Working Alongside Your Studies
A part-time job can take the edge off student budgeting, but it works best when it fits around your course, not against it. Transfering from an employer in your hometown if you have a job already to the same employer in your university town can be a good option. Here's where to start, and what to check before you take anything new on.
Start at your university's Jobshop
Most universities run a Jobshop or Student Employment Service with a jobs listings board (sometimes with an app) of part-time and casual work vetted specifically for students, often on campus or nearby. These roles tend to understand term dates, exam periods, and last-minute assignment crunches better than an external employer will.
- Search "[your university name] jobshop" or check your Student Hub or Careers Service homepage
- Roles often include campus catering, library assistant work, open day ambassadors, working with widening participation teams and retail/hospitality shifts with local partner employers
Working university events
Many universities also hire students directly for Open Days, Graduation, Clearing, and Welcome Week, usually through the same Jobshop or via the Student Ambassador scheme. These are often well-paid for the hours, close to campus, often flexible and look good on a CV. Sign-up windows can be short and demand high, so it's worth registering interest with your the Service early in the year rather than waiting for an advert.
How many hours should you actually work?
There's no single official cap for home/UK students but most university guidance and independent bodies (e.g. MoneyHelper, StepChange) suggest keeping paid work to around 15/16 hours a week during term time as a sensible upper limit for fuul-time undergraduates scaling down further around assessment periods. Treat this as a guide, not a rule, your own workload, course intensity, and placement requirements matter more than a generic number. Speak to your personal tutor or Student Support Service if you're not sure you're getting the balance right.
International students: visa restrictions are different and this is a hard limit
If you're studying on a Student visa, the number of hours you can work is set out in your visa conditions, not left to your personal judgement and it's a legal limit, not advice or a guide:
- Typically 20 hours per week during term time for degree-level study (lower for below-degree-level study), full-time allowed during vacation periods
- Combined hours across more than one job count towards this limit
- Certain types of work (self-employment, professional sport, permanent roles) are not permitted at all
- Seek specialist advice if you are unsure about the rules, from university’s dedicated internationa Stident Support or visa advice team and make sure the adviser is trained to provide advice to International Students.
Because these conditions can change with immigration policy, and the exact wording on individual visas varies, always check your own BRP/visa share code and confirm current rules with your university's International Student Support team and UKCISA the definitive independent source, rather than relying on a figure from a blog post, including this one!!
Getting to and from shifts safely
Evening and early-morning shifts mean thinking about the journey, not just the job:
- Check whether your university or students' union runs a Get Home Safe / SafeZone scheme, campus security escort, or subsidised late-night transport
- Share your shift pattern and route with a housemate or friend, and agree a check-in
- Suzy Lamplugh Trust has practical, non-alarmist guidance on personal safety for lone workers and commuters
Know your rights: contracts, pay, and minimum wage
Whatever the role, you're entitled to the same core protections as any other worker:
- National Minimum Wage / National Living Wage ~ rates are reviewed annually, so check the current figures for your age band on Gov.uk — National Minimum Wage rates
- You should be given a written statement of employment particulars (a contract or equivalent) see Gov.uk — employment contracts for what this should cover
- If something feels off like unpaid trial shifts, cash-in-hand with no paperwork, hours that don't match your visa conditions consider ACAS which gives free, independent advice on workplace rights and disputes
