Student work

You may work if:

• you are on a study abroad programme, and
• your sponsor is an overseas higher education institution

Go to the register of Student sponsors. Then look for "overseas higher education institution" in the Sponsor type column.

Your working hours are:

• up to 20 hours a week in term time
• full time outside term time, which includes
• in vacations and before the course starts
• on work placements - see Work placements and internships
• after your period of study in the UK has ended - see Work when you are no longer studying

Child students who are under 16 years old are not allowed to work.

You can work if you are a Child student aged 16 or older and your sponsor is an independent school.

You can work:

• up to 10 hours a week in term time
• full time  
• in vacations, including before your course starts
• on work placements - Work placements and internships
• after your course has ended (this is part of your vacation) - Work when you are no longer studying

The situation is different if you have Student (not Child student) permission. You can work only if your independent school is a "Sponsor with a track record". Check the Status column of the register of Student sponsors. For details of your permitted hours of work, see Student sponsor with a track record.

If your school does not have a track record, you are not allowed to work in or outside term time. But you might be able to take a work placement as  part of your course - see Work placements and internships.

You are not allowed to work if your student sponsor:

• does not have the words "track record" in the Status column of the register of Student sponsors, and
• is listed in the Sponsor type column as:
• a private provider, or
• a publicly-funded college or
• an embedded college offering pathway courses.

But you might be able to take a work placement as part of your course - see Work placements and internships.

Working hours in term time must not exceed 10 or 20 a week, and you can work full time outside term time.

"Week" means any 7-day period starting on a Monday. Keep detailed records of your working hours. This is especially important if you work irregular hours. It is also important if you have more than one employer including an employer outside the UK. This is because employers may not know about work you do elsewhere. You are responsible for ensuring that you do not exceed your weekly working hours.

"Term time" means the period when your student sponsor expects you to be studying. "Outside term time" means any other time. For example, the period before your course starts and after it ends, and holidays (vacation). You can usually find term dates on your college's website or in your course information. You must provide this information to your employer.

Work placements. If you are doing a work placement as part of your course, you can work up to 10 or 20 hours a week in addition to your work placement. For details, see Work placements and internships.

Working hours and pay. Your pay and your hours of work are separate. This means that you can work during a time when you get holiday pay for a different job. This is because only your hours actually working are counted. But check first that your contract allows you to work for another employer.

For example, you have a job in a shop for 20 hours a week. When you are not working in the shop because you are on leave and you are getting holiday pay, you can work up to 20 hours a week in term-time on a short-term contract as a school assistant. Your hours of work must not exceed 20 a week. But you can get holiday pay at the same time as pay for your school assistant work.

For information about holiday pay, see Holiday entitlement: Holiday pay - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The same principle applies to any extra money your employer pays you. Examples include, but are not limited to, back pay, income tax credit after emergency tax, bonus payments, reimbursed expenses, increments for a retrospective pay increase. Extra money you receive for these reasons does not affect the number of hours you have worked or are working. So just enjoy it!

A work placement must be an assessed and integral part of your course. Usually, it must not be longer than one third of the total length of your course.

If you meet both the following requirements, you can spend up to half of your course on work placements.

• Your course is at degree level or above. This means that your course results in a qualification at RQF level 6 or SCQF level 9 or above.
• Your sponsor is an overseas higher education institution. Or your sponsor has a "track record" in the Status column of the register of Student sponsors.

Your student sponsor must

• stay connected with you during your work placement
• let the Home Office know that you will be working for part of your course
• provide a letter for your work placement provider. This letter should contain the terms and conditions of the placement. It should also explain how your sponsor will assess it.

Your employer can pay you for your work placement. It can be full time, even in term time, and you can do it at the same time as other work - see Home Office guidance for employers.

You can treat an internship that meets these requirements as a work placement. In all other cases, it will be subject to the usual restrictions on student employment. This means that you cannot work full time during term time.

Your Student visa should cover both your course of study and your work placement. Before you come to the UK, ask your college how it will help you find work and what will happen if that does not happen. For example, will you have to leave the UK and apply again or will you finish your course early?

It is sometimes possible to decide after arriving in the UK to add a work placement to your course. You will usually have to make another Student immigration application. Discuss the timing of the application with your student sponsor.

You might want to take a work placement outside the UK. Check the immigration requirements of the country concerned. Also ask your student sponsor if it will continue to sponsor you while you are outside the UK. If your sponsor reports you to the Home Office, you will have to apply again to return to the UK.

Volunteering offers the opportunity to undertake a wide range of activities. It is not paid, but you can meet many different people.

Unpaid employment (voluntary work) is not the same as volunteering.

The Student and Child Student casework guidance explains the difference. For example, volunteers do not have a contract. They are not paid, though they can receive reasonable travel and living costs. Volunteers usually help a charity, voluntary organisation or public sector organisation.

Unpaid employment counts towards your weekly hours of work. If you have a work prohibition, you must not do anything that could be unpaid employment.

