Working in the UK during your studies

What kind of work can I do during my studies?

If you have student immigration permission that allows you to take employment, you can work up to 20 hours a week during term-time and full-time during your holidays, a work placement which is part of a sandwich course, or an internship.

If you have immigration permission that extends for up to four months beyond the end of your studies, you can work full-time for that extra period once you have completed all your studies. If you have immigration permission that is more than four months longer than your course, you should either make a new immigration application or leave the UK when you reach the four-month point.

You can do most kinds of work, but you must not engage in business, be self-employed, provide services as a professional sportsperson or entertainer, or pursue a career by filling a permanent full-time vacancy.

If your immigration permission does not allow you to work, this means that you must not undertake paid or unpaid employment, including work placements which are part of your course. This can include voluntary work.

What is term-time?

Term-time means any period when you are supposed to be doing academic work, such as attending classes and lectures, preparing for exams, doing coursework, writing essays, a dissertation or thesis. Your holidays, when you can work full-time, are the period when you do not have to be doing academic work. This will be different depending on the type of course you are doing. For example, if you are supposed to research and write a dissertation or thesis while other students are on holiday, this is term-time for you and you should restrict your work to 20 hours a week. However, if your tutor or supervisor agrees that you can take a break for some of that period and is happy to confirm in writing that this time is a holiday for you, you can work full-time for the duration of that agreed break.

Sandwich courses and work placements

You can work full-time, even in term-time, if you are doing a work placement which is part of a sandwich course. The course itself must lead to a degree or another qualification awarded by a nationally recognised examining body.

The work placement part of the course must meet all the following requirements:

• it must be clearly defined
• it must be approved by the university or college providing your course
• it must not extend beyond the end of your course, which means that you must be undertaking more study, for example, attending lectures or writing up a dissertation, after you finish your work placement.

If your work placement meets all of these requirements, you can work full-time without the need for you or your employer to obtain further permission from the UK Border Agency. You can decide to do a work placement after your course has started. In this case, you will probably need to apply for extra immigration permission. Talk to the international student adviser at your college or university about whether you should apply for more time in the UK before or after you do your work placement.

Internships

If you are on a degree course, you can work full-time, even in term-time, if you are doing an internship. Neither you nor your employer needs to obtain further permission from the UK Border Agency if the internship meets all the following requirements:

• you must be studying on a first (undergraduate) or higher (postgraduate) degree course in the UK
• your employer must regard you as a potential employee, whether your future employment would be in or outside the UK
• internships must be an established part of your employer's recruitment procedure
• you must not have previously undertaken an internship with the same employer
• the internship will last three months at most
• you must be paid for doing the internship, and the pay and conditions must be comparable to those for a resident worker doing the same kind of work
• you must complete the internship within the period of your current student immigration permission.

Find your way to work - UK Government publication

National Association of Student Employment Services (NASES) information for international students

← Return to all items about working in the UK during your studies