If you're on a Student Visa:
Working part-time as a student can help you to develop a number of useful skills, alongside studying for your degree. If you are on a Student visa, you must follow certain rules if you wish to work throughout your studies, depending on your level of study.
How many hours can I work?
Undergraduate students doing a full-time degree, can work a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time, and can work full-time during University vacation periods.
Masters students on a Student visa can work a maximum of 20 hours during the summer period as this time is when you should be completing your dissertation, so it doesn't count as vacation time.
This means you're limited to the 20 hours per week during the summer period and up until after the end date listed on your CAS (even if you've already handed in your dissertation before this date).
If you're on a Student visa, there are reasons why the standard end date of 30 September benefits you:
- It means that your course at King’s covers 12 calendar months. As a result, you get a 4-month “wrap-up” period at the end of your visa. This allows you to work full-time, and also gives you time to switch to another visa (e.g. the Graduate route). If your course was shorter than 12 months, you'd only have 2 months to “wrap-up”.
- The 4-month period that expires at the end of January the following year should also cover the winter graduation ceremony, so you don’t usually need a new visa to attend this.
You can check the Academic Calendar for more information on term time dates for each Faculty and Department.
As you work throughout the year, term time dates don't apply to you so you're limited to 20 hours per week while you're completing your PhD. You should be entitled to 8 weeks of annual leave, and you can work more than 20 hours during your annual leave periods.
Important to know: annual leave needs to be officially agreed with your supervisor.
Students on a part-time Student visa are not permitted to work in term time, vacations or, on non-work placements.
What type of work can I do?
Students can undertake any sort of work apart from the following:
- Be self-employed or engage in business activity; or
- Work as a professional sportsperson (including as a sports coach); or
- Work as an entertainer; or
- Work in a position that would fill a permanent full-time vacancy
For more information about the Student visa working conditions, visit the UKCISA website.
Important to know:
- We can't produce a letter that states your working conditions and when you're able to work full-time. It's your employer's responsibility to check your right to work through the Government's website.
- Through Student Services Online, you can request a letter that states the university's term time dates.
If you're an EU/EEA/Swiss student
If you are an EU/EEA or Swiss student holding pre-settled or settled status, you are able to work with no restrictions during your studies. You do not need to apply for special permission to work.
Important to know:
- If you are unsure of how many hours you are able to work during your studies, your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) will also state the maximum amount of hours you are able to work while studying.
- You’ll be told what you can and cannot do on a Student visa, once your visa application has been approved.
If your course is longer than 12 months, your student visa is likely continue for up to 4 months after your course end date. Your end date will be:
- Undergraduate: the end of the summer term as specified in the Academic Calendar
- Postgraduate taught: the course end date listed on your CAS
- Postgraduate research: the award date of your PhD (as confirmed by the Research Degrees team)
When you reach your course end date, you can start working full-time until your visa expiry date, for a maximum period of 4 months. Therefore, it's important that before you reach your visa expiry date/the 4 month period after your course end date, you apply to switch into another immigration category. Otherwise, you'll have to leave the UK.
During this 4 month period, you may have the option to switch to another visa which permits you to work in the UK after your Student visa or Tier 4 visa expires.
You can see more information on the different options on the UKCISA website.
