F-1 renewal while on OPT: volunteering or employment?

[oqowa]

Hi everyone, so I have graduated recently with Master's and left the US with my OPT application pending. Now, I'm back to my country and it's been about 3 months since I've graduated (and since the program end date mentioned on I-20). So, my EAD card has arrived to my US address and my roommate is gonna mail it to me very soon. Now, here are 2 problems:

• My F-1 visa has expired in the beginning of August
• So far, I have accrued 41 days of unemployment (out of 90)

But now I'm very close to getting a job offer from some company (but it's not guaranteed yet). And to be honest I don't have many good job opportunities here (at my hometown), so I really want to make things work if I get this job. 

Now, here is the other thing that I want to know your opinion about. So, I want to talk to my adviser and agree about volunteering for him so I could fill the necessary forms online and report to the university's ISS that I'm volunteering for my adviser (all this, while I'm in my country) just so I can save my unemployment days and just so my OPT doesn't get cancelled. And then I could start my visa application. So basically I have 2 options on my mind: 1) I either sign up for this volunteering thing and fill the visa application accordingly and maybe even get some letter from my adviser about this which I could present on visa interview OR  2) I wait for this job offer that I've been talking about and then fill the visa application and answer the questions based on this.

So which way I should go? How should I design this whole visa renewal process? What should I do and I should not do?

I also have some specific questions about visa application:

1. Should I fill DS-160 in the same way I did before? Should I change anything?
2. Would it hurt if I put "No" for "Have you made specific travel plans?", and put only "Intended date of arrival"? (this is in DS-160 form)
3. Should I check or uncheck the sentence "[Name Surname] renewing his or her visa either to: continue participation in the same program even if at a different institution; or attend the same institution even if in a different program." ? Note that if I check this it won't require me to schedule an interview. (this is on us usvisa-info.com)

Edited August 29, 2019 by oqowa
changed OPT card to EAD card

[oqowa]

P.S. the other problem is what if this potential employer ask me to attend an in-person interview? I'd have to have F-1 visa approved by that time so I could travel for the interview. I guess it'd be stupid to tell the officer that I'm travelling for the job interview.

P.P.S. btw, will ISS give a new I-20 after I report them that I'm volunteering for my adviser? In that case, I'd have to have the new I-20 mailed to me and would have to present on visa interview?

And one more thing, guys: before any of you says that I should ask ISS or seek for the advise of the professional, I AM going to talk on the phone with school's ISS official. But I was just wondering maybe any of you had similar experience

[CleoFuller]

Guys, I would like to express my opinion and I hope that you will understand me correctly and will not criticize. I have been volunteering for a very long time for a long time and this is very cool and noble, but you must understand that this does not bring any profit, and a person needs to earn money, save it and spend it... So I prefer to work officially according to the Employment contract. Perhaps you will think that my words are selfish, but this is life... I have already sent the employment contract sample  to your email and I hope that you will like my list of services and that you will offer me a decent payment!