Abrupt end to internship

Question

I am an intern at one of the major Silicon Valley Companies. I was recruited last December to work in a team for 8 months, which I gladly accepted. My signed offer letter says I would be interning for 8 months. I should mention that I am a PhD (international) student in EE from a different state where the internship job is based. The Employment term stipulates the payment of a stipend allowance to subsidize living costs in the state of the internship. The thing is my school's international office does not give CPT's for 8 months. Rather, I was given a 5 month CPT to start with, with the hope that I could renew the CPT when the first CPT expires.

Last week, the employment mobility in the company told me my stop date was May (presumably due to the CPT that the school issued to me originally). I brought this up with my manager (who also happens to be the one who recruited me) and confirmed verbally with him that my employment letter states 8 months. I also told him that I already completed my CPT for the summer from the school and it has been approved. I can't just quit now as I gave up my funding from my University for the summer semester due to his word. He said he would check with HR and resolve the discrepancy. To my bafflement, he went ahead and told HR to terminate my offer in May simply because of the CPT issue. I told him I had rented an apartment based on his informing me that he needed me for 8 months and I cannot afford to break my lease at this point as it would hurt my credit. I also mentioned that I gave up my funding in the summer semester based on the agreement I signed with the company. He showed no remorse and told me I was too expensive for him to keep because Corporate mobility pays me the subsidized living costs each month since I was recruited out of state. Other interns in the department I work are from the company area and they only take monthly salaries.

I feel he is taking advantage of a loophole in the CPT that was approved on a termly basis by the school as other interns from other schools had their CPT for the entire period of their offer letter. What would you suggest I do?

EDIT: May 15, 2016

Thanks to everyone who responded, empathized and advised. I met with the HR person, a day after this post, and she scheduled a meeting involving her, myself and the manager in question. Senior management seems to be looking for a summer intern with relevant experience similar to mine and it seems that they would be extending my internship in the spirit that I would be working in that newly available position.

Again, thanks for all your comments!

Answer 1

If you're receiving academic credit through this CPT, you might find it prudent to get in touch with someone at your university about your issue.

Regularly, an employment contract—whether temporary or permanent—will contain all the major stipulations, however, from what I can tell is that you've signed an offer letter. An offer letter differs fundamentally from an employment contract in that the contract is very thorough in what can and can't happen, and includes severance clauses that make it very detrimental to breach. An offer letter is a little bit more tentative. You can often find at-will employment sections in offer letters such as:

"Your employment will be at-will, meaning that [the Company] may terminate your employment at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice..."

And so hence the provisions of your offer letter may not constitute an argument herein. I do however suspect that there is something contractual here between your university and the internship employer that you should probably have addressed, again, by someone at the university.

To go any further in the matter you will undoubtedly need legal advice, as I'm not a lawyer, but from my standpoint now it would seem that for whatever reasons it's whoever issued the incorrect CPT duration who is at fault and needs to be spoken with.

Answer 2

I understand your situation but i don't think the manager is at fault. you are giving him excuses for accomodation issues etc. This is not at all warranted as a professional. It sounds like a rant against the manager. He already told you the reason as to why he cannot keep you. I think what you should do is try to see how you can resolve the situation. For e.g sublease your apt for the next 2-3 months , look for new assignment , resolve any CPT issues. There is not much you can do against the manager or the co who hired you. Any employment can be terminated at any time . Look to the future and start resolving issues instead of being stuck on issues you cannot resolve.

Answer 3

You can be fired. And unless you have a verbal or written proof of the fact that you would be hired for 8 months and would recieve Money for your accomodations for the entire 8 months. Its not looking good for you.

I would say go and make a request at the internal Monitoring Group of your Company. I know mine is called betriebsrad. In any Country that Group should have enough power to give you your remaining 3 months. Since legally a verbal Agreement followed by a contract is confirming the verbal Agreement for any period shorter than 1 year in most Country's.

Other than that go look for a Job that can cover your expenses or try and make a Agreement with your leasher. Or ask for a larger hour contract for less hourly pay. Yes this is gonna eat your free time, but you would't be the first one to work 2 fulltime Jobs. Debt is evil and should be fought by effort not complaining.

Comeing back to your initial mistake:

Rather, I was given a 5 month CPT to start with, with the hope that I could renew the CPT when the first CPT expires.

This is something you shouldn't have risked. I would have rented a accomodation for 5 months and then look for the next 3 if applicable.