There are many ways of finding volunteering opportunities. Your student sponsor can usually help, and here are some links to get you started:

National Council for Voluntary Organisations (England)

Volunteer Scotland

Volunteering Wales

Volunteer Now (Northern Ireland)

There are some kinds of work you must not do.

Self-employment

UK government information about self-employment explains when you are likely to be self-employed. For example, selling goods and services for profit, including online and through apps. The UK tax authority, HMRC, can tell you if your proposed work would be self-employment. You can contact them or use their information and self-assessment tools

Your employer might suggest that you work for them as a 'contractor' or on a 'freelance' basis. This is so that your employer does not have to do so much paperwork. You must not agree to this as you might end up breaching your work condition.

Business activity

The Student and Child Student casework guidance provides examples of business activities. You can start to prepare a business if you intend to apply under a work route that allows this. For details, see guidance for Start-up and Innovator endorsing bodies.

Professional sportsperson

This includes paid work as a sports coach. Information about sporting activities is in the Student and Child Student casework guidance. Ask your student sponsor if you do not understand how it applies to your situation. There is an exception for students doing work placements on a course at degree level or above

Entertainer

This includes paid work as an actor, musicians, dancer or other performer. There is an exception for dance, drama and music students doing work placements. Your course must be at degree level or above.

Permanent full-time job

'Permanent' means there is no end date in your contract. You can do a permanent part-time job. Outside term time, you can do a full-time fixed-term job.

There is an exception if you have applied under a work route - see Work when you are no longer studying.

Doctor or dentist in training

You can work as a doctor or dentist in training only if you are on the foundation programme. This restriction does not apply to you if you applied for your permission on or after 1 December 2020.

You can work full time when you have completed your course and it is no longer term time. You should not start a permanent post. This means a job without an end date.

If you travel during this post-study period, you need to show on re-entry that you will either

• do what you say you want to do and leave the UK before your immigration permission expires, or
• submit an application to extend your permission in the UK before your current permission expires.

You should carry any relevant documents with you in your hand luggage.

You could make your next immigration application in the UK before you leave, or while you are outside the UK. This means that on re-entry you are less likely to have to answer questions about your plans.

If you complete your course early, your student sponsor must report this to the Home Office. Your permission is usually cancelled. It will change to the new end date plus the original extra period, for example one month, two or four months. You can work between the new end date of your course and the new expiry date of your immigration permission. Employers need confirmation from your college that you have now completed your course.

If you apply to stay in the UK under a work route, you can usually work full time until you get a decision. Usually, you must not take work that your student work condition prohibits. But there are exceptions for some work routes.

Skilled worker
‍You can start a Skilled Worker job after you have applied for permission. You can do this, even if the job is a full-time permanent vacancy.

You can start your Skilled Worker job up to three months before your course end date, but no earlier. You can apply for permission after 12 months of study towards a doctorate. But you must wait for a decision before you start the job.

Start-up route
‍You can apply under the Start-up route after you complete your course. You can start a business before you receive a decision on your Start-up application.

Graduate route
You made your most recent Student application before 6 April 2022
You must wait for a decision on your Graduate application before you can start:

• a permanent full-time job
• self-employment
• work as an entertainer.

You made your Student application on or after 6 April 2022
You can start a full-time permanent job after making your Graduate route application. But you must wait for a decision before you start self-employment or work as an entertainer.

You must not work as a professional sportsperson with Graduate permission. The date on which you applied for Student or Graduate permission makes no difference.

You might leave your course or take a break from it before you have completed it. The Home Office usually cancels your permission so it ends earlier.

An employer's guide to right to work checks states that you can work until the new end date of your permission.

This applies to you if you:

• have a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued by an EU member state or by Switzerland, and
• have not worked in the UK, and
• will not work in the UK.

If you have any intention of working in the UK, you should not apply for this reimbursement.

For a summary of this scheme, see information on gov.uk.

The NHS Business Services Authority handles the scheme. Contact details for queries and complaints are here: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/contact-overseas-healthcare-services (see "Make a complaint").

See the attached document issued by the Department for Health and Social Care. It includes information about who the scheme covers. It also explains what will happen if you claim reimbursement and then want to work in the UK.

DHSC Student Information Pack - IHS Reimbursement- September 2022.pdf

You may be eligible for a reimbursement if you:

• hold a relevant visa, which includes Student permission, and
• have worked in health and social care in the UK continuously for at least six months, and
• you have worked on average at least 16 hours a week over those six months.

If you are meet all the requirements, you can apply for reimbursement on a six-monthly basis. Your dependants may also qualify for a reimbursement.

For full details, including an explanation of which jobs are eligible, how to calculate your working hours, and a link to the online application, see Immigration health surcharge: guidance for health and care reimbursements.

The NHS Business Services Authority handles the scheme. Contact details for queries and complaints are here: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/contact-overseas-healthcare-services (see "Make a complaint")