraged to challenge existing structures and knowledge systems.

Students educated in the U.S. are more accustomed to speaking up in class, to asking questions and to challenging their instructors than in some cultural traditions. Deference to authority figures in general is much stronger in many other cultural, national, and educational settings, than in the U.S. The classroom environment tends to be informal. Some faculty allow themselves to be addressed by their first names, though this can be problematic for people who identify as women and people of color, whose "right" to authority may be questioned by some students. Because many New School classrooms include students not only from the U.S. but from many other countries and cultures, establishing a common understanding of how the class -- students and faculty together -- will function as a community of learners is important. 

One way this can be accomplished is through the creation of community agreements. The creation and use of community agreements that acknowledge difference, that promote respect for all voices, and that agree to "criticize ideas, not people" can be an effective way of establishing and maintaining classroom civility and a learning environment that supports all learners. Please be direct in opening a dialogue with students about cultural differences and how together you can create a classroom culture that respects everyone’s expectations and needs. 

Students who actively engage with authentic resources in the classroom have the opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding of the discipline in ways that are otherwise difficult to recreate. "Authentic resources" in this case is a term borrowed from language learning in which the teaching resource is created by native speakers of the language for authentic purposes, rather than materials created for language learners for educational purposes.

Learn more about promoting an inclusive and supportive classroom with these resources. 

Travel in and outside the U.S.

You should always have proof of immigration status whenever you travel by plane, bus, train, or car. We advise that you carry your original immigration documents while traveling domestically, in case you need to produce copies for identification purposes.

If you travel abroad for a convention, visit home, or just leisure, be sure you have all the necessary documents to get back into the U.S. Specifically, be sure your passport is valid for at least six months into the future from the day you intend to come back into the U.S. 

Be sure your visa will be unexpired on your intended return date, and also keep track of the number of entries allowed on your visa. Learn more about automatic revalidation here. 

Additional resources

• International Student & Scholar Services 

  • Immigration News and Updates: information on travel,  interacting with ICE Agents, social media vetting, and more 

  • Immigration Attorneys (please note, inclusion on this list does not equate to a New School endorsement) 

    • Do You Need a Lawyer?

    • Action NYC 

    • American Immigration Lawyer Association

    • Immigration and Nationality Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association 

• What to Do When Encountering Law Enforcement at Airports and Other Ports of Entry into the U.S.

• Supporting Our Community: legal rights, FAQ for international faculty,  community resources and updates on new federal policies