For the first 12 month period of Post-Completion OPT, the employment does not have to be paid employment. Therefore, a student who is self-employed, interning or volunteering in a position directly related to the academic field would be considered employed for the purposes of OPT employment reporting as long as they work in the unpaid position for an average of 20 hours per week. Students should keep documentation for all unpaid employment positions. However, for the 24-Month STEM Extension, employment must be traditional paid employment.