Working part-time during your studies
Working part time during your studies, or in vacation periods, can be a great way to get to know other people and boost your skills as well as earning extra money. However, before you take any employment in the UK, you should always check if you have permission to work in the UK.
The following information is relevant for students who hold a Student Visa. If you are in the UK with a different type of visa (not a Student Visa), check carefully which work conditions apply to you. Please book an appointment with an International Experience Adviser by contacting Hallam Help, to discuss your situation if you are not sure about your right to work in the UK.
Working in the UK
Working restrictions will be stated on your Student visa. Students can work full-time during official University holidays. Everybody who works in the UK (paid or unpaid) must have a National Insurance number. It is advisable to apply for a National Insurance number as soon as you start looking for work. For more information visit gov.uk/nationalinsurance. If you want to work in the UK after your studies, check our advice page on post study work visas.
Does your visa allow you to work in the UK?
You can check if you are permitted to work in the UK by firstly looking at what is written on your Student Visa. If you are studying at degree level, you should find that the visa states that you are permitted to work a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time.
If you are studying below degree level (for example if you are studying a foundation programme), you should find that you are restricted to working a maximum of 10 hours per week during term time.
If your visa states any of the following phrases this means that you are not permitted to work in the UK:
• No work
• Work prohibited
If your visa does permit you to work in the UK, you must not work more than the number of hours per week you are allowed, as this would be a breach of your immigration conditions and a criminal offence.
If you have doubts about your right to work in the UK, the permitted hours, or if visa says something unusual or something that you don't understand, contact an International Experience Adviser (via Hallam Help) to discuss. It is very important that you check your permission to work and the permitted hours before you do any work in the UK. If you breach the working conditions of your visa, even by accident, both you and your employer could be subject to a substantial fine and prosecution.
Definition of a week
UKVI define a week as a period of 7 days starting with a Monday. During this period, you must not work more than the maximum hours per week allowed by your visa. This weekly limit includes paid work and unpaid work.
Definition of term time
Term time means any period of time when you are expected to do any academic work. For example;
• Attending classes and lectures
• Writing essays, dissertations or a thesis
• Preparing for and taking exams
• Doing coursework
The following tables will help you identify when you can and cannot work, according to your level of study (and subject to your visa conditions).
Undergraduate students
| Vacation | Work you are permitted to do |
| Christmas and Easter vacation | You can work full time |
| Summer vacation | You can work full time, provided you are not undertaking any re-sits over this period. NB: If you started your programme in January, please check your summer vacation dates as these may vary slightly from students who commence study in September. |
Postgraduate taught students (Masters)
| Vacation | Work you are permitted to do |
| Christmas and Easter vacation | You can work full time |
| Summer vacation | If your course started in January or is longer than 12 months: You can work full time. If your course started in September and lasts for 12 months or less: Only 20 hours per week maximum is permitted because you will be required to work on your dissertation or work on course-related projects or engage in autonomous study/research. |
Postgraduate research students (MPhil/PhD)
| Vacation | Work you are permitted to do |
| Christmas and Easter vacation | Only 20 hours per week maximum is permitted |
| Summer vacation | Only 20 hours per week maximum is permitted |
| Writing up and corrections period | Only 20 hours per week maximum is permitted |
Employer letters
The University does not provide individual letters for employers for term time and Christmas or Easter vacation work. To provide evidence to an employer of the hours you can work during these periods you should download the standard employer letter (PDF, 190.7KB) and a Confirmation of Enrolment from My Student Record (MSR) and give both to your employer.
This will provide your employer with confirmation that you are currently enrolled at the university and information about the hours you can work.
Students are eligible to work full time during the recognised University vacation periods in spring and winter, as per the official University academic calendar.
Please note: The summer vacation period does not apply to all courses. During the summer vacation period, you can only work full time if you meet the following criteria:
1. Your course started in January, or you are on a course of longer than 12 months in duration regardless of the course start date.
2. You don’t have any referral study or retakes during the summer vacation. It is your responsibility to inform your employer if you have referral study or retakes and therefore cannot work full time.
To evidence eligibility to work full time during recognised University vacation periods, as per the official University academic calendar, you should provide the documents described above. Your confirmation of enrolment will state when your course started and the duration of the course.
Term dates
Refer to the academic calendars for dates of vacation and academic terms.
Academic calendar - Undergraduate and Postgraduate
Work that is not permitted
There are some restrictions on the type of work you can do with a Student Visa. You are not allowed to engage in any of the following types of employment:
• Self-employment and business activity (unless you have made an application under the 'Start-Up' visa route)
• Professional Sportsperson or a Professional Sports Coach (unless this is through an approved placement as part of your degree programme)
• Entertainer (musician/comedian/theatre performances etc)
You are also not allowed to fill a permanent, full-time vacancy so any work you do must be part-time and/or on a contract or fixed-term basis.
For more information regarding international students working in the UK, please refer to the UK Council for International Student Affairs.
If you are unsure, please contact an International Experience Adviser (via Hallam Help) before undertaking any work.
Voluntary / unpaid work and volunteering
Unpaid work (also sometimes known as voluntary work) counts in exactly the same way as paid work. Therefore, any unpaid / voluntary work counts towards your weekly maximum hours. However, volunteering does not count in this way.
It is important to understand the difference between volunteering and unpaid / voluntary work. In both scenarios you will not be paid for your time, but reasonable expenses can be reimbursed.
• Volunteers do not generally have a contract and will usually be helping a charity or public sector organisation
Working after completing your studies
Students with a Student Visa who have completed their studies may work in the UK, but this is subject to certain conditions. You must be sure you have checked this before working more than your weekly maximum. Once you have completed your award you will be able to use your transcript, which is available on My Student Record, to confirm to your employer that you have completed your studies. You do not require a letter from the University.
If you work more than 10/20 hours per week before the end of your programme, you risk serious consequences.
You should not work more than 10/20 per week until you have received your results and it is confirmed that you have gained your award and do not have any reassessments.