Working on a Student visa

How many hours can you work?

Restrictions on the type of work you can do

Working on a Student visa does not permit you to:

  • be self-employed or engaged in business activity
  • fill a full-time permanent vacancy
  • be employed as a doctor/dentist in training (If you submitted the application for the Student visa you currently have on or after 1 December 2020, you will not be subject to this restriction)
  • be employed as a professional sportsperson, coach or entertainer

Proving your right to work

From 6 April 2022, employers can no longer accept biometric residence cards or permits as evidence of your right to work in the UK. Instead, you must obtain a share code from UKVI which you can then give to the employer so they can then do their checks online.

The UKVI webpage explains how to obtain a share code

If an employer needs evidence of semester dates that show when your vacation period is, you can prove this by:

Semester dates

Your employer should ask you to confirm what your semester dates are so they know how many hours you are allowed to work. They can view your semester dates below and you can provide them with an attendance letter from Student Central to confirm the course you are studying.

Tax and National Insurance

Where you are working in the UK, National Insurance will be automatically deducted from your wages.

Before you start your job, you must apply for a National Insurance Number which ensures your tax contributions are recorded against your name.

Where you earn over £12,500 your income may be taxable. Visit the HM Revenue and Customs website for more information

Finding a job

The Careers team can help you search for part-time work, check your CV, provide practice interviews and 1:1 careers support.