Working during university: the rules and the balance

A part-time job can ease money pressure and build your CV. For international students, though, work is governed by visa conditions, and breaking them can put your right to study at risk. Know the rules before you say yes to any job.

How common is student work?

• Save the Student's 2026 survey found 59 per cent of UK students have a part-time job.
• MoneyHelper notes research suggesting that more than 20 hours of work a week can have a negative impact on academic performance.
• Part-time work rarely covers all costs, so your main funding must already be in place. UKCISA advises not letting work interfere with your course.
• For the basics of finding work, payslips and pay, see the Earning Money module.

UK Student visa: hours limits

• According to UKCISA, full-time students sponsored by a university with a 'track record' can usually work up to 20 hours a week in term time at degree level or above, and up to 10 hours a week below degree level.
• Students on part-time postgraduate courses may not work at all, and students at some private providers and colleges generally cannot work.
• Your university can set a lower limit, and you must follow it.
• A 'week' means any seven-day period starting on a Monday. You must track your total hours yourself, across every employer.
• Outside term time (official vacations, before your course starts and after it ends), full-time work is allowed. If term dates are unclear, confirm with your university before working full time.

UK Student visa: work you cannot do

• GOV.UK says Student visa holders cannot be self-employed. UKCISA adds that this includes selling goods or services for profit online.
• UKCISA lists other banned work: business activity, professional sport including paid coaching, paid work as an entertainer, and permanent full-time jobs.
• If an employer offers to treat you as a 'contractor' or 'freelancer' to avoid paperwork, UKCISA advises you to decline, because it may breach your conditions.
• Unpaid voluntary work (a form of unpaid employment) can count towards your hours. True volunteering (no pay, no contract, not replacing an employee) is different, so check with your university.
• GOV.UK says your eVisa records your conditions, such as whether you can work. If your document says 'No work', you must not work.

Other countries: the US as an example

• UMass Amherst's international office explains that F-1 students can work on campus up to 20 hours a week while classes are in session, and more during official breaks.
• All off-campus work needs authorisation from the university's international office or US immigration authorities, through schemes such as CPT or OPT.
• Every country is different. Before taking any job abroad, read your visa conditions and ask your university's international student office.
• If you study in the UAE, see the Earning Money module for the MOHRE student work permit, and ask your university before starting any work.

Balancing work and study

• Choose jobs with flexible or predictable shifts: campus jobs, students' union roles, tutoring through an approved agency, retail or hospitality with set rotas.
• Block your timetable, study hours and sleep first, then offer the employer the hours that are left.
• Keep a simple log of every shift (date, start, finish, employer) so you can prove you stayed within your limit.
• Tell your employer about your visa limit at interview. A good employer will respect it; one who pushes you to exceed it is a red flag.
• If grades start slipping or you feel exhausted, reduce hours before exams, not after